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COUNTRYSIDE NEWS July 2017 Wildlife Around and About East Lothian
Last month I wrote about the Dark green fritillary, describing it as one our largest butterflies. What I should have said is that it’s a bit of a brute - in relative terms, at least. So, let’s head to the other extreme and look at one of our smaller species, the Small skipper (the clue’s in the name really). This is a butterfly which can be easily overlooked, as it spends much of its time sunbathing or resting in vegetation. It’s often only a sudden darting movement and a glimpse of orangebrown which calls attention to it. Even when seen clearly, its furry body, almost triangular shape and habit of resting with wings open could lead to it being misidentified as a moth. (Not that there’s anything wrong with moths of course, apart from the ones that eat your carpets). Small skippers can be found in many grassy habitats, including roadside verges and woodland clearings. Your best bets Small skipper. in this part of the world are probably coastal grasslands such as Photo: A. Marland those at Gullane or Yellowcraig - anywhere with tall grasses with plenty of wildflowers. The wildflowers provide nectar for the adults, while the grasses are the food plants for the caterpillars. A particular favourite of the latter is the wonderfully named Yorkshire fog, a grass common throughout the county. Looking back over recent months, I realised that I’ve been writing about birds and flowers and butterflies – all the pretty stuff, that everyone knows and loves. Let’s mix it up a bit and consider our reptiles, i.e. lizards and snakes. We’ve only two native lizards in Scotland – the Common lizard and the Slow worm, which has no legs and can be mistaken for a snake. True snakes are even thinner on the ground, as we have only one native species, the Adder (although Grass snakes have also been reported north of the border). Adders have a fearsome reputation and they are indeed venomous. However, they’re very timid animals and will invariably disappear into the undergrowth given a chance. You’re only really in danger of being bitten if you step on an adder, or attempt to handle it – neither of which is a good idea. Even then, the bite usually only causes a painful inflammation and is only really dangerous to the very young or old, or people with existing health problems. Adders can be fairly variable in colour, ranging from grey through to assorted shades of brown, but will always have a distinctive dark zig-zag pattern along their back. Their preferred habitats are woodlands, heaths and moorlands where they can prey on lizards, small mammals and ground-nesting birds. They’re worth keeping an eye out for when walking in the Lammermuirs, although they can occasionally be seen in Baskingareas. adderReptiles cannot regulate their own body temperature, so in order to stay active lower-lying they have to absorb warmth from the sun and their surroundings. As a result adders can often be