This post is about our trip out to Martin Downs Nature Reserve while on holiday back in 2018.
It is a great example of Chalk Grassland and not only is it a stunning location, it is absolutely vast. We spent most of the day there and barely scratched the surface. There were Orchids, Butterflies, Birds, and there were a fascinating collection of Insects. And as it turned out there were a lot of surprises.
An idea of the habitat at Martin Downs, wide-open grassland with just the odd tree or bush...
...which lead to the first surprise, a group of Small Eggar moth caterpillars feeding together on Blackthorn. They spin the silken web for protection from predators, and leave together in groups to feed, before returning to the safety of the web. Check the Source for more infomation.
We carried on wandering and I spotted this little Tortrix Moth Pammene aurana
Then we saw a flash of brilliant blue, a very striking Adonis Blue Butterfly (Polyommatus bellargus). This is a uncommon species here in the UK, and generally only found on Chalk Grasslands like this one. It was one of the invertebrates we had been looking for, and would have been the highlight of our day out.
Instead it turned out to be this Adder Vipera berus, hiding under some corrugated metal in the corner of the field. The metal sheets are left there to give protection to reptiles and help them warm up in the morning. We didn't actually expect to see anything underneath when we checked it, so it was a really cool find.
We had tried looking for these in late Spring, as the easiest time to see them is after they come out of hibernation, and are seen basking in the sun to warm up. For the last few years we had been unsuccessful, so to find one here was both surprising, and totally awesome too!
However, there is a very important lesson to be learnt here:
The images of the Adder are not overly brilliant, but there is a good reason for that. We lifted up the sheet of metal and saw the Adder, I took 4 pictures, my partner took 3 pictures, and then we laid the metal sheet back down. We had a quick look at the images and noticed the eye was blue, which means that the snake is preparing to Moult (shed its skin).
Obviously it is a vulnerable and potentially stressful time for the snake, so we decided to leave it be and not disturb it anymore.
You can see the Blue Eye a bit better in this image. I know we all want to enjoy and explore nature, and I definitely know we all want to see cool stuff! However, as wildlife photographers, it is important to understand that the welfare of the animal should always come first before getting the 'perfect shot'.
Besides... there is always another time, and always more stuff to see...