Wednesday 12 August 2015

Beaten by butterflies

The Safari has been doing some sums after the Red Arrows whizzed over Base Camp at the weekend. From what we can gather their 20 minute display of nine planes (and one present on the ground in reserve) along with coming from and returning to their home airfield the team uses enough fuel to keep our Land Rover rolling along for about 15 years! All worked out at our current rate of mileage of course.
We noticed a few bees out today on a variety of plants but the Marjoram was probably the most popular.
The works garden still has a Teasel in flower, or at least most if the head still has some flowers on it.
A look at Patch 2 was disappointing with little out there on a carpet-flat sea, can't believe there wasn't a Harbour Porpoise to be seen, just a distant Grey Seal.
The back green briefly played host to another Wheatear, another couple this autumn and that be more than all previous records put together.
Then our group turned up to have a look at the pond. It didn't take them long to start pulling out lots of Greater Pond Snails and 3-spined Sticklebacks.
When they stopped for their lunch we promised to find and bring them a butterfly or two as we'd seen some Large Whites flying around the gardens. The very warm sun meant they were far too quick for our net.
A Meadow Brown settled for a while but that was after we'd put the net away!
Too busy in the afternoon to spend anything more than a few seconds outside.
Where to next? More pond devastation and we'll go to the park we thought we were going to this afternoon but got our days muxed ip.
In the meantime let us know who's been to quick for whom in your outback.