Walk around Tagglesmire

Saturday afternoon walk and it was scorching, hadn't taken a hat and was starting to curl up and go crispy so got my umbrella out and looked a prat but didn't care. Lots of butterflies about, Small Heath, Small Skippers, Peacocks and antler moths and hover fly bumble bee mimics.

View from Tagglesmire

Small Skipper

Sawfly probably Tenthredo arcuata

Volucella bombylans

Volucella pellucens

Friends of Bowland Wildlife Wander 15/07/19

Went along to a wildlife wander held by the Friends of Bowland. The walk started and finished at Dalehead Chapel and took in a visit to Bottom Laithe, a damp meadow with several interesting  plant and insect species.

Fly attacked by fungus

Found this poor fly attached to a leaf stem in the garden, I looked up what was the cause and its probably infected with the fungus Entomophthora muscae and releasing spores that will infect other flies. It devours the flies body fluids over the course of a week before hijacking its brain and making it climb to a perch where its own drool is used to attach it (I assume mine has swung round in the breeze) to a stem. The zombie apocalypse begins.

Fly infected by fungus

Dock Beetle

I love looking for these lovely shiny beetles in summer. The raggedy holes on dock leaves are a giveaway, turn the leaves over and you will find the black larvae that have done the damage and possibly clumps of yellow eggs. The actual beetles are green with a golden sheen and the females abdomens become hugely distended when they are ready to lay their eggs.

Female Gastrophysa viridula

Gastrophysa viridula larva

Gastrophysa viridula Eggs

Ingleborough Archaeology Group Walk

Had a wander around the Ingleton Nature reserve looking at some of the features in a leaflet by the Ingleton Archaeology Group. The path above Southerscales gives a really good view of the village and its now thought it could be up to 1,100 years old. The Neolithic Long Cairn would have housed burials 6,000 years ago, though the rubble on top shows its been dug into probably in the 19th century.

Southerscales Deserted Medieval Village

Limestone pavement below Ingleborough

Barrie stood on Neolithic Long Cairn.

Romano -British settlement, possibly prehistoric.

Not sure if these are intentionally erected or just natural.