Tiny wasp nest

 

We hadn't opened the left hand door of the White House (our tool store) since earlier in the year.  When we did we discoverd a tiny wasp's nest just inside at the top.

 

 

This is probably the starter nest built in the spring by a queen wasp.  She would have been planning to lay the first eggs of a future colony here and bring on the first batch of workers to take over the nest building and care of the next brood.

 

 

But somethng probably stopped the operation.  Most likely she started a bit soon in the year and was killed by a surprise late frost.

 

Sad that all her work came to nought.

 

Image from bugguide.net

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit from Crossways Junior School

A few weeks ago, thanks to their teacher Sadie Tully, 16 members of Crossways Junior School, two from each class, came for a walk round Filnore Woods. Their classes are named after the trees Ash, Beech, Chestnut, Hawthorn, Juniper, Maple, Oak and Willow.  

After a slightly cautious start, they soon  all got into the spirit of the woods.

The wonder of beech nuts

Ash keys raining down on small heads. 

 "Do they really unlock a door in the tree

leading to fairy land?" 

"Only if you pick the right key."

One of our young visitors organised the others into seeing how many people it would take to reach all round this old tree.  I'm afraid I can't remember the answer.

We exlored the woods from bottom to top.  Some of the children were already familiar with the place and following this visit we hope more of them will take their parents there.



Leaf mines on hogweed

 

Although it's very common at Filnore Woods, Hogweed is very obliging in that it provides flowers pretty well all year round.  Even today it is still producing new buds for the next bunch of flowers. 

 

 

It will grow in long grass, amongst nettles, on the edge of the woodland, in hedgerows,

anywhere where it can get enough light.

 

The flowers can be creamy white or tinged pink.  They are arranged with the longest petals on the outside of each circular flower cluster with about a dozen clusters

in each big umbel, like a sort of firework going off.

 

Today I noticed some strange, white markings on some of the hogweed leaves. 

 

A closer look revealed a tangle of little, white lines

snaking all over the leaves

 

 

Each thread is the tunnel left by the larva of a tiny fly.  The larva (or grub) eats away the green cells of the leaf as it crawls along, without damaging the upper or lower membrane of the leaf.  As the grub gets fatter the tunnel gets wider and you can see this when you look closely. 

 

  Eventually it is ready to pupate and drops out of the leaf to become an adult fly in its turn, and repeat the cycle.

Prowling in search of Owls

Last night about 50 people, including about a dozen children, came on our OWL PROWL. Ian McGuire, our owl expert, took us on a walk round Filnore Woods and not only told us about all the owls found in the British Isles but also called in several owls.

 

We stopped at various places on the walk and Ian gave us short talks illustrated with slides and video clips on his i-pad.  Brilliant.

 

To everyone's delight Ian's skill at owl calls resulted in a pair of tawny owls flying over our heads and one owl perching briefly in a tree above us.

 

Although I know they fly, I somehow always think of them as dumpy little bundles of feathers sitting on a branch or peering out of a hollow tree. 

 

 

It was impressive to see how long their wings are and how graceful they are in flight.

Thanks to 'True Wild Life' blog for image

 

For more fascinating info check out Ian's website 'Wild Owl'   www.wildowl.co.uk

 

 

Powdery Oak Mildew

 

The powdery oak mildew fungus is thought by some to be a serious threat to oak trees in this country.  It thrives in mild, overcast conditions and usually appears in the latter part of the summer.

 

It shows as a white powder affecting young developing leaves and shoots, and in bad cases it can kill the shoots.

 

You can recognise that powdery mildew has been at work on an oak tree by the bare twigs projecting out of the crown.

Leaves cause floods

Autumn leaves on the floor are briefly as attractive as when they are on the trees.  But when leaves and twigs get washed into the stream, as in this recent photo, and block up the culvert . . .

. . . we can get floods.This was last December.

So if you see twigs and leaves blocking the culvert, please get a stick and poke them out on to the bank so that the water can run through and the path doesn't get turned into a quagmire.

Volunteer work

Brambles and other undergrowth were the target of our volunteers earlier this month.

 

Andy and Eric rescued this oak tree which was surrounded by marauding brambles.

 

A spot of refreshemnt after a job well done.

 

The main work party cleared the path leading out to Vilner Farm along the Jubilee Way again

   

 

 Meanwhile Steve completed his path near post 10 with a generous layer of woodchip. 

 

This is now a virtual motorway.

 

Come on people.  Come and use our paths and help keep them open with your tramping boots.