10 April 2010

Tennant Canal

A new metal bridge has recently be placed over the Tennant Canal. This replaces an older bridge that was taken down, many years ago, due to health and safety reasons! The new bridge allows you to walk between Jersey Marine and Neath along the canal passing through some very nice habitats. I walked part of this route today looking for newly arrived migrants. None of those today but lots of insects making the most of the good weather. The Brimstone below, on a Dandelion Taraxacum spp, is a female and looked to have a white upperwing. So much so it looked like a Large White Pieris brassicae at distance! Also flying about was this Orange Underwing Archiearis pathenias. I didn't know what it was at the time, but the books say "they fly in March and April. Very active in sunshine, flying friskily and usually high up along the rides and edges of birchwoods. Occasionally visits sallow blossom."

1 comment:

Barry Stewart said...

Orange Underwing is a very nice record. The species is fairly common around Kilvey Hill, but populations elsewhere seem to be quite thinly scattered. You did well to get a photograph as they are usually only seen flying high around the tops of birches or on willow blossom.