Essex skipper and grayling

[Lockhart]

Both recorded on Friday 7th at a private site in Billingham.  The Essex skipper was a new record, the 23rd species recorded at the site.  The grayling is a female, and was laying eggs while we observed; it's the third summer in which the species has been recorded at the site.  During the visit, we had about 13 butterfly species, also including white-letter hairstreak (only got some rubbish record shots, alas, but it's the second year in which we've seen the species), small skipper, comma, meadow brown, small heath, ringlet, small tortoiseshell, red admiral, common blue, speckled wood and one of the whites (I wasn't paying enough attention to notice which one).