Month: May 2019

Posted in nature

Blooms, Bees and Bugs

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There were lots of observations last week. As the weather continued to warm up further I saw even more bees and Seven-spot Ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata).

I also noticed more wildflowers as I walked to work on Tuesday. This relaxed start to the day enabled me to observe;
– White Campion (Silene latifolia).

This flower is great for moths as the flower’s scent is obvious at night.

– Wood Avens (Geum urbanum)

– Cleavers (Galium aparine) with its tiny white flowers.

– Black medick (Medicago lupulina)

– and Annual honesty (Lunaria annua)

During my journey, I also heard a Coal Tit (Periparus ater) singing. Similar to the Great Tit’s (Parus major) song but faster and higher pitched, it is not a bird I hear often.

On Wednesday afternoon I observed lots of insects. Two that were camera shy were a Hawthorn Shield Bug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale) and Violet Ground Beetle (Carabus violaceus).

Other sightings which I managed to photograph were;

– Early Bumblebees (Bombus pratorum) on Rosemary
(Rosmarinus officinalis) and on Ajuga reptans ‘Atropurpurea’ (a cultivated variety of Bugle).

The Early Bumblebee is the UK’s smallest Bumblebee.

I also saw Rosemary Beetles (Chrysolina americana) on a few Rosemary plants.

This pest is beautiful when it glistens in the sun. Thankfully the amount I found didn’t warrant drastic intervention. The RHS is undertaking a survey to discover their advancement within the UK (see Royal Horticultural Society) so I uploaded my findings.

I also found an insect on some lavender (Lavandula) that I didn’t recognise.

This terrible photo is due to the constant movement of the plant in the breeze (it was the best one I managed to take). I only include it as a demonstration on the brilliance of the Natural History Museum. Occasionally I have difficulty in identifying my findings and at that point I rely on the Natural History Museum’s identification service. I was clutching at straws that they could see through the blurred image and be able to identify the bug. To my surprise they managed to tell me it was a Cinnamon bug (Corizus hyoscyami). If you ever need help identifying insects then I highly recommend this brilliant service (see Natural History Museum).

I saw yet more bees on Friday, including a Honey bee (Apis mellifera) on a Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) plant

along with a
Buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) on Welsh poppy (Meconopsis cambrica)

Even yesterday, as I visited Shaw’s Corner (a lovely small National Trust house and garden) I noticed more wildlife;
-Common Bird’s-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

-Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

– and some wild Bugle (Ajuga Reptans) amongst the grass which had purposely been left long.

Plus I also noticed a Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) and a Tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) on some Dog rose (Rosa canina)

as well as a Red-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis) balancing precariously on a blade of grass.

Posted in nature

World Bee Day 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

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Today is World Bee Day; a day that publicises the decline in bee numbers, the affect that has in the world as well as what we can do to reverse this problem ( BBC Newsround).

I was keeping a special lookout for bees today. Two species of bees that I noticed were;

-Red-tailed Bumblebees (Bombus lapidarius) on a group of Alliums.

– White-tailed Bumblebees (Bombus lucornum) on some Dusky Cranesbill (Geranium phaeum)

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🐝Beeing Happy in the Sunshine 🌞

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The warmer weather this week brought with it many bee sightings, including Honey bees (Apis mellifera). The plants where they were most abundant were the Californian Lilac (the Ceanothus seen in the first photo) and the Cotoneaster in the second photo. Both Shrubs, full of small flowers, are loved by Honey bees. In fact there were so many bees on them that the amazing buzzing sound filled the air.

There were also lots of Tree bumblebees (Bombus hypnorum) on the Cotoneaster too, as shown below.

This hasn’t been the only time I noticed Tree Bumblebees this week. This the weekend I was walking around a local charity allotment when I saw a bird box being occupied by bees. This is a commonly used structure for Tree Bumblebees.

I was also lucky to notice three female Hairy-footed flower bees (Anthophora plumipes) while weeding a border. These are solitary bees who care for their own young; however they can live within close proximity to one another. The three that I noticed had nests in the bare earth about 10cms apart. The females are black with yellow legs. Unfortunately I was not able to obtain a decent photo of them for this post.

Other observations this week have included more Seven-spot ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata), Holly blue butterflies (Celastrina argiolus) and Orange-tip butterflies (Anthocharis cardamines).

I have also managed to go on a couple of short walks this week and discovered more wildflowers blooming. These were;

– Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare).

The Ox-eye daisy flowers were originally used for the ‘He loves me, he loves me not’ petal plucking activity.

* Dog-rose (Rosa canina). The hips from this plant are enjoyed by blackbirds (Turdus merula), Redwings. (Turdus iliacus) and Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus). They are also used to make syrups and jellies to be used in winter (due to the very high vitamin C content). The hips from this rose also contain irritating hairs which can be used as itching powder.

-Smooth sow-thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)

– Common Vetch (Vicia sativa). This plant is a member of the Legume family so it causes nitrogen fixation in the soil therefore it can be used as a soil fertilizer.

On my way home from one of my walks I manage to capture this Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) on a photo too.

This weekend I saw this Feral Pigeon (Columba livia domestica) as I enjoyed a coffee.

I couldn’t resist adding this photo, sadly it doesn’t do it justice. When the sun shone, the green and purple neck feathers where incredibly vibrant and against the unusual white; I thought it was beautiful.

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Childhood Memories and Hedgehogs

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In a week of much needed rain, I remained dry while waiting for the bus on Thursday. I arrived at the bus stop with plenty of time to spare and began to notice the flowers around my feet.

The most prolific were Daisies (Bellis perennis), Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) and Buttercups (Ranunculus bulbosus). Childhood memories using these in flower based activities came back to me. Buttercups to discover if someone liked butter, Dandelions to tell the time (presumably when we weren’t wearing watches) and Daisies for making daisy chains or discovering if someone loved you (or loved you not).

Daisies remain a favourite flower of mine because seeing them lifts my spirits. Yet the thing I love most about Daisies is that the name means day’s eye (from the Old English dæges-eage) because the petals open up during daylight hours and close as night falls. Even in Welsh they are called llygad y dydd meaning the eye of day. The following photo, taken early in the morning, shows their progress as they open.

Other plants I noticed flowering were;

-Red dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum). This pretty non-stinging plant is good for Garden Tiger (Arctia caja), White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) and Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa) moth caterpillars which feed on it’s leaves, while the flowers are great for Bumblebees (Bombus) and the Red Mason bee (Osmia bicornis).

-Shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris). The seed pods of this resemble heart shaped purses which contain copper coloured seeds that look like coins.

-Germander speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys). Speedwells at one time were considered a good luck charm for travellers for ‘speedy’ travel as they are often found along verges.

Initially the last plant I saw was unknown to me. It took some time but I eventually discovered that it is Wild Turnip (Brassica rapa).

Hedgehog Awareness Week took place last week (British Hedgehog Preservation Society). It publicises the continued decline in Hedgehog numbers along with information on how to help reverse this. I decided to learn more about hedgehogs at this time by reading ‘The Hedgehog Handbook’ by Sally Coulthard as I travelled by bus. Each chapter gives a monthly account on what hedgehogs are doing and how to help them.
This is a wonderfully informative book contains lots of useful advice that I can put into practice and I loved reading it.

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Last weeks Highlights

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I have been away for a few days, emersed in beautiful countryside. Below are a few special highlights from last week.

Firstly this Angle Shades Moth (Phlogophora meticulosa) was resting on the door, early Wednesday morning, as I set off on holiday.

Then, on Thursday, I visited Chirk Castle. While looking around the old Laundry building I noticed something swoop from the ceiling and land on a beam.

This juvenile Swallow (Hirundo rustica) wasn’t too far from the nest, which was therefore easy to locate. The hint of a red throat was present but not easy to spot in this photo due to distance and low lighting.

The swallow nest in the rafters.

Lastly I awoke early on Sunday, relaxed with a cup of tea and listened to the dawn chorus. The 5th was International Dawn Chorus Day (celebrated on the first Sunday in May each year). The change of scenery brought with it a change in bird song to listen to. I heard a Collard dove (Steptopelia decaocto), Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) and House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) along with the Blackbirds (Turdus merula) and Bluetits (Parus caeruleus) that I usually hear.

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Bee friendly plant

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Along with male Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) and Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) butterflies, I have now seen a Peacock butterfly (Aglais io) flitting around as I garden. Yet while butterflies have been camera shy I have managed to capture bees so far his week.

Comfrey has started to flower. It is a great plant for organic gardening; used as a compost activator or to make a liquid fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Comfrey is also loved by bees, as proved by the following photos.

Photo 1; Red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) on Creeping Comfrey (Symphytum grandiflorum)

Photos 2 and 3; a Buff-tailed bumblebee
(Bombus terrestris) enjoying Common Comfrey (Symphytum orientale).