Concerned with stone
Posted by Graeme Lyons , Monday 13 June 2011 19:23
We had an interesting team day out looking at two sites in East Sussex. That didn't stop me getting six ticks though. Perhaps best of all was this smart snail. We saw three on the trunks of old Hornbeams. It's the Lapidary Snail Helicigona lapicida and is quite big, the shell perhaps 1.5 cm across. The keel on the edge is very clear although the photo is not that crisp. I had to look up 'lapidary' and I liked the first definition I came across which was 'concerned with stone'. Despite this, they do occur on trees too. Looking at the atlas, it does not look all that common in the south east.
The meadows at Marline are looking great, there are Common Spotted Orchids and Dyer's Greenweed everywhere this year.
Earlier on I found this Purple Hairstreak at rest in one of the meadows.
We then went on to Filsham where I added a couple of common hoverflies to my list and this Greater Bladderwort. After all that I end the day on 3446 species.
Glad there was a Purple Hairstreak, its a lovely butterfly