Despite trying for over 90 minutes I cannot upload the video clip footage of when my second caterpillar started to pupate into a chrysalis, so you'll just have to believe me when I say it was an amazing thing to watch again.
So I now have two Orange-tip chrysalis in the lockdown loftroom. And still no idea when they will emerge into butterflies.
The first one looks strong and healthy and you can almost see the wings forming inside.....
The second one is 48 hours behind the first, and never did make it to a stem to hang from. Instead it attached itself to the bottom of a plastic cup. It looks a little smaller than the first, and never got to shed it's skin properly (the grey blobby stuff at the bottom). I don't know if this will affect the emergence, only time will tell.....
Last night I must admit I was a little apprehensive when I didn't see the fox cubs playing at the back of the field. I saw the vixen briefly as she went off to hunt, but I didn't see her return and I saw no cubs.
This morning (Thursday) I popped my head out of the loft at about 8am and was gobsmacked to see the vixen in the usual place in the corner. I rarely see her during the day, and have certainly never seen the cubs in the morning, but for 15 blissful minutes I managed to fire off a load of photos. The light was perfect, but only two cubs were visible....
II think she must have bought something back for the cubs to eat, but I couldn't make out what it was. Whatever it was, after they had eaten the vixen groomed them both thoroughly....
before letting them off to play and let off some steam....
Again, she somehow communicated with them, and they all disappeared into the den and I didn't see them again.
I know I only saw two fox cubs, but I'm not going to panic as only a few days ago I only saw two of them, yet a day later all four were out playing. Maybe they are doing their own form of social distancing and taking it in turns to come out, and yes I know how daft that sounds !! Hahahaha
I spent some time in the back garden today. It was way too hot to see much, but all around me were the lovely chattering and calls of juvenile House Sparrows, Goldfinches, Starlings and other new signs of life.
There was a hoverfly continuously resting at the same area by the stream. Twice I got him to sit on my finger for a better look (no photos though) and I have positively identified it as a male Helophilus pendulus. They are very common, and very territorial, and I watched him see off a few bees that dared to go near his 'patch'. He's a very handsome individual with a stunning striped thorax, so you can understand why this species of hoverfly is often called 'the footballer' due to the 'striped shirt'.
I'm hoping he attracts an equally beautiful female so I can observe the mating and egg laying. Their larvae love wet rotting vegetation by stream edges and look like maggots with long tails. Might sound gross to you, but to me during this lockdown period it would be a dream come true to observe and photograph the whole procedure, a bit like I did with my Orange-tip caterpillars.
Another nice surprise was to see a Large Red damselfly settle briefly on one of the ferns....
and of course I often looked up as a Red Kite went over 'mewing'...
A male Blackcap perched so quickly that I only managed one poor photo, but what a nice 'garden tick'....
My faithful cat, Dixie, joined me for an hour or so. She is an 'indoor' cat so doesn't go out alone, but she revelled in the sunshine sniffing the various plants....
The back garden is looking very lush at the moment, so here are a few of the plants currently in flower...
Tomorrow is looking to be a bit cooler, so I'm hoping to get out for a longer time. I'm not a sun worshipper and I seem to see more when the temperature is a little lower.
Keep well everyone and stay safe
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