We set out early this morning (7am) to the Plymouth corner of Dartmoor. First stop was to check Sue's reptile refugia before it got too hot. Unfortunately the ponies seem to have acquired a taste for roofing felt and all we could find were bits of them strewn about the place! Luckily I did spot a Common Lizard basking on top of an almost intact one!
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Then it was on to Smallhanger, a place I visited much as a child with Dad; a wonderful world of habitats in old clay workings - possibly my last chance to see it before the site gets re-worked! A dragonfly haven, boasting the longest species list in Devon; home of the Marsh Clubmoss Lycopodiella inundata, nationally scarce and a miniature relative of those prehistoric giant plants. As a teenager I enjoyed searching here for Mottled Grasshopper, with his little handle-bar antennae and whirring call it wasn't long before we were reacquainted.
Marsh Clubmoss Lycopodiella inundata
Mottled Gasshopper
with distinctive "handle-bar" antennae
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We counted the Scarce Blue-tails and Small Reds (boy does it feel like I've seen a lot of those bad boys lately!) and I wondered off along to find a peaceful spot to enjoy the scenery.
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While standing at the point where all the runnels meet in a small brook and disappear underground, I noticed a Golden-ringed Dragonfly on patrol. I stood quietly watching him look for a suitable landing place. I held out the end of my butterfly net hoping he would take a liking to it...but instead he took a liking to the lens cap hanging from my camera! What a close encounter! I gently twisted the camera downwards as he clung, swinging like a rather elaborate pendulum off the cap, and managed to fire off a couple of shots of the top of his head and wings before he departed. Then, to my astonishment, we went and landed on my knee! But I was not quick enough with the camera and he was off again! He went from perch to perch, chasing off intruders and soaking up the sun (I could also feel my back soakingup the sun!) and I waited in the perfect location for him to return - with the camera ready! He hesitantly hovered above me knee several times but seemed reluctant to land. The dry sphagnum I had taken a seat on turned out to be not so dry after all, so I felt the need to walk about in the sun to dry off!
I was enchanted by the miniature plant worlds in the soggy sphangnum bogs...the sticky Round-leaved Sundew and Bog Pimpernel's delicate little flowers were stunning in close-up!
I met up with Sue and Dad who had found two Grass Snakes, and we wended our way back to the car for lunch then home.
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