Who am I?

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An individual, of no great importance, who is unable to see the natural world as a place for competition. I catch fish, watch birds, derive immense pleasure from simply looking at butterflies, moths, bumble-bees, etc - without the need for rules! I am Dylan and this is my blog - if my opinions offend? Don't bother logging on again - simple!

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Monday, 15 June 2015

Tight lines and wet nets

At the stroke of midnight the "traditional" coarse angling season will commence. For those guys fortunate enough to be abroad at that magic hour, I wish you every success. Sadly, in 2015, I am unable to partake in that ritual, first cast, but have plans to fish later in the day (when I've finished an eleven hour shift)
An illustration from my facsimile copy of The Compleat Angler
If you are out, then remember to offer a word of thanks to the memory of Izaak (Walton) and all that he did to popularise the pursuit of angling. His advice being as relevant today as it was back in 1653 - "Study to be Quiet".


Four new additions for the 2015 list, in the trap overnight, Square-spot Rustic,The Clay, White Ermine and a lovely Small Elephant Hawk-moth, plus there was a Hummer on the Valerian this afternoon, as I was watering the hanging baskets and window boxes. Red Admiral butterflies have started to appear in some numbers, over the past few days and a Hobby was scything across the Newland's Farm airspace as I made my way home yesterday evening (just before the footie started!)

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2 comments:

  1. Derek Faulkner15 June 2015 at 17:16

    According to the Daily Telegraph today, experts have said that there are a huge number of Painted Ladies in Southern Europe at the moment, poised to spread north and give us another "Painted Lady Summer" like we had in 2009.

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    1. Dylan Wrathall15 June 2015 at 21:42

      Derek - I do hope so. The mass migration of insects, be that dragonflies, butterflies, moths or even hoverflies is a phenomenon that never ceases to amaze me. It is crazy that small birds can, and do, travel such amazing distances, it becomes even more so when a similar distance is covered by an insect. Having been fortunate enough to be living in East Kent during the dragonfly invasion of 1995 and the subsequent moth/butterfly events of 1996 I thought that they were typical of the location. How little I understood about the process and the environmental conditions required to cause such large scale movements. Twenty years on and I have yet to witness another dragonfly invasion on that scale and have only, infrequently, been in the right place, at the right time, to have encountered moths and butterflies in such profusion.
      Will the Summer of 2015 go down in history as one of "Painted Lady abundance" - we'll have to wait and see. All the best - Dyl

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