Last week began with Spring bank holiday monday. I went for a socially distant walk around the village with my partner. Thankfully he was very patient as I constantly stopped to take photos with my phone.
There were lots of sights and sounds to observe and it really felt like a summers day (which aren’t far off). Some I have noticed for a while like Orange-tip Butterflies (Anthocharis cardamines), Red-tailed bumblebees (Bombus lapidarius), Skylarks (Alauda arvensis), Red kites (Milvus milvus) and House sparrows (Passer domesticus).
Yet amongst the Elderflowers (Sambucus nigra) and Brambles (Rubus fruticosus), which are blooming at this time of year,
were many more plants flowering too. The explosion of colour within our countryside is fantastic for pollinators. One insect I saw on Mondays walk, in a field busily pollinating Buttercups (Ranunculus), was the False oil beetle (Oedemera nobilis). This very small beetle is a vibrant metallic green colour. When it’s wings glistened in the sun, they changed from mid to light green.
Upon my return to work, I noticed other insects flying about. Several small tortoiseshell Butterflies (Aglais urticae) were too quick for me to photograph, however I did capture Common carder bees (Bombus pascuorum) on Common comfrey (Symphytum officinale) and
a Cream Spot Ladybird (Calvia quattuordecimguttata)
The Cream Spot ladybird has fourteen spots and survives winter in tree bark and Beech masts. Although it is usually found amongst hedgerows rather than gardens.
Wildflowers that were in full bloom last week were;
-Purple toadflax (Linaria purpurea),
-Field scabious (Knautia arvensis),
– Common stork’s-bill (Erodium cicutarium),
-Meadow crane’s-bill (Geranium pratense),
-Creeping cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans),
-Common poppy (Papaver rhoeas),
-Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill (Geranium molle),
-Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis),
-Common mallow (Malva sylvestris),
-Creeping woodsorrel (Oxalis corniculata),
-Birds-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) and
-White clover (Trifolium repens).
Recent weather conditions have caused dryness within nature that normally exists during summertime. Water is already required and talk of conserving water has already begun to help prevent restrictions later in the year. I shall be interested to see how nature deals with this early warm dry weather, especially with less human disturbance due to lockdown. Will it be another great year for butterflies? I look forward to discovering more as we spring into summer.
Bee in the Moment 