Tag: Speckled woods

Posted in Allotment, nature

Here today, gone tomorrow

Posted on by BITM

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 Lots of Brimstones (Gonepteryx rhamni) in spring have now been replaced by Commas (Polygonia c-album), Speckled woods (Pararge aegeria), Large whites (Pieris brassicae) and Peacock (Aglais io) butterflies.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.

A buff tailed bee (Bombus terrestris) snoozing in a foxglove.

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.

These vibrant caterpillars turn into a brown coloured moth.

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.

Larger than actual size. Males are about 3.5- 4mm while the larger females are between 4- 6mm.


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.

Posted in Allotment, nature

The Long Wait

Posted on by BITM

I have been watching a wild flower grow, in the small garden that I look after in front of my flat. Initially unable to identify it (as I didn’t recognise the foliage) I patiently waited throughout autumn and winter to see what emerged. Then in late spring it developed stalks and flowerheads enabling me to see it was a Field scabious- (Knautia arvensis).

This perennial is blooming now. Bees are loving the flowers.

Field scabious is usually found in places such as grassland, meadows, grassy verges and hedgerows. This self set is obviously enjoying similar conditions in my little plot; thriving in an area against a brick wall with dry, partially shady conditions. It is wonderful to see it attract so many beneficial insects so am happy for it to remain where it is.

The allotment is coming on leaps and bounds. The strawberries (which rarely make it home) were a sweet reward as I watered daily through the recent heatwave and continue to ripen. The Blackflies on the Broad beans were eventually joined by seven spot (Coccinella septempunctata) and Harlequin (Harmonia axyridis) ladybirds, together with lots of their larvae; proof that if you leave pests, predators will appear to deal with them; nature really is wonderful.

The recent higher temperatures have encouraged butterflies to fly around. Lately I have seen Small tortoishells (Aglais urticae), Peacocks (Aglais io), Marbled whites (Melanargia galathea) and Speckled woods (Pararge aegeria).

Also on one sunny day last week, while eating lunch outside, I heard a bird song that I didn’t recognise. I recorded it on the Chirp-o-matic app (the name makes me think of Wallace and Gromit) to discover that it was a Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella). The rhythm and length of notes makes it sound like they’re saying ‘a little bit of bread and no cheese’. In fact this phrase is used by birders to identify it by the song alone and can be heard on the RSPB website.

Unfortunately I couldn’t see the bird which was a shame as I would have loved to see its yellow plumage. Part of the bunting family, both males and females have yellow colouring mixed with some brown (the males can be distinguished as they are more vibrant). These birds are currently on the red list for UK conservation status and therefore
Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Found on farmland, they
eat seeds, insects, worms, caterpillars, spiders and snails and weigh in at about 25-36g weight (a similar size to a sparrow).

To encourage yellowhammer numbers, the RSPB has produced information for farmers so they can take action to help these birds; However the actions can be applied by anyone living near farmland, and can be found here.