Tag: Broad-leaved Dock

Posted in nature

Amazing Insects

Posted on by BITM

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,

Posted in Allotment, nature

Very Very Hot Summer Days

Posted on by BITM

Within the past month the temperature has reached the highest on record in the UK at 40.2 Celsius. Here in the south, rain still evades us leading to hosepipe bans in some counties. Plus as I write this blog another heatwave begins. While the parched grass will recover once rain eventually falls, and some insects may benefit from these conditions, this drought is not good for nature in general (including humans due to amber and red heat warnings for health issues and fires). We need to use resources more thoughtfully and manage the land better so that nature (to me humans are part of nature not separate from it) isn’t placed under unnecessary pressure due to extreme weather conditions anymore.

Most wildlife isn’t adapted to this current weather and certainly has no chance against wild fires, especially Badgers (Meles meles) and Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus– whose numbers have been in decline for many years for other reasons too). Even birds with second broods will be finding these times difficult; that is why it’s so important to place water sources at both ground level and higher up for birds and Hedgehogs at this time. Plus insects like Butterflies and Bees suffer when flowers start to whither early due to water shortage. Nature can recover from the odd hot dry year but unfortunately this is a trend, year on year, due to climate change so we need to be concerned and act now. Stephen Moss has written a wonderful article regarding this issue recently, it can be read here.

Given the information from the article mentioned above, it will be interesting to see how this prolonged drought will affect the results of the Big Butterfly Count this year (which took place from the 15th July to the 7th August) and consequently next years results too.

I have undertaken a few counts this year. The first time I looked out for Butterflies was on a warm afternoon, in a garden containing a Buddleia along with some Lavender (Lavandula) and Mint (Mentha) that was flowering. During that time, I identified;
5 Red admirals (Vanessa atalanta)
5 Commas (Polygonia c-album)
2 Peacock (Aglais io)
5 Gate keepers (Pyronia tithonus)
1 Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina)
2 Small tortoishell (Aglais urticae)
together with 1 Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum). The Hummingbird Hawkmoth is fascinating. I have observed two individuals visiting Buddleia this year in different gardens that I work at. It is so amazing to watch it collect nectar as it hovers next to flowers.

On separate occasions (at the previously mentioned garden) I also noticed a Large skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus) and a Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus) too. That garden also has an allotment attached to it where I got to observe the full lifecycle of a ladybird on one bean plant (thanks to the Blackfly being present). On this occasion it was the Harlequin (Harmonia axyridis) ladybird.

Larvae (on the right, looking for Blackfly to munch on) and on the left a pupae (from which the adult emerges).
An adult Harlequin ladybird.

My second Butterfly Count was during a morning as I picked Blackberries (Rubus) at the local woodland park, where I saw
5 Gatekeepers, 1 Speckled wood (Pararge aegeria) and 1 Small copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

Speckled wood
Small copper

The Small copper is one I had never seen before. It is a small butterfly with a wingspan of 32-35mm. The caterpillars feed on Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa), Sheep’s Sorrel (R. acetosella) and sometimes the Broad-leaved Dock (R. obtusifolius). They can be found in heath, moor and grassland together with woodland clearings or on waste ground.

At my allotment I have seen lots of Cabbage whites, along with the odd Peacock and Small tortoishell as well as a small blue Butterfly (that never settled so I was unable to identify it properly but was most likely a Holly blue- Celastrina argiolus). Thankfully I have also noticed plenty of bees during my butterfly observations, including honey, bumblebees and solitary bees.

Lughnasadh (also known as Lammas) a time when harvests begin to be ready for picking, occurred at the beginning of August. During this time I love to wander through natural environments, spending time observing the changes of the seasons. On my walk the previous weekend I observed Sloes (from Blackthorn- Prunus spinosa) and Elderberries (from Elder- Sambucus) already ripening alongside the Blackberries.

I must confess that I often struggle to enjoy the hottest days of summer. To me extremely hot temperatures are often overwhelming and I would love nothing better than to hibernate underground during the hottest times. I find the days exhausting and uncomfortable (due to the constant itchiness and sore skin). At these moments I rely on my mental strength to keep in mind that ‘this too shall pass’. I also try to remind myself that I love the changing seasons, including summer, and all they bring with them. Gratitude helps as each day I look for the little things that bring me joy such as the shining sun, the amazingly beautiful wildlife around me and the cooler night time temperatures. So until the heat reduces significantly I will keep taking things slowly, keep hydrated, take plenty of rest and be kind to myself. I am under no pressure to get things done at this time which is why this post took so long to complete.

Posted in nature

A Rare Sighting of Hares

Posted on by BITM

While I mostly witness nature in amphibian, insect or plant form, just occasionally I get to see mammals too.

Last week I briefly observed two adult Hares (Lepus europaeus) as I traveled from a job; a garden at a house surrounded by farmland.

They were out in an open field some distance away from the driveway, yet close enough to be able to appreciate their size as well as distinguish the black tips on their long ears along with their distinctive hind legs.

As Hares are usually seen alone, I’m guessing these two were a pair. Perhaps aware of the movement of the electric vehicle, one suddenly crouched down as the other sat bolt upright alongside it. It was lovely to witness these two together in this way. Previously, I’ve only ever seen one Hare far in the distance running across an open field, presumably after being disturbed.

Hares are the UK’s fastest mammal, when disturbed they have a top speed of 45 mph and move in a zig zag formation.

While mostly solitary, these mammals occasionally live apart from one another in loosely connected groups. This explains why, in early spring, when two Hares are seen ‘boxing’ they’re not two males fighting for dominance but actually a female fighting off a male.

Their preferred habitat is a combination of farmland or undisturbed grassland surrounded by woods; enabling easy access to grass and crops for food while giving some protection.

Rather than burrows, Hares live in a form (an exposed depression on the ground). They remain close to their form during the daytime, becoming more active and feeding at night. The two I saw must have been in their form. I wonder if they had a litter? Hares can have three to four litters within a year (between March and July) giving birth to two- four leverets each time. Hares can live for up to four years.

There was one other prominent sighting from last week, that of a Angle shades Moth (Phlogophora meticulosa). I noticed it on Thursday, resting on the milk bottle carrier as I collected my milk delivery.

This is the moths I see more than any other, perhaps because I am surrounded by the perfect habitat for them; a mixture of gardens, parks, woodland and hedgerows containing an abundant food source for their caterpillars. Angle shades caterpillars will feed upon Common Nettle (Urtica dioica), Red Valerian (Centranthus ruber), Broad-leaved Dock (Rumex obtusifolius), Bramble (Rubus fruiticosus) and Hazel (Corylus avellana).
As this is a night flying moth, I carefully transferred it to the nearby wall where it could gain shelter from the daylight.