Summer Notes from the Commons

The summer months of June, July and August were a mixture of hot dry weather at the end of June and generally through August with most of early June and July being unsettled with some heavy showers and thunderstorms. The sun and heat came to summer late and seemed not to benefit some insect groups such as butterflies and wasn’t so great for many groups of flies, particularly hoverflies. The following is a summary of the records covering the summer period, mainly noted by Mark Clements and myself.

Although a Whitethroat was singing (01 Jun) it was not seen with a mate and maybe for the second year running failed to breed. The Forget-me-not Shieldbugs were active amongst the Green Alkanet (02 Jun) and a Bracken Sawfly and a Tree Bumblebee was seen. The Tree Bumblebee was the first seen since a nest perished during the cold and wet May in a bird box in the garden. Dave Billham reported a Nightjar over Pill-box Hill (03 Jun) which stayed for a few following nights.  A Firecrest was present in the south-west corner (06 Jun) and a Red Kite headed west over the Common. A small spider, known as the Cricket-bat Spider, due to the shape on its abdomen, was found in grassland and was a new species for the site (08 Jun). The first Meadow Brown was noted (09 Jun) followed by a Large Skipper (14 Jun). The Black-tailed Skimmer Dragonfly was seen (21 Jun), which is a species visiting more frequently nowadays but no breeding has been observed as yet. Another Red Kite was seen heading west (23 Jun) and a Cinnabar moth was present. One of the resident Buzzards was seen by Mark with a possible Slow Worm in its talons (27 Jun). Buzzards eat a wide range of prey which will include Slow Worms and snakes; also they will eat earthworms, grasshoppers and crickets, as well as larger animals.

Roe Deer are not uncommon visitors in ones or twos to the site and generally it is in the summer months that they are seen (04 Jul). The following day (05 Jul) a Purple Emperor was spotted by Mark making it 6 years out of the last 7 that the butterfly has been recorded on the Common. It was only 2021 that it wasn’t seen but it may have well been present. Another rare insect that turned up in the southern woodland area (10 Jul) and is only seen in low numbers is the hoverfly, known as the Orange-belted Plumehorn, which is quite striking with its two orange panels on its abdomen. The first ‘for the year’ Silver-washed Fritillary butterflies were seen by Mark (15 Jul) as was a Brown Hawker Dragonfly. This dragonfly is a regular visitor but no breeding has been confirmed as yet. Our 27th species of dragonfly was recorded (17 Jul) when a Lesser Emperor was observed hawking over the grassland at the north end of the Common. The third record of Norfolk Hawker at the main pond was reported by Mark (18 Jul). This dragonfly has expanded its range dramatically in the last few years. Once confined to the Norfolk & Suffolk Broads it is now been recorded as far north as Yorkshire and as far south as Devon. Another dragonfly visitor, almost as an annual occurrence since 2001, is the Banded Demoiselle (19 Jul). The males are a metallic blue and the females are metallic green. Smaller insects, particularly flies and bees have been scarce throughout July but finding the Banded General soldierfly and the Yellow Loosestrife Bee (28 Jul) was reassuring. Yellow Loosestife bees are the only UK bees to collect floral oils as well as pollen to provision their nests.

A Kingfisher was noted (02 Aug) and a juvenile Adder about 6”/15cms long. The final instar of a Tortoise Bug and a Box-tree Moth were noted (07 Aug). Box-tree moths are from Asia and are thought to have been imported via Box plants. Their larvae can cause severe damage to Box and were first recorded in Norfolk in 2013. A chance encounter with a large dark butterfly turned out to be a Purple Emperor (08 Aug), slightly worn due to the fact it is at its extreme flight period end. Another immigrant, the Painted Lady butterfly turned up (12 Aug) and a Red Kite was also seen. A Hobby flew over (14 Aug) and a Sedge Warbler was present in a scrubby area (15 Aug). The very striking yellow, black and white striped Wasp Spider was found in the Heather (20 Aug) by Marc Moody and the vagrant Locust Blowfly was found by Nick Owens (25 Aug). A Dartford Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher were reported by Mark (26 Aug) along with a Willow Emerald Damselfly (28 Aug). The following day (29 Aug) a Pied Flycatcher and a Willow Warbler were present heralding the autumn migration.  

The Autumn period is looking to be much the same weatherwise – periods of warm sunny weather and the occasional storm from the west.

  Francis Farrow – Hon. Warden