Re: East Lothian sightings - May 2018

Will,
I walked Gifford to Bolton on Sunday and saw the same butterflies! 9 Speckled Woods, 2 Orange Tips, a Green-veined White, a Small White, a Peacock and a Comma laying eggs on the nettles at the old dump at Under Bolton Farm!
I saw a solitary Wall Brown at Woodhall Dean a couple of years ago. On Monday I had my first Wall for my transect at Clerkington, so they do seem to be spreading out.
Richard,
I was at Newhailes this morning on a site visit and noticed that the Nettles and Garlic Mustard along the ha-ha were all wilted and dying. I was really cross to see that the farmer had done the same in two fields belonging to the Council near Gifford last week. The field margins and hedges had loads of Nettles and Garlic Mustard containing eggs, but they have all been sprayed. The sprayer has gone right over the Oak trees that I have planted there and the hedges are also affected. I can only imagine that the Meadow Brown and Ringlet caterpillars will have perished in the grass, too.
I walked Gifford to Bolton on Sunday and saw the same butterflies! 9 Speckled Woods, 2 Orange Tips, a Green-veined White, a Small White, a Peacock and a Comma laying eggs on the nettles at the old dump at Under Bolton Farm!
I saw a solitary Wall Brown at Woodhall Dean a couple of years ago. On Monday I had my first Wall for my transect at Clerkington, so they do seem to be spreading out.
Richard,
I was at Newhailes this morning on a site visit and noticed that the Nettles and Garlic Mustard along the ha-ha were all wilted and dying. I was really cross to see that the farmer had done the same in two fields belonging to the Council near Gifford last week. The field margins and hedges had loads of Nettles and Garlic Mustard containing eggs, but they have all been sprayed. The sprayer has gone right over the Oak trees that I have planted there and the hedges are also affected. I can only imagine that the Meadow Brown and Ringlet caterpillars will have perished in the grass, too.