Bug Hunt - August 2012

The sun shone and the breeze was light yesterday morning for the enthusiastic group of young bug hunters which gathered at the Visitor Centre in the Country Park for an event organised by the Friends of HCPNR.

Armed with sweep nets, pots and hand lenses we set off on an intrepid adventure amongst the wildflowers and brambles to see what we could find.

First catch of the day was a 7-spot Ladybird closely followed by a Gatekeeper butterfly and a Soldier Beetle. The juicy blackberries along the way almost proved more popular than the insects!

Our journey took us down to the quarry area where we were rewarded with a beautiful Speckled Bush Cricket perched in full view atop a bright yellow ragwort flower. This was closely compared with a Field Grasshopper which our leader, Alan, had just found – an excellent teaching point! Other finds included a pair of mating Meadow Brown butterflies (a teaching point rapidly passed over) and a very smart Holly Blue.

It was a slightly weary little band of bug hunters which returned to base but not too tired to consume (and collect in the insect pots) even more juicy blackberries along the way. A splendid morning in the fresh air was enjoyed by all.