We 'Lead' a 'Butterfly Walk' in Foots Cray Meadows!

A few Months ago we decided in our (self-appointed) Capacity as the Butterfly &c. Recorders for the London Borough of Bexley, to Arrange and 'Lead' a Series of local Butterfly Walks.

The First Walk, under the Umbrella of the Bexley Branch of the RSPB (for which Many Thanks), was on Foots Cray Meadows.

Lead? Us? Thankfully, apart from the Occasional Suggestion of which Direction to Follow, the Walk essentially ran itself.

To the Occasional Question of, 'What's This?', we found ourselves Listening in Wonder as we issued hopefully Confident Sounding Replies!

There were of course the ones (Moths) we had no idea about, including this Character:

which was subsequently Identified for us as a probable Light Emerald Moth.

Arranging the Walks seemed a Good Idea at the Time: not so much so on the Morning of the First Walk. Any vague hopes we had of the Walk being Abandoned, disappeared when the Early Morning Rain stopped at about 08.00 hours!

Wow: ten people turned up! Weirdly, almost all at the same time. But not as Scary as we had imagined: we had wondered if anyone would turn up! Thanks to everyone who did join us.

And much to our Surprise and Relief (bearing in Mind the Weather) some Butterflies and Moths were seen. Phew…

Allowing ourselves, as we always do, to be Guided by the 'Unseen Hand', we focused our attention on the area where we had seen a Small Heath Butterfly the previous Sunday. And Yippee, we were in Luck.

Butterfly and Moth Species Seen and Identified:

Burnet Companion
Common Blue viz.

Holly Blue
Mint Moth
Mother Shipton viz.

Small Copper viz.

Small Heath viz.

and Small White viz.

Afterwards: we trudged over to the Upper College Farm in search of Crosswort and Yellow Vetchling viz.