Inverts and plants of Arnside Knott, Warton Crag and Hawes Water

It was back to Arnside Knott today for another look at the Scotch Argus which are currently on the wing in good numbers. Amazing the think that this time last year we struggled to find a single Scotch Argus here. Also lots of other butterflies about today, as well as flowers and many more inverts including a good selection of hoverflies. After Arnside we visited Warton Crag and Hawes Water (Gait Barrows).

Scotch Argus at one of its few English localities.

I never tire of the view from Arnside Knott, one of the finest I know!

Gatekeeper (left) and meadow brown on wild majorem. Apart from the obvious size difference, of interest is the fact that the meadow brown has two white spots within the black eye spot. Aparently this is a feature of the female of the subspecies "insularis".

A late northern brown argus.

Large skipper.

Speckled wood.

Dark-red helleborine Epipactis atrorubens. We found about ten on Arnside Knott, most of them going over. We also saw at least  two at Hawes Water, dwarfed by broad-leaved helleborine. The basal leaves are a good clue to identifying these, since broad-leaved helleborine (below) doesn't have any! Obviously the leaf shape and the overall size of the plant helps as well. Notice also that the flowers are not only redder looking in dark-red helleborine, they are also more closed.

Broad-leaved helleborine Epipactis helleborine at Haweswater. These plants were not far off 1m tall!

Broad-leaved helleborine. A much more open and greener looking flower than dark-red hellborine.

Syrphus sp.

Eristalis tenax

Helophilus pendulus

Myathropa florea

Meliscaeva cinctella

Meliscaeva cinctella

Sphaerophoria sp.

Myathropa florea - Note the bat man logo on its pronotum!

Gasteruption sp.

The view from Warton Crag isn't bad either.

Andrena sp. of mining bee

Common rockrose Helianthemum nummularium on Warton Crag.

Eyebright sp. Euphrasia sp. Warton Crag. There are around 21 species of eyebright in the UK which are very difficult to seperate, so let's just leave this as "sp.". A beautiful little plant though!

Harebell Campanula rotundifolia, Warton Crag.

Ladies bedstraw Galium verum.

Wild marjarom Origanum vulgare.

St. John's wort sp. Hypericum sp. I didn't really have time to properly id this, so let's just enjoy the plant!

....and the invert of the day award goes to.....this cracking little mayfly, Baetis fuscatus! It's eyes are just amazing! I believe that the large eyes are a feature of a male.

Four-banded longhorn Leptura quadrifasciata Haweswater.