HAZEL HARVEST

These hazel nuts were cracked in half by squirrels.  Mice, voles and dormice all nibble holes to get at the kernel. 

Hazel is recognisable by its multiple stems 

as well as the nuts and shells beneath at this time of year.

 

ST JOHN'S WORT

There are many species of Hypericum, St John's Wort.  (Remember 'wort' is pronounced to rhyme with 'Hurt' or 'Bert', not 'wart').  This one is the Perforate St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum).

Each flower has five petals arranged like a golden star and the leaves are smooth-edged, not raggedy like the ragwort which flowers at the same time.

  

 

CHEWED RAGWORT

Ragwort is a cheery flower with an orange centre and yellow petals all round like the sun's rays.

This one has been largely defoliated by something.

Looking more closely you can see the culprit. 

Caterpillars of the cinnabar moth feed almost exclusively on ragwort.  They will also take groundsel if the ragwort supply runs out.

After pupating this black and yellow caterpillar will be a small, red and grey moth.

A colourful character!

 

BLACK ANTS AGAIN

I picked up an inverted seed tray from my lawn and beheld these worker ants frantically carrying exposed larvae down to a lower level.

  

  In a matter of minutes they had reduced the number of exposed larvae . . .

  

. . . to nil.

I don't know if you saw 'The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney on BBC 1

 but ants are also a wonder.  Such organisation and cooperation.

 

HONEYSUCKLE ON BLACKTHORN

When they first open honeysuckle flowers are yellow.  

The drooping stamens end in a brown anther; the stigmas are yellow at the end.

  

This is a plant that climbs up other plants, twining itself round stems to reach the light..

As they develop the flowers produce white petals as well.

 

OAK STUFF

This year's developing acorns (above) should not be confused with the marble galls (below) caused by the oak's reaction to an egg-laying gall wasp.

The marble gall is smooth and spherical. 

 And while the acorns fall off the tree in late summer, the marble galls may persist into the following year.  You can see the tiny exit hole where the new generation gall wasp exited its first home.

Young oak saplings seem to be favoured by these mini-wasps

More mature oak trees are blessed with knopper galls on the acorns and spangle galls on the leaves.

 

SILVER-Y MOTH

The Silver-Y moth (not silvery) is our commonest migrant moth.  

It comes here in large numbers every year.

The caterpillar foodplant can be bedstraws, nettles, clovers, runner beans or cabbages.

The name comes from the Y mark on the wings, so it's one of the easiest moths to identify if you can persuade it to sit still.

I saved this one from battering itself on the window by trapping it in a glass but unfortunately the glass was a bit grimy.  Anyway this photo was to try and show its humpy outline at rest.

The moth was a bit restless but it would be calmed if I put my hand over the glass to shade it.  But of course by the time I had my camera-phone ready again it was flitting about.

When I released it in the garden it soon sought out some cover and hid under some dandelion leaves.

It has a really nice Latin name:  Autographa gamma, the gamma autograph.

DON'T FORGET THE BIG BUTTERFLY COUNT !

COWSHED

The former cowshed at Filnore Woods is a site of potential that is as yet unfulfilled.

Volunteers have repeatedly cleared it to make it useable as a barbecue area, an open air theatre stage or anythng else anyone might suggest.

Earlier this month it was cleared again by the energetic volunteers.

Brambles and nettles were swept aside to reveal the concrete base in the clearing.

And now the impenetrable entrance looks somewhat more welcoming.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

MORE FILNORE BUTTERFLIES

  

Took advantage of a sunny afternoon to do the Big Butterfly Count.  

Meanwhile here are some familiar flutterers

  

Red Admiral (black, red and white)                      Small Tortoiseshell (orange, black and yellow)

  
The Peacock and its favourite nectar plant, buddleia.

Now all the three species above lay their eggs on stinging nettles.  The Comma butterfly below does too but its caterpillars prefer hop plants if mum can find one.

       

Photos: Alan Watts

The Comma is recognisable by its very ragged outline.  The name comes from the tiny white mark on its underwing.  Unfortunately it flapped its wing at the critical moment but you can see the comma mark on this cropped image.

 

CREEPING THISTLE

Considered as a pernicious weed by gardeners and farmers alike, creeping thistle can look glorious when it has spread by its underground rhizomes.  

The individual flowers are beautiful too 

and the seeds are a favourite of goldfinches.

Even when not in flower the leaves distinguish it from 

our other common thistle, the aptly named Spear Thistle.

  

Creeping                                                      Spear

  

Spear Thistle or Scottish Thistle tends not to form large groups

 because it spreads by seed alone and not by creeping rhizomes.