18.
magnificent and strikingly large hoverfly
Volucella zonaria.
The rather dry weather was also probably
the cause of the two miniature Meadow Browns I
saw also feeding on the thistles, the larvae
not being able to obtain enough food at each
instar and hence pupating at a rather small
size and producing a small adult.
Purple Hairstreaks again seemed to be
fairly common in the oaks and I also watched
a spotted flycatcher catch flies again and again
from the same perch in an oak tree. Walking on
some distance to where the Conservators had
widened and laid gravel on the path to Fairmead
Bottom some more creeping thistle clumps were
growing, and again there was a tremendous amount
of activity on the flowers. As well as most of
the insects previously mentioned there were
Commas, Small Tortoisehhells and at least eight
Peacock butterflies.
I crossed the Epping New Road and walked
over to Fairmead Bottom where the damage done
by fires was terrible. The curiously shaped
blackened trunks and branches of the trees were
sufficiently arresting to excite the interest
of two photographers. The most noticeable
sounds here were the stridulations of the
Meadow Grasshopper and also that of a Bush
Cricket, unfortunately unidentified, but it
appeared to be fairly common over most of the
grassy area. Walking part of the way up
Lippitts Hill to the footpath just opposite the
new Owl Public House and amongst some grass
stems I was actually able to pick up in my hands
yet another Purple Hairstreak which on release
landed on my shoulder twice before flying off.
A little further down I found a small patch of
Giant Horsetail, its stems well over two feet
high and a species which is a good indicator
of a dampish patch on the otherwise dry ground.