Common knapweed, Centaurea nigra. Also known as ‘black knapweed’, Resembles a thistle. It is in bloom from June to September and is a huge favourite of all kinds of butterflies, including common blues, marbled whites and meadow browns.
Large Longhorn, Nematopogon Swammerdamella. The largest of Britain’s ‘longhorn’ moths with long white antennae and yellow-orange head tufts. Wingspan 18-21 mm.
Large red damselfly, Pyrrhosoma nymphula. Very common at all ponds. Photo Stephen Middleton
Large skipper, Ochlodes sylvanus. It can be found anywhere where wild grasses are allowed to grow tall. Hedgerows, woodland clearings and edges are favourites. Active in sunny weather it is attracted to various flowers but has a distinct liking for Bramble flowers. A faint chequered pattern on both sides of the wings distinguish it from the Small and Essex Skippers.
Large White, Pieris brassicae. The adult feeds on Thistles, Bluebell, Bugle, Dandelion Devil’s bit and Field Scabious, Fleabane and Knapweeds. The black marking which curves around the apex of the forewing distinguishes it from it’s smaller relation the Small White where the marking is straighter. Nicknamed the ‘Cabbage white’ due to it’s ability to devour cabbages alarmingly quickly.
Leafhopper, Issus coleoptratus. These insects are part of a wide group – so much so that many don’t even have common names. They live on shrubbery and on foliage of various woody plants and common deciduous trees and in mixed forests. They’re not big hoppers like grass hoppers and tend to shuffle along quite slowly.
Fallopia japonicaLesser burdoch, Arctium minus. Large and bushy flowers are prickly and pink to lavender. Flowers can easily be mistaken for thistles, but bordoch can be distinguished by its extremely large leaves (up to 50cm) and hooked bracts. After the flower head dries, the hooked bracts attach themselves to clothes and animals in order to transport the entire seed head. WT
Lesser celandine, Ranunculus ficaria. One of the earliest spring flowers. It flowers from March until May, and is sometimes called the “spring messenger”.
Lesser redpoll, Carduelis cabaret. This tiny finch – only slightly bigger than a blue tit – is streaky and brown with patches of red on its head and sometimes its breast. They like to hang upside down to feed in trees. It has recently been ‘split’ from the mealy (or common) redpoll, a larger and paler species which is a winter […]
Light emerald moth. Adults may often be disturbed from rest where they sit on the underside of tree and shrub leaves. The larvae can be seen from mid-August to the following May or June, spending the winter lying flat against the stems of the foodplant. Colour ranges between light emerald and white.
