Thursday, 7 July 2022

Cabin life update


An update from the cabin. After a week of very hot, dry weather we now have cooler, wetter weather which is forecast to continue for at least a week. This means I need to postpone my butterfly searching plans but I have already done well on this front. A random stop at a nice looking bog gave my first Norse Grayling (nornens ringvinge) which is an infrequently reported species but one I have had on my radar up here for a while. I have now seen 63 species of butterfly in Norway of which all but one are species I have just stumbled upon. If I am to see many more species though then I will need to make some more specific trips (such as to Junkerdalen again) and hope they are successful.


Close to the cabin I have found two new species for Bodø - Germanium Argus (brunblåvinge) and Moorland Clouded Yellow (myrgulvinge). Bodø is no backwater for butterfly observations so finding two new species suggests range expansion rather than them just being overlooked.

I have also found two new species of blue for the cabin area: Holly Blue (vårblåvinge) and Little Blue (dvergblåvinge) and highlighting the importance of always checking every blue you see I had 3 butterflies chasing each other and they turned out to be Mazarine (engblåvinge), Little and Northern Brown Argus (sankthans).


I’ve also been looking for orchids and have  added one species - frog orchid (grønnkurle) - to my local list which takes it up to 12 species although the local broad-leaved helleborines (breiflangre) have been mowed down so I haven’t seen them this year. The local roadside has been rather viscously cut but this seems to be because they are about to improve the road - otherwise they are very good with verge cutting here and the verges sre extremely flower rich.


Birds have been a bit disappointing although a family of Pied Flycatchers in one of the boxes at the cabin provide constant entertainment.


Germanium Argus (brun blåvinge)

Fly orchid (flueblom)

Cranberry Blue (myrblåvinge)

more Moose



Pied Flycatcher nest box and camera set up for remote shots




Norse grayling (nornens ringvinge)

Northern brown argus (sankthansblåvinge)

Moorland clouded yellow (myrgulvinge)

Roadside Redshank (rødstilk)

frog orchid (grønnkurle)





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