Sunday 15 July 2007

Stevenston

Along the hedge at the barley field beside Dubbs Quarry there were 34 Small Tortoiseshells and 11 Meadow Browns. There were 7 further Meadow Browns in the quarry itself, along with 8 Green-veined Whites. 5 Six-spot Burnet Moths were on the wing over the damp, mossy grassland at the far end of the site. Also, there were a couple of male Common Darters at a small puddle – the first males I’ve seen this year. Over the main water body there were 20-30 ‘blue’ damselflies – the few I positively identified were Common Blues. There were also 4 Blue-tailed Damselflies.

The ‘butterfly grassland’ at the south of the Ardeer Quarry LNR site had 4 Common Blues, 1 Small Heath, 1 Six-Spot Burnet Moth, 2 Meadow Browns, and 1 Green-veined White. There was a single Ringlet and a couple of Small Tortoiseshells nearby.

(Photo: Green-veined White)