Silver-washed and Yellow-legged

The warmth really brought out the insects today, with lots of butterflies and hoverflies around the garden behind the Centre. It has been an especially good year for silver-washed fritillary with several there most days and today was no exception.
There are also good numbers of hoverflies, especially if the Eristalis genus including the one int he picture, which is hairy and patterned like a bumble-bee to deter predators. It comes in several colour forms, roughly similar to the different species of bees. This last fact set me thinking about the likelihood of there being one similar to the tree bumble bee which is newly arrived in Britain, I must try and look it up. The species is Eristalis intricarius, a common enough species, here in typical white-tailed bumble-bee livery.

In the morning I had to go to a site meeting just off the reserve, on the way there I walked along the Ellingham Lake path passing the broad-leaved helleborines, the ones that have avoided being eaten are not in flower. Despite the deep shade I got a picture, although not brightly coloured each individual flower is has the classic orchid look.

A quick look at Ibsley Water as I locked up revealed a dunlin, my first returning greenshank of the autumn and a single adult yellow-legged gull.