RED ADMIRAL

Basking on brambles I snapped this red admiral butterfly

Here's a rather better photo but not mine.  Velvety black with red strips, and white spots at the wing tips.

 

Don't confuse it with the small tortoiseshell, which is mainly orange with black and yellow on the leading edge of the wings and small blue crescent-shaped spots round the rear edges.

WYCH ELM

Walking near the four steps entrance to Filnore Woods   I noticed these wych elm fruits on the ground, blown down by the fresh winds.

Looking up I could see that the tree was covered in them.

Silhouetted against the sky they were hard to make out

But really quite dramatic.

 

BLUEBELLS

We have more bluebells at Filnore Woods this year than ever before.  

There were just a few hanging on in the hedgerows when we founded Filnore Woods.  In those days (1997-8) most of the site was 'improved' grassy fields used for silage and occasional grazing.  But over the last twenty years the bluebells have gradually spread through the woodlands and individual seeded plants have reached maturity and started to flower.  Things can only get better.

Our native English Bluebell (Hyacynthoides non-scripta) is restricted to north-west Europe, mostly Portugal, Britain and the Netherlands so it is one to cherish and protect.  It has distinctive flower spikes that droop over. 

The Spanish Bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica) and the hybrid between the two (Hyacynthoides massartiana) have erect flower spikes, broader leaves and blue anthers - the English anthers are creamy white.  The Hybrid Bluebell is the one usually planted in gardens.

The flowers are shorter and wider than the English bluebells and the ends of the petals don't curl back so much.

It can be quite hard to tell.

 

MEMORIAL LIME TREES

Up at post 3 on the Filnore Woods walk there is a plaque saying why these three memorial limes were planted in 2002: to commemorate the Queen's Golden Jubilee, the life of the Queen Mother, who died in that year, and the 750th anniversary of Thornbury's Town Charter.

In the photograph there look to be only two lime trees but tree number three, which looks dead in the photo, always leafs up later than the other two.  They were all bought as small-leaved limes from the same nursery so it remains a mystery.

 

New life for an old tree

Since the seat has been re-instated on the hill above Thornbury, the moribund red horse chestnut tree beside it is staging a come-back

It's flowering now so pay it a visit if you can.

As I mentioned on my 'Lady's Smock' post on 2nd May, the seat is a memorial to local naturalist Allan Burberry who died in March last year.  Allan's family are kindly donating all the royalties from Allan's book to the Friends of Filnore Woods to further the interests of nature and wildlife in Thornbury.  Another payment came in this week.  Thank you Helen, Diana and all.

CHEWED NUTS

 I found this chewed hazel nut shell left over from last autumn and wondered which lucky rodent had got the kernel.  

This diagram shows the different chewing patterns of four of the likely candidates.  Who gnawed my nut, do you think?

Bank Vole:  tooth marks radiating outward ?

Photo: Gary Cox

Wood Mouse: toothmarks radiating outward AND marks around the hole ?

Photo: PTES

Dormouse: toothmarks parallel to edge of hole - quite rare ?

Photo: focussing on wildlife

Grey Squirrel: nut shell split in half ?

BUTTER IN THE MEADOW

We have at least two of the three most common buttercup species growing in the fields around Thornbury, and my favourite is the Meadow Buttercup. 

It is taller than the common creeping buttercup that invades the lawn in your garden  .  .  .

Creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens)

Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)

. . . but the flowers are hard to tell apart.

Meadow buttercup and creeping buttercup grow in the same field so if you see a buttercup plant that is taller than the rest, check the leaves.

The meadow buttercup (Ranunculus acris) has finely divided leaves . . .

. . . quite unlike the trifoliate leaves of the creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens)

Hold a flower of either species under your friend's chin.  If it shines gold on their skin it proves they like butter.  😊