In no particular order here are some of the things I saw in June. In the Derwent Valley near Muggleswick I saw a wood warbler. I made a recording of the song as well but I can't work out how to attach it here.
June is mainly a month for insects. In Harwood Forest I found a group of longhorn beetles on a bramble, one larger beetle which I reckoned must be a female, and a group of hopeful suitors. I think this is Pachytodes cerambyciformis.
The sun brought out the dragonflies. Broad-bodied chasers usually sit on a perch but I have seen several on the mud this month. It doesn't make for such a good photo.
Four-spotted chasers are our earliest-emerging dragonflies. This timeI tried out a few flight shots.
Damselflies included large red.
And azure.
Red mason bees have had a good season in my garden. This is a female on viper's bugloss.
Other bees I saw included a male Willughby's leafcutter bee.
Not many bird photos this month but I did see this bullfinch in the garden. Several are here every day.
While looking for, and not finding, a golden-ringed dragonfly I saw a small pearl-bordered fritillary, a bonus.
The hoverflies that interest me most are those that mimic bumblebees. This is Volucella bombylans, pretending to be a white-tailed bumblebee.
I had another go at moth trapping in the flower garden but didn't catch many, and nothing striking. The copse might be better but I don't want to put the light in there for now in case it interferes with watching the foxes. At Banks' Pond I did see a dramatic day-flying moth, a cinnabar
The change in weather from May to June was striking. Apart from the last three days May was cold and wet. And June has been warm and sunny with almost no rain.
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