Tag: Large white

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

Relaxing Holiday Adventures

Posted on by BITM

Over the last few weeks Buddleja have been in flower, encouraging butterflies to visit and making them more visible. I have begun to notice Red admirals (Vanessa atalanta) and Peacocks (Aglais io) alongside Large (Pieris brassicae) and Small white (Pieris rapae) butterflies.

Having some time off work enabled me to take more walks. In my local woodland park I started to see a lot more Commas (Polygonia c-album) and Small heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) butterflies too. On a few occasions they flitted around me as I stopped to watch them; an absolutely joyful experience, almost like they were interacting with me in their own way.

Thankfully in the two weeks, I managed to venture further afield. On one occasion, I saw a Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus) butterfly while visiting an Arboretum in Herefordshire.

Woodlands are their habitat and they can be seen during July and August. The Caterpillars of this butterfly feed on various grasses, such as Tufted Hair-grass (Deschampsia cespitosa), Common Couch (Elytrigia repens), and other meadow grasses (Poa spp.).

Spending some time away on holiday gave me the chance to explore other environments, including those next to water, thus enabling me to notice different wildflowers.

One walk took me past a canal. Water mint (Mentha aquatica) and Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) were growing all down the canal edge.

Water mint

Both plants grow in shallow water and boggy conditions so are often found in fens and marshes as well as along the margins of ponds, streams, rivers and of course canals, as I discovered. They require habitats with full sun or dapled shade to bloom and are great for pollinators. Water mint flowers from the beginning of July up to November while Purple loosestrife only blooms between June and August. Purple Loosestrife can be visited by insects with long tongues and particularly enjoyed by butterflies and Red-tailed Bumblebees (Bombus lapidarius). It is also eaten by caterpillars of the Small Elephant Hawk-moths (Deilephila porcellus).

A Large white butterfly visiting some Purple Loosestrife.

As well as butterflies there were several dragonflies and damselflies, including this Blue-tailed damselfly (Ischnura elegans) dancing over the water.

This Blue-tailed damselfly was seen resting on a nettle leaf.

However, most of the bees I saw on that walk were interested in the plant I encountered at the first lock, Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera).

While the lock was completely swamped by this plant, it was only section I saw it in. It’s the first time I had come across Himalayan balsam, although I know of its reputation.

The pretty flower of the Himalayan balsam is popular with pollinators, especially bees. Here a bee is seen climbing into the flower to obtain nectar and pollen.

First introduced into the UK in 1839, from the Himalayas, this plant soon escaped formal gardens and naturalized in the wild becoming a nuisance in waterways. It grows fast and can become invasive very quickly as, up to 800 seeds from each pod, explode as far as 7 meters from the parent plant and even travel downstream. It isn’t long before a thicket is created where the plant out-competes other species to reduce biodiversity, cause erotion of riverbanks and affect water quality. All this means it is considered a weed in waterways and often removed by work-parties whenever possible. In fact it had been previously cleared from a lot of this canal. Control methods include pulling and cutting before they get a chance to set seed. It can take a few growing seasons before control over this plant is established. Management of this plant is mentioned under schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Interestingly, in Hertfordshire, control of this plant involves collection of the flowers to produce pink Gin (further information can be found at Herts Wildlife Trust).

The following week I visited a beach in Kent, it was so relaxing to hear the sounds of the seaside. One plant I noticed growing amongst the rocky area near the shingle was Alfalfa (Medicago sativa).

I know this plant as a green manure on allotments and gardens, adding nitrogen to soil for crops the following season. It’s also used as silage for livestock in agriculture plus alfalfa sprouts are used in some cuisines. I have never seen it in the wild or even flowering. There wasn’t a great swathe of it so clearly the plants were due to the odd escapee into the wild; perhaps a few seeds having blown there or been disposed by a bird. It was certainly good for local pollinators.

A Small white butterfly visiting the Alfalfa.
Posted in Allotment, nature

Spectacular Sighting

Posted on by BITM

Last week began with me spotting a Grey heron (Ardea cinerea), presumably trying to catch fish while standing in the local river, as I walked passed to the first job of the day.

Yet the rest of the week remained fairly quiet until Friday morning arrived.

This is when I saw a Swallow tail (Ourapteryx sambucaria) moth.

As the moth ages it’s cream coloured wings lighten.

This one had been disturbed because they are night flying moths. The caterpillars overwinter in tree bark, and feed on Broadleaf trees such as Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) along with Ivy (Hedera helix).

Afterwards, at my allotment on Saturday I noticed a Parasitic wasp (Hymenoptera) on my Echinacea purpura PowWow wild berry, although I’m not sure which one.

There are 40 families of parasitic wasp in the UK and Ireland, from which 6,500 species have been recorded. I am pretty convinced that the one I saw wasn’t the Braconid Dinocampus coccinellae which causes the host, a dead Seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata), to remain in situ over the wasp’s pupa cocoon as protection until it hatches. Nor does it appear to be Cotesia glomerata. This parasitic wasp lays it’s young in Large white (Pieris brassicae) caterpillars which dies as the young develops. Once they emerge they cocoon themselves beneath the caterpillar until they finally transform into adult wasps. I have Seven-spot ladybirds as well as Large white caterpillars at my plot but neither appear to be affected. Interestingly parasitic wasps can become hosts themselves. The parasitic wasps of parasitic wasps are called hyperparasoids.

However this wasn’t the highlight of my week. Also at the allotment on Saturday I finally got to see a Leaf-cutter bee. I was so excited to see this spectacular sighting but had to stay quiet and still while I attempted to capture a photo of it.

There are different Leaf-cutter bees in the UK but the one I saw was a Patchwork Leaf-cutter (Megachile centuncularis) bee. It was visiting my sweetpeas, collecting pollen and nectar for her young. The orange pollen brush underneath the abdomen clearly identifying it as a female of this species. The only thing left on my must see list, when it comes to Leaf-cutter bees, is to see one carrying a piece of leaf and also a nest. I do have a bee hotel on the allotment so here’s hoping.