Pinnacle Hill Revisited

From the top:  Painted Lady; Mullein Moth Caterpillar; Green-Veined White; Bee Wolf Wasp carrying prey; Gatekeeper with red mites and a Chalkhill Blue at Therfield Heath.

Pinnacle Hill

We met Richard Revels at this hill overlooking Sandy, where he showed us the Beowulf Wasp, which  paralyses its prey and buries them in holes where it lays its eggs.  The larvae feed on the stored food. The butterfly is a Small Copper.

Midge & Bug Go To Wimpole

We took the girls to Wimpole Hall today.  They saw day-old baby pigs, played on straw bales and bought some play-putty. 

In the Heatwave

With Miles and Jane and Ann to Barton Conservation Area and then to Gamlingay Wood.  Silver-Washed Fritillaries not landing much, most Meadow Browns very worn, quite a few Ringlets, the odd Gatekeeper and Speckled Wood, but no Blues or Arguses.

Moonrise Over Flatland

We went to the golf course to see the moon rise.  It seemed clearer than Tuesday night but the moon was still very red.

Gone Marbled Whites

We went up to the wood this evening to see how the Marbled Whites were getting on, but saw only one, plus a few Meadow Browns and this still-tidy Ringlet.

Gamlingay Woods

We saw three or four Silver-Washed Frits, a bee with a silver bum, along with Ringlets and Meadow Browns.

Day 6 - Wengernalp to Allmend

Barry, Sue, Ann and I took the train to Wengernalp and this time walked down the hill to Allmend, with views of the Eiger and Moench, contented cows, the Schilthorn Hotel (used in a James Bond film) one of the older Wengenalpbahn trains, to the chairlift at Allmend and a restaurant where we had ice creams.  The platform at Allmend was quite steep and contained two toilets, armoured against ski boots and poles, but each with a 1kW heater and a placard explaining to English people how to use the toilet in a civilised country.  

Day 5 - The Eiger Trail

The Eiger Trail was created in 1997 and leads from Alpiglen up to the Eigergletscher Station.  It takes about three hours, the sign says, and is on some steep slopes, crossing soft snow gullies.  Pictures: 1: Alpiglen and train; 2: the Schynige Platte and its ridge walk; 3: looking east at the Wetterhorn, Grindelwald below; 4: the North Face, covered in its own cloud for most of the day; 5: female Orange Tip; 6 & 7: Asian tourists and Sue B-H on the trail; 8: looking east again; 9: we arrived at 4 pm, six hours after leaving Alpiglen.

Day 4 - Schynige Platte Views

I went down a little from the station but then decided to go to the viewpoint overlooking Interlaken.  The railway looked like a toy.  I saw the Northern Wall Brown butterfly halfway up.  The Schreckhorn and the Lower Grindelwald Glacier looked impressive.  Looking north, Lake Thun is on the left, Lake Brienz on the right.  The last view is east towards the Oberberghorn and the Lauchhorn.  The bells were hanging on a sturdy frame and the centre bell was a gift from the Crown Prince of Japan.  Yes, I rang some of them.