After a relentlessly wet start to the year, it has been nice to experience some sunnier weather. Insects have taken advantage of the warmer bright days, certain queen bumblebees and Brimstone butterflies (Gonepteryx rhamni) have been flitting about. Hibernating 7 spot ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata) were getting together as well, should see some juveniles predating pests early in the season.
In gardens, a few things have shown themselves early on too, black spot fungal issues along with scale insects; all helped with the warmer climate and weather we’ve had so far this year.
It feels like a long time since snow drops first burst from the ground in February; their white blooms are now replaced with the yellows and purples of crocuses and daffodils. White flowers now edge roads with clouds of Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) filling hedgerows. Even the pink blossom of cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera) trees, together with Camelias in gardens are blooming too. Meteorological spring has definitely spung in the last week and it has lifted my spirits.
Author: BITM
My 2026 Big garden birdwatch results
2 Carrion crows (Corvus corone)
1 Magpie (Pica pica)
20 Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)
2 Wood pigeons (Columba palumbus)
1 Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
2 House sparrows (Passer domesticus)
2 Coal tits (Periparus ater)
Taken on a dingy day
Winter Fungi Watch
I have managed to learn more fungi over the past winter months, both at work and during woodland walks. I have seen these, mentioned below, between November 2025 through to mid January 2026.
1) Common stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus).
The common name is very appropriate, as Stinkhorn suggests, it does produce a very strong (foul) odour; in fact you become aware of it well before seeing it. The smell resembles blocked drains or a decaying animal. Flies land on it, spreading the spores as they continue to move around.
2) Wrinkled club (Clavulina rugosa).
This fungi is often found near pathways. These specimens were located on the edge of the lawn.
3) Jelly ear (Auricularia auricula-judae). I have seen this fungi before but I find it fascinating. I noticed a young slug seeking shelter amongst it.
4) False turkey tail (Stereum hirsutum).
False turkey tail is found growing on fallen branches or those dying on hardwood trees (as shown here). It is much smaller than Turkey tail fungi (Trametes versicolor).
5) Leaf Parachute (Marasmius epiphyllus).
These tiny fungi develop on leaf litter of Ash or Poplar trees.
6) White Saddle (Helvella crispa).
These pretty fungi develop near paths amongst Beech (Fagus) and Oak (Quercus) trees.
7) Candle snuff (Xylaria hypoxylon).
Candle snuff grows on moss and the decaying wood of broadleaf trees. Starting off greyish white, it releases spores that turns it black.
8) Oakbug Milkcap (Lactarius quietus), found them beneath Oak trees.
As the name suggests, milkcaps produce a milky substance (latex) when bruised as a form of protection, like putting on a plaster to cover the injured area. They form a cooperative relationship with specific trees, this one is only found under Oak trees.
9) Some Oysterlings, possibly Variable oystering (Crepidotus variabilis). Oysterlings are very small and difficult to distinguish from one another.
Developing on woody debris such as twigs from Broadleaf trees on woodland floors these white fungi are tiny.
Now that we are well into January flowers are starting to show signs of life. Snowdrops are beginning to bud and female Hazel (Corylus) flowers as well as Winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) are blooming. Plus I have seen lots of ladybirds sheltering through this harsh season.
September Changes
September brought in a change of weather; stormy wetter conditions set in along with cooler mornings. Earlier in the month, I was lucky enough to witness a mini murmuration of Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) as they flew away from a storm that was rolling in. The commotion they produced made me look up; there were about 30 to 40 of them grouped together before they eventually headed off.
Hedgerow foraging has been mixed due to the dryness earlier on in the year.
There are fewer conkers but the Horse chestnuts (Aesculus hippocastanum) showed signs of stress as the leaves began to brown off at the end of August. While there have been plenty of blackberries this year, most were smaller and dried up. Plus elderberries ripened a month earlier than usual. There have been plenty of walnuts and acorns though.
Fungi has begun to appear lately. One I spotted on an Ash tree (Fraxinus) was the Shaggy bracket (Inonotus hispidus).
Commonly found on deciduous trees, mostly Ash but also Planes (Platanus), Walnut (Juglans regia) and Apple (malus), it is inedible; attacking the trees heartwood, entering through a wound. It starts off with a velvety look (as seen in the photo) but eventually becomes brittle and black.
Update From Last Post
Since my last post, Amazing Insects. I took part in the Butterfly Count; my results, from an allotment full of herbs, Verbena boriensis, Lavender and Buddleia were;
1 Hummingbird moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)
8 Large whites (Pieris brassicae)
1 Comma (Polygonia c-album)
3 Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
15 Gatekeepers (Pyronia tithonus)
1 Painted lady (Vanessa cardui)
1 Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)
1 Silver washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia)
The overall results for 2025 have just been published. While the year seemed particularly good for butterflies and moths, especially after 2024, when compared to the last decade, it has been an average year.
You can read more at Butterfly Conservation.
Amazing Insects
The first of August is the start of the harvest and autumn is beginning to set in slowly now; a time I enjoy.
The weather has recently changed in the south, we have had rain over the past few weeks, meaning the parched lawns are beginning to green up once again and require cutting. I have never known a year where we haven’t cut the majority of lawns for such an extended period over the summer; usually it isn’t until the end of July into August when this occurs.
The wetter conditions are making it difficult to pick a time to undertake the Big Butterfly Count this year, although I am still seeing various butterflies and day flying moths around at the moment; Including the Jersey tiger moth (Euplagia quadripunctaria).
This beautiful medium sized moth (between 5.2 to 6.5 cm in length) is often seen in the south with the range growing upwards towards London and now Hertfordshire; found in Gardens, hedgerows and coastal areas. The caterpillars can be found between September through to the following May, surviving winter as larvae. The adults often visit Buddleia while the food source for caterpillars are Common Nettle (Urtica dioica), White Dead-nettle (Lamium album), Borage (Borago officinalis), plantains (Plantago Spp.), Ground-ivy (Glechoma hederacea) and Bramble (Rubus fruiticosus) amongst other herbaceous plants.
I have also seen a small copper (Lycaena phlaeas) butterfly recently.
This small (3.2- 3.5 cm) orange coloured butterfly can be found on waste ground as well as heath, moor, grass and woodland environments where the soil is chalky and the ground poor in nutrients. The caterpillars eat Sorrels and Broad-leaved Dock (Rumex obtusifolius).
This has been a wonderful year for ladybirds due to the very hot weather at the beginning of spring causing a huge increase in aphids. Out of the 46 different types in the UK, I mostly see Six-spot and Harlequin ladybirds. A couple of weeks ago I noticed another as it flew into the van; the 14 Spot ladybird (Propylea quattuordecimpunctata).
Much smaller than the six-spotted ladybird, this yellow and black beetle can be seen throughout the UK from May to September.
I finally saw a flower crab spider (Misumena vatia) while pruning a shrub too. As seen in the photo below, they are often white but the females of the species can change their colour to a yellow tint in order to blend into its surroundings better.
Usually noticed between May and August they are commonly seen in southern England. The different sexes differ in size, the males are half the size of the females which are between 9 to 11mm in length. These spiders will wait and ambush prey rather than spin webs and can eat various insects including moths and bees,
Here today, gone tomorrow
How is it nearly July? The passage of time has certainly flown by, for me, but then the growing season is in full swing and has kept me busy.
In April, a few weeks of unusually warm weather for the time of year ended with April showers. Since then there have been occasional periods of heavy rain, however it remained largely dry here in southern England. A couple of weeks ago (as well as this coming Monday) we had another very hot period of high temperatures. The weather remains warm, so colder mornings are refreshing. It was the sunniest spring on record and continues to be incredibly dry here in the south.
Early warm spring weather has meant that fruit picking this year has been very good. So far the strawberry, currants, gooseberry and raspberry harvests have been great. There are plenty of apples and plums developing too.
The allotment is coming along, we had to hold out planting for a while due to the drought we had early spring. I took advantage of that to add another wildlife area. The shed casts a shadow so I have been unsure what to do with it; now there is a dead hedge, stumpery, log pile and hedgehog house along with nettles and a few other plants to encourage insects, beetles and other invertebrates.
I have noticed a variety of insects this year. Lots of Brimstones (Gonepteryx rhamni) in spring have now been replaced by Commas (Polygonia c-album), Speckled woods (Pararge aegeria), Large whites (Pieris brassicae) and Peacock (Aglais io) butterflies.
Bees have been evident too; Ashy mining bees (Andrena cineraria) in particular. I saw a group of about 20 in one garden.
Juvenile ladybirds have also been evident, arriving soon after aphids show up, now becoming adults.
Mullein Moth (Cucullia verbasci) caterpillars were around one week in April and then disappeared in early June, presumably eaten by birds.
Although the caterpillars had eaten a lot of the leaves, the plant survived and has begun to bloom now. It never ceases to fascinate me how the moths found the plant in the first place and how the birds found the caterpillars with no need for chemicals to control so-called pests. The adult Mullien moths are nocturnal, flying in April and May.
I have also learnt about another spider, the Cucumber spider (Araniella cucurbitina); named because of their vibrant green abdomens they are commonly found in the UK, especially in woodlands and hedgerows.
In May, we met friends at Black park in Slough. It was wonderful to see the emergence of adult dragonflies from their nymph form, species unknown.
Liminality
February is a liminal month, it holds the hope of spring alongside the grip of winter. Just when glimmers of warmer weathers arrival brings dull wet conditions, clear nights followed by cold frosty mornings bite you back to reality in the glimmering sunshine. Even my activities have a duality to them. February is the time when I organize my seeds, sew Sweetpeas and chillies as well as check my houseplants; however I want to continue hibernationing. I find myself quite hopeful in this month and overwhelmed at the same time.
It is always lovely to see the first stirrings of spring, especially the arrival of Snowdrops, (Galanthus) and Winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis). I often hear foxes (Vulpes vulpes) calling at night at this time too. It’s no coincidence that the celebration of the lands awakening after winter, Imbolc, is on the 1st February. The biggest indicator that spring is on its way are the birds beginning to pair up; boldly singing to alert prospective mates of their whereabouts whilst also holding onto territory. I was fascinated, one rather cold but not frozen day, to see a Robin (Erithacus rubecula) defend a feeder, chasing off a Tree creeper (Certhia familiaris). I have never seen a Tree creeper venture onto a bird feeder before, nor a Robin actually (but I have previously seen the latter fight other birds for resources).
An image of a Tree creeper can be seen on the RSPB website here;
Other birds that have been particularly vocal in recent weeks have been the Mistle thrush (Turdus viscivorus), Great spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) and Dunnock (Prunella modularis).
The Mistle thrush is one of the UK’s largest songbirds, even larger than the Blackbird (Turdus
merula) with a body length of 27 cms and wingspan of 45 cms. Although similar in looks to the Song thrush (Turdus philomelos), it’s more grey tonally. While this bird is named due to its love of mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum), it also eats worms, slugs, insects and berries and is found in parks, gardens, farmland and woodland often singing at the top of tall trees. It is not as commonly seen as the Song thrush as its status is Red under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds. It has been a joy to hear the sound of the Mistle thrush as I worked, an example of which can be heard here.
I have also loved hearing a Great spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major). Interestingly it has sung at the top of the same fir tree as the Mistle thrush, albeit at different moments. I also heard it drumming on the trunk of a dead and Oak (Quercus) tree that had a hole in the side, see below. Perhaps that is where the woodpecker lives.
The Great spotted woodpecker call can be heard on the Woodland trust website.
Lastly, in a different garden, I was able to witness a Dunnock (Prunella modularis) singing sweetly, an example of this bird’s song, can be found on the RSPB website here .
At the end of January, once again I took part in the annual RSPB Big garden birdwatch; my results this year were-
1 Carrion crow (Corvus corone)
5 Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
2 Wood pigeon (Columba palumbus)
3 Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)
2 Magpie (Pica pica)
1 Blackbird (Turdus merula)
2 Great tit (Parus major)
1 Red kite (Milvus milvus)
Is Nature Drab and Boring in Winter?..
While listening to lovely birdsong, I often notice amazing patterns, beauty and a few signs of life at this quiet period in nature. There is an opportunity to observe things easily missed at other times of the year. ❤️
Lots of Fun Guys
The weather this year continues to be strange. Early October was relatively mild. Buddleias were still flowering and on the 7th, a very sunny day, I saw a Painted lady (Vanessa cardui), a few Red admirals (Vanessa atalanta) and many Comma (Polygonia c-album) butterflies visiting one, together with some Verbena bonariensis. There were lots of bees on these plants as well, along with lots of mining bee activity in lawns too.
Now, a month on, still milder than usual, the clocks have gone back and Samhain/ Halloween has passed. While the autumnal colour has been developing for a short while, leaves have only been falling in great numbers for the passed few weeks. Grass is still being mown although growth is slowing down.
It has been lovely watching the various birds visiting the Rowan tree (Sorbus) outside my flat. Alongside Redwings (Turdus iliacus) there have been a few Blackbirds (Turdus merula), Magpies (Pica pica) and many Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) eating the berries.
I have also noticed a Winter flowering cherry (Prunus subhirtella Autumnalis) in bloom too.
This small ornamental tree can continue flowering until February if the weather remains mild and gives a wonderful winter interest.
Fungi have been putting on a wonderful show over the past month; some providing a splash of colour to rival the leaves during this transitional period. I noticed Shaggy inkcaps (Coprinus comatus) in late October, followed by many others, including puffballs, Common bonnets (Mycena galericulata) as well as Scarlet waxcap (Hygrocybe coccinea) and Amethyst deceivers (Laccaria amethystina).
The latter, as the common name suggests is a lovely purple colour that fades to lilac as it ages. The caps are typically 1.5 to 5 cm in diameter and height of stem 4-6 cm. This fungi has gills and is commonly found in broadleaf woodlands containing Beech (Fagus) and Oak (Quercus) between June and November. I noticed these under some Copper beech (Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea).
I also found a carpet of Scarlet waxcap on a lawn, unfortunately I didn’t manage to get a good photo of them. However, it was an amazing view, bright red caps with orange gills. Photographs and information on this fungi can be found on the Wild Food UK website here.
Bee in the Moment 