I last blogged about Layer Breton Heath three years ago, describing the chequered history of this locally important grass-heath. A few days ago I had the chance to return, to lead an evening walk on a very hot, summery day.
Since my previous visit the site has continued to diversify with good management of the open areas especially. In several areas now, bare sandy ground created by trampling have been colonized by ground-nesting solitary wasps, including Sand Wasp and (below) the Bee-wolf, a predator of various bee species. we were able to watch the comings and goings of the occupants of the nests.
Insects were generally abundant, a nice surprise given the paucity of insect life in Essex so far this summer. Dragonflies and damselflies were everywhere, despite the absence of water bodies on the heath itself, no doubt feasting smaller fry to build resources before returning to breeding ponds, and three species of grasshopper provided a constant chorus from the grass.
A Yellow-and-black Longhorn beetle flew around clumsily before landing on some Bramble flowers, while Hogweed Bonking-beetles were up to their usual antics, albeit not on Hogweed…
Meadow Browns were in the longer grass and Gatekeepers very numerous along the scrubby edges, often nectaring on Ragwort flowers. Indeed it was Ragwort that was doing the heavy lifting of feeding insects generally; it is so worrying to hear the overblown media outrage at the presence of this inordinately valuable nectar source in our late summer landscape. Among many other visitors were tachinid flies and a very worn White-letter Hairstreak.
And of course, Cinnabar caterpillars, although on only a few plants, which seems to be the pattern this year, presumably reflecting poor weather during the adults’ flight period.
Black Knapweed was also blooming well and attracting a steady stream of visitors, including this Common Leaf-cutter bee, its abdomen typically tilted upwards to show the pollen gathered beneath.
Otherwise, among the butterflies there were Commas, Large and Small Whites, Peacocks and Small Skippers.
One botanical newcomer for me was Bell Heather, which may have arisen through ground disturbance releasing a seed-bank, although perhaps more likely from seed collected at the nearby Tiptree Heath and spread along the route of the new water pipeline.
In some of the bare patches on the open heath, Rosebay Willowherb was blooming well, and along the woodland edges, good stands of Wood Sage, to my eyes one of the most subtly beautiful flowers of our lowland heaths.
All was wrapped up very satisfactorily with a buffet supper at the Hare and Hounds, followed by a spot of batting as it got dark, with both Common and Soprano Pipstrelles and a Daubenton’s Bat picked up with the bat detector.
