Buttermere

As always, with an early start to avoid the crowds, a lovely walk around Buttermere...

 

Nice to see hay being made. 

Fly Agarics.

Rowan berries.

A moth trap - at last!

Finally, a night (8th - 9th August) with a zero percent chance of rain and minimal wind! So a moth trap - not large numbers, but good enough: Burnished Brass 1; Common Carpet 2; Common Rustic 7; Dark Arches 3; Dotted Clay 2; Drinker 1; Early Thorn (second gen); Flame Carpet 1; Flounced Rustic 2; Gold Spot 3; Lesser Broad-bodied Yellow Underwing 1; Large Yellow Underwing 5; Lesser Swallow Prominent 1; Magpie 1; Rosey Rustic 1 and Small Square Spot 3.

Lesser Swallow Prominent ..and below.

Drinker.

Gold Spot.

Early Thorn. 

Small Square Spot.

Dotted Clay. 

Rosey Rustic 

Using an embelisher

With a meeting coming up, where we sahll be looking at the use of embellishers, I thought that I ought to metaphorically, dust mine off. An embelisher is like a sewing machine, but rather than an threaded needle that goes up and down, it has pronged needles that 'needle-felt' flet nad fabric into a background. although there is a lot more you can do with them I am sure - and hopefully will find out just what next week - watch this space! In the meantime ..and 'dusting off' here are three ice inspired semi abstract pices - made with an embellisher, incorporaating marino tops, dyed muslin and other fabrics and wool and  then a bit of machine stitching was added. What to do with them next is the question, as they are ok in their own right, but shall I chop them up and incorporate them into another piece? 

Wedholme Flow: Dragonflies

 With the poor summer weather, I haven't had much time to photograph dragonflies.

Darter sp.

Darter sp.

Darter sp.

Hawker sp.

Darter sp.

Darter sp.

Hawker sp.

Darter sp.

Chaser sp.

Wedholme Flow in the sun! ....Butterflies

A glorious afternoon and walk around this reserve yesterday. Lots of butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies to be enjoyed. I really enjoy taking photographs - far too many: hence we focus on butterflies to start with ...and then dragonflies in the next blog! 

High summer ...altough it's only just into August, it feels like high summer. 

Thistle down.... reminding me of Beatrix Potter and Mr Jackson saying Tiddly, widdly, widdly, Pouff, Pouff, puff! ...as he blew thistle-down all over the room!

As you enter the reserve, this splendid patch of flowers was hooching with insect life. 

Gate-keeper...

..with splendid underwings...

Peacock..and below. 

Red Admiral.

Small Skipper.

Speckled Wood.

Large White ..and below.

Small Skipper.

Small Copper..and below. 

Emperor moth caterpillar. 

High Pike lichen monitoring

A break in the rain, so off up High Pike to see how the Thamnolia vermicularis or White-worm Lichen is fairing. 

We had heard that there had been some illegal off-roading on the top of the fell and that could have easily destroyed the entire lichen population, so it was with some concerns that we made our visit. 

Carrock Fell.

The track before heading off up the fell. 

The summit vegetation has been trashed. 

The summit cairn pulled apart and the metal trig plate removed. 

Thankfully the seat remains...

As does the Thamnolia ....

...which continues to do well. 

Basic monitoring photogrpahs were taken which will be repeated on an annual basis.

The sun came out briefly the fells are flushing purple...

..and there was blue sky! 

Nosey Swaledales!