Longlands Fell

A quick nip up Longlands Fell after work - lovely to get a breeze and cracking views!
What a great little fell!

Binsey and Overwater.

Longlands Fell summit.

Skiddaw.

A panorama..........Skiddaw, Overwater and Binsey.

Across the Solway to Criffel. 

Damsels and dragonflies ..........Eycott Hill

There have been a couple of new ponds dug at Eycott since we last went ...they are quite low given the weather conditions at present, but a couple of sticks poked into the mud provided ideal perches for the dragonflies and damsels.

Emperor dragonfly and azure damselfly

Emperor dragonfly

Four spot chaser

Large red damselfly 

More damsels....

Eycott Hill Nature reserve, North Cumbria

A quick afternoon walk....Coronation Meadow was fantastic and the view across the reserve superb. Just caught the end of the small pearl-bordered fritillaries flight period.

Views across the reserve to Blencathra

Small pearl-bordered fritillaries and meadow brown. There were lots of ringlets and chimney sweeper moths too. 

Heath-spotted orchids, sneezewort, ragged robin and bog asphodel. 

Water crowfoot felt ball installation.

You may already be familiar my felt ball project - if not click here. The summer before Storm Desmond I had been to Smardale and seen a fantastic display of water crowfoot. I subsequently made a felt ball, but when we returned the year after to photograph the ball in situ Storm Desmond had ripped all the crowfoot out. This year was the first year we have seen the crowfoot back there....not much but enough! Photography wasn't easy, but at least I'd taken flip flops and a towel so I could paddle - I ended up sitting in the beck to take the photos, which was very cooling on an extremely hot day!

Smardale Gill NNR

After visiting Waitby Greenriggs reserve we went on to Sardale - again a colourful display of flowers - and we caught the tail end of the Northern Brown Argus season.

The viaduct which goes over Scandal Beck.

Freshwater crayfish; speckled wood; ringlet and northern brown argus.

Northern brown argus.

Waitby Greenriggs nature reserve.

A very sunny walk along the disused railway on Cumbria Wildlife Trust's Waitby Greenriggs reserve. Plenty of orchids and the marsh helleborines were particularly abundant.

Twayblade and fly orchid. 

Marsh helleborines 

A white fragrant orchid, a general view with a helleborine and common spotted orchid. 

Summer moths in North Cumbria

It's so great to be able to put the trap out and know it isn't going to rain....

Top left: pebble prominent and right buff tip prominent.
Bottom left: swallow prominent and right sallow kitten.

Left: true lover's knot; bristone; peppered moth and swallowtail.
Right: burnished brass; garden tiger; beautiful golden y; and Lempke's gold spot.

Heart and dart; willow beauty and double square spot.