Butterflies, Dragons & Everything Else

Ragwort; disliked by some as they see it as a serious weed. 
Also, people who own horses dislike this plant and for good reason as it is poisonous to horses.
However, if managed it is not a problem and in the forest and countryside, where this plant is relatively harmless it has some fantastic benefits.

If you want to see or photograph a huge array of different insect species then look no further than this bright yellow wildflower as nearly every insect imaginable swarms around ragwort to feed on it.

So the next time you see ragwort, don't look on it as a weed, look on it as a vital source of food for our many thousands of insects and stop to check out the activity.

Click on images for larger view.

Common Blue

Bee

Southern Hawker

Golden ringed

Green Veined White

Meadow Brown

Small Copper

Clouded Yellow

Common Blue

Gatekeeper

Peacock

Fallow Deer

Common Lizard

Fallow Deer

Candid Fallow Deer

Fallow Deer

Hornet Moth

Hornet Moth

Poplar Hawk Moth

Poplar Hawk Moth

Poplar Hawk Moth

June Wildlife

Some images from my travels around the Forest of Dean, so far during the month of June.

Frog
Toad
Butterfly
Dragonflies
Wild boar
Roe deer
Fallow deer
Birds

Frog

Wild boar

Tortoiseshell butterfly

Roe deer (doe)

Toad

Male broad bodied chaser

Four spotted dragonfly

Fallow deer (doe)

Emperor dragonfly

Common lizard

Wild boar

Wild boar sow

Wild boar sow

Juvenile wrens

Juvenile wrens

Wild boar

A Morning in the Forest!

A good morning out in the forest yesterday. Covered a lot of ground and the warm weather was just perfect.

I need a bit of help identifying these two butterflies. I think they are meadow brown's, but am not certain!
I was hand holding with my big lens attached, so shots are not sharp and couldn't get the best angle, but good enough for an id. Thanks.





A female broad bodied chaser. Again it was hard to get her whole body and head in shot, due to where she was resting.



I'm pretty sure this is a male tufted duck - or maybe a Goldeneye?



This is a mandarin duck. Only a few weeks old and having a scratch!




And finally, a juvenile female adder.



To see more adder and grass snake pics, facts and encounters, please visit and follow my dedicated "Snakes in the Forest of Dean" blog, by clicking the link below. Thanks.

Snake Blog Here

Rob