Wolves Wild

Two white butterflies were in the air over the Compton Park pond recently, clearly interacting. I wasn’t sure whether it was foreplay, or jousting over control of a valuable territory.

Then one of them veered away and flew off. The other landed, and started feeding on one of the water mint not far from me.

It was a green-veined white. I’ve now seen all the four species of white butterfly which I normally see locally, although in much smaller numbers than usual – one lone individual in the case of orange tips.

Seaside gulls aren’t the only birds which have learnt that chip shop chips are tasty. Turnstones normally feed in the intertidal zone. They do turn small stones over with their beaks, looking for food. Likewise with seaweed.

They can often be spotted when the tide is out in estuaries and harbours. One denizen of Brixham harbour some years ago had swapped the effort of moving pebbles for a habit of hanging round on the pavement outside the local harbourfront chippie, waiting for careless customers to let one slip.

A male common darter, which is indeed one of the commoner dragonflies. The males have a habit, on sunny days, of resting in an open spot, usually near water. Even if they are approached too quickly, they sometimes just move a short distance before settling again. The females, greenish-bodied, are more reclusive, and more wary when they are visible.

Common darters come back every summer to the pond which was created a few years ago in Compton Park, though in ever smaller numbers as the pond is increasingly choked with vegetation. At the pond, they are often spotted at rest on the woodwork of the footbridge. This one was even more cooperative: posing on the handrail, so I didn’t even need to bend down to take these pictures.

Lichen forming a series of concentric rings. The picture was taken some years ago in the grounds of the parish church at Totnes. Probably the lichen was on one of the old gravestones.

A box tree moth resting. This is yet another species with its first British record in recent decades, and a range which is gradually extending northwards. Another marker of the changes brought by global warming.

Deceivers are a quite common species of mushroom which are the fungal equivalent of birdwatchers little brown jobs. They are indeed also small and brown, and easily confused with other species.

Amethyst deceivers would be the same in a monochrome world. In fact, their pale purple (amethyst) colour is unique. Nor are they particularly common. This picture was taken on the only occasion I’ve ever seen some. They were in Himley Plantation, a Woodland Trust woodland which supports lots of interesting fungi. It was September 2014 when I saw them. When I revisit the wood, I look carefully round the area where they were, but there’s been nothing since.