Monday 15 June 2009

Field Course: Fens and Dunes





































Another session of the local field work with Dan Forman, Charles Hipkin and a mass of Swansea students. This time went to Pant-y-Sais Fen (home of the Raft spider), did transects opposite Jersey Marine at Crymlyn Burrows and then worked at Kenfig Nature Reserve. At the Fen, saw the impressive Royal fern (Osmuda regalis), Downy birch (Betula pubescens), Slender cottongrass (Eriophorum gracile), Marsh horsetail (Equisetum palustre), Hemlock water dropwort (Oenanthe crocata), Marsh cinquefoil (Potentilla palustris), Greater spearwort (Ranunculus lingua), Lesser spearwort (Ranunculus flammula), a white Ragged robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) and Marsh lousewort (Pedicularis palustris). At Crymlyn Burrows, there was Tufted vetch (Vicia cracca), Sea purslane (Halimione portulacoides), Sea milkwort (Glaux maritima), Biting stonecrop (Sedum acre), Sharp rush (Juncus acutus) and Sea wormwood (Artemisia maritima). Got a good shot of a stationary Skylark (Alauda arvensis). At Kenfig, in addition to some of the usual suspects, there was Viper's bugloss (Echium vulgare), Early marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata), Common spotted orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), Common twayblade (Listera ovata), Wild pansy (Viola tricolor) and Lesser water-plantain (Baldellia ranunculoides). The wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca) was in fruit. There were impressive numbers of caterpillars including those of the Six-spot burnet (Zygaena filipendulae), Emperor (Saturnia pavonia), Lackey (Malacosoma neustrina) and Drinker (Philudoria potatoria) moths. Also saw a dead Grass snake (Natrix natrix) and got a decent picture of a Meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis).

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Some of My Favourite Pictures of Lepidopteran Larvae

Caterpillars of moths and butterflies from the UK and India