Northern Brown Argus

The Northern Brown Argus butterfly transects are currently underway in Upper Wharfedale. Paul Millard surveyed Low Ox Pasture on the 6th June and found:

13 Northern Brown Argus all were freshly emerged.
134 Cistus Forester
10 Small Heath
1 Mother Shipton

On the same day, he completed the Wider Countryside transect at Mastiles Lane and Cool Scar Quarry and found:

15 Northern Brown Argus
25 Small Heath
8 Cistus Forester
1 Silver Y

Peter and Janet Burns surveyed Long Ashes on the 5th of June and saw:

1 Common Blue
32 Northern Brown Argus
5 Small Heath

Yesterday was my first day and the weather wasn’t so good but I took a trip up to Long Ashes and Low Ox Pasture and walked both transects between rain storms. Despite a heavy shower, I was lucky to see a total of 8 Northern Browns (see featured image) at Long Ashes. Unfortunately, by this time, they had retreated to the undergrowth at Low Ox Pasture but I still managed to see one in flight and the damp after the storm didn’t put the Cistus Forester moths off – 112 seen in total!