David Dowding

Female Slowworm out hunting slugs in the garden early this morning @ARGroupsUK @ARC_Bytes @wildipswich

During grassland/scrub management today in Bourne park, we found 25 Brown Hairstreak eggs in just 15 mins, including my first ever treble ! 🫐@BC_Suffolk @DavidWalsh22

During a successful search for larvae and pupae amongst the heather 🐛 🐜 , was not surprised to find a dozen SSB's already flying in Ipswich today, a fortnight ahead of schedule 🦋 @BC_Suffolk

The start of some exciting new wetland management work in the Bourne Park reedbed - creating ponds, scrapes and linear features to increase habitat diversity and open up views into the reedbed. Funded by a grant from @suffolkcc Many thanks to all involved. @IpswichGov #reedbed

Sawmilling local oak in Landseer Park last week, to produce boardwalk planks - already in place in Belstead Brook Park. Great volunteers also helped make a bench and stag beetle pile using waste wood in Landseer. @IpswichGov #volunteers # local timber

@Scumble_lover @BritishMoths Convolvulus Hawk

Hi @BritishMoths, please can you help me identify this grub I found today? Thanks!

@tanyamercer @DunwichHeathNT The trusty tree popper! 🌳

Day volunteering on @DunwichHeathNT Brilliant team doing great work to preserve the beautiful, rare habitat.

Preparing for installation of 2 new 'bee friendly' planters at The Street, Rushmere for the Parish Council.Wide excavations around the planters have been filled with different inert aggregates to encourage wildflowers & low growth on the highway verge. @EastSuffolk @IpswichGov

Well over 250 SSB at my local Urban heathland this year, in an area < half an acre. Shows what can be done when you understand the species life cycle/ ecology and manage the habitat accordingly ( egg laying sites, ant symbiosis, larval foodplants and nectar) . @BC_Suffolk

@igcecology1 @PurdisHeathGolf @PurdisHeathSSSI @HearleSharon @BC_Suffolk @IgcGreenkeepers @BrumptonGraham @GreenwaysProj @Ecology1BIGGA @marieathorngolf @golfenvawards 3 males at Bixley heath too! 🦋

Great news from @PurdisHeathGolf found this male Silver-studded blue butterfly today in an area of site we have been managing to encourage the species to return! 1st sighting since 2011. Needs short Bell heather to breed. Prob spread from @PurdisHeathSSSI next door @HearleSharon

Always nice to find the strongly symbiotic SSB larvae 🐛 , hidden amongst ant nests within the heather 🐜 @BC_Suffolk

@savebutterflies @BC_Suffolk Saw one at Piper's vale Sunday (14th)- only a record shot with mobile

Two more butterflies are now on the wing! 🦋 The first Wall (Lasiommata megera) of 2024 was recorded in Essex on the 13 April, along with a Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) on the same date in East Sussex. Follow the first sightings 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/fi… 📸: Bob Eade

Delighted to find this chunky Goat moth caterpillar emerging from a veteran oak tree at Orwell Country park @neilshermanmoth

Good views of Brown hairstreaks egg laying- today at Piper's Vale

@PeteMRCooper Nice one, was it related to a development? I've found the larvae are happy to feed on squashed snails in captivity

@DavidDowding2 Larvae not long after hatching

The first tiny steps towards success. 2 years since the first release, an adult female Glow-worm and a mature, well-fed larva on our trial site in Hampshire.

@BC_Suffolk I went to visit the site today and there are thousands of Pansies, possibly millions across the 4 arable reversion fields ( saw around 50 Queen of Spain)

@DavidDowding2 The person who saw the butterfly says that it could have been a QoS Fritillary but from what they saw on their computer screen still think HB is a better match.

With a Brown Hairstreak being seen in Landseer Park, Ipswich and a rather strange sighting of a High Brown Fritillary in Stutton that is 34 species of butterfly seen in Suffolk in July. see suffolkbutterflies.org.uk/sightings.html

Out at Piper's Vale this week too!

@AnneWrightCTA @IpswichGov @IpswichRSPB @SoSSwifts @SuffolkBirdGrp @BC_Suffolk Yeah this was June- 1st sighting was on the 14'th so they've been out for over month

@DavidDowding2 @IpswichGov @IpswichRSPB @SoSSwifts @SuffolkBirdGrp @BC_Suffolk Wow, that's amazing, we were very lucky to see one I think as well past their peak time, but it was great bonus to see Brown Argus and Clouded Yellow there, as well as a dozen other species!

Brilliant to see so many Swifts feeding over the wonderful insect-rich @IpswichGov Landseer Park on an @IpswichRSPB walk thanks to Stephen M, 15 species of butterfly seen as well as Kestrel family & an unexpected Whitethroat singing away! @SoSSwifts @SuffolkBirdGrp @BC_Suffolk

@AnneWrightCTA @IpswichGov @IpswichRSPB @SoSSwifts @SuffolkBirdGrp @BC_Suffolk

@DavidDowding2 @IpswichGov @IpswichRSPB @SoSSwifts @SuffolkBirdGrp @BC_Suffolk