A Butterfly June

Friday 22nd June 2018 began, as usual, in bright sunshine, with a cool northerly breeze, becoming hot later.  The ground remained green and damp in shady places, with Bramble still very much in flower along the banks, attracting numerous bees and other insects whilst the long grasses were thronged with butterflies - mostly Meadow Browns in the hot sunny areas and good numbers of Ringlets in dappled shade. Speckled Woods also frequent dappled shade but usually range along woodland and tall thickets. Several Green-veined Whites were present too with unusually high number of Large Skippers in their favoured habitat, long dry grasses. If perched, they look just like orange-brown dead leaves which suddenly spring to life. 

Banded and Beautiful Demoiselle Damselflies are still present along the river, chasing under the steep banks and perching on nettle and Bramble leaves, in wait for insect prey. Along the banks several bright Comma butterflies were ranging, fast flying and inquisitive. Loose clusters of Stitchwort were growing well  amongst the tall grasses and flowering Common Mouse-ear was seen on the shadier banks:

Common Mouse-ear on green banks

With such a slight breeze it was very quiet indeed on the riverside - apart from birdsong. All kinds of 'rustling' occurring in the trees and tickets was significant today as there was no wind.

A large clump of Rosa canina was flowering abundantly, facing the sun on the river bank, covered in bees and flies:

Dog Rose - Rosa canina in the sun, overpowering the Brambles

This was Sparrow Weather - house sparrows (65) could be heard in colonies all along the river course - they love the hot weather but also seek out water where they can drink and bathe. The river provides plenty of safe places here. No silent summer yet - singing blackbirds (25) could be heard, near and far,  their voices echoing, whilst others were 'sunning' on verges, wings and tails spread out in

the sun. Fledged juveniles were foraging nearby and other adults were nesting with second broods.

Song thrushes continue to sing loudly (5) and were seen under green damp hedges and undergrowth, foraging.

Also very audible were wrens (26) most singing again whilst others watched over newly fledged young. There was a fine view of four fledged juveniles keeping close together, learning to forage on branches over the river, lining up together on a small twig just above an adult  grey heron foraging on 

the river, which flew off, it's fishing disturbed by the juvenile wrens. Much further away downstream a juvenile grey heron was fishing under the steep banks (total 2).

There were now many blue tit  (58) juveniles forming groups in the thickets, easily visible with their yellow plumage mixing in some places with juvenile house sparrows. Great tits (18) seemed to be keeping in family groups,  'yellow' juveniles and adults foraging together. Noticeably absent at first were robins whose song is often the first to be heard - but not today. Only 9 were seen, with 5 singing.

Their 'absence' doesn't mean they have flown away but are probably in hiding, perhaps raising more broods whilst some may already be moulting.Three dunnocks were seen and heard in the undergrowth. Like the robins, few goldfinches were seen and heard (6) and only one greenfinch.

21 wood pigeons were seen, some calling and 5 magpies just sitting in trees, chatting. A small total of 4 carrion crows, sat inactive in the heat of the day - and a single herring gull was sailing high.

With the longest day only yesterday and continuing fine weather most birds do not have to frantically seek food all their waking hours and can rest, hidden from view for a while.

Nuthatches (11) however have now become noisy again, with fledged young calling loudly, still keeping to their nesting territories.  A distant green woodpecker nest still held young, making the loudest calls! whilst one adult was seen flying across. It's been a very good summer so far for ants - food of the green woodpecker having a wide choice of ants nests to forage from. A great spotted woodpecker flew across to its tree but no young have been seen yet.

Lastly, our summer migrants are still active here, with four whitethroats still nesting, chiffchaffs still very vocal (6), a single singing garden warbler and ten blackcaps, most of these singing too.

Finally a mallard family enjoying the calm slow waters of the river, perfect for rearing young - the adults only were seen today but later were seen with at least 8 duckings in tow.

Just above, a common buzzard was seen being chased by a carrion crow.

Perfect Pollination

This spring has proved to be perfect for pollinators and the essential task they perform in keeping our world alive. Most pollinators are insects: bees, flies, butterflies, moths and beetles but some birds play an important part too and bats, whose work goes largely unseen. Many wild flowers are essential to the survival of these pollinators.

Dandelions are right at the top of the list for bee survival. After a long winter, the flowering of Dandelions decides the fate of bees for the year - no dandelions, no bees, no bees - failure of crops and reduction in harvests of fruit and vegetables.

Bees and other insects need lots, carpets of dandelion flowers, not just the odd one here and there as they are the best source of early nectar for bees emerging from hibernation, coinciding with flowering in spring.

A Hoverfly nectaring on Dandelion - 25th April 2018

Dandelions on the river bank field - 20th April 2018

Like most wild flowers this spring, they were late in flowering - but bees and other insects were late in emerging too.

Later the flowers will go to seed providing food for house sparrows and goldfinches.

The abundance of Dandelions eventually gave way to an abundance of Buttercups:

Buttercups on the river bank 10th May 2018

At the same time, in a shady copse, Wild Garlic gave way to Cow Parsley:

10th May 2018

Many insects were attracted to the Cow Parsley flowers in damp, dappled shade along the river.

With so many bees, flies and other insects having been attracted to the wild flowers, pollination of nearby fruit trees and berry-bearing plants continued and now, at the end of June, we can see their success - an abundance of new berries and fruits, meanwhile pollination continues amongst flowering Brambles and Rosa canina.

Honeybee on flowering Bramble - 22nd June 2018

Summer Skipper and Meadow Brown butterflies

Yesterday, Sunday 10th June 2018, marked the start of the butterfly summer. The day was warm and bright with thin hazy cloud and a slight NE breeze. The grassed areas were growing very well with a diversity of wild flowers and grasses appearing, including Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata).

Most butterflies have been slow to emerge this spring and it was good to see the first Large Skipper (Ochlodes venata) perched in the sun in a sheltered spot, on the leaf of a new Oak tree seedling. Looking around, numerous such seedlings were springing up around the old oaks where carpets of acorns had formed after last autumn's huge crops had fallen and lain unclaimed by Jays and squirrels on the river banks.

This Skipper, although called 'large' is not necessarily larger than the 'Small Skipper'  but can be distinguished by it's markings, the Large Skipper having more variegated orange and brown patterned wings. The Small Skipper is generally plainer.

The eggs are laid singly under blades of Cock's foot grass which provides food for the caterpillar when it emerges.

At the same time as this Skipper was seen resting on the leaf, the long grasses of the embankment held many insects, with at least two Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)  butterflies which were extremely active, in contrast to the inactive Skipper. They ranged amongst the grasses with a random fluttering flight without resting. The caterpillar prefers a variety of grasses with Smooth Meadow grass (Poa pratensis) a favourite. The Meadow Browns were exactly on time emerging during the second week in June. Given reasonable weather, butterflies should do well this summer.

On the river bank itself there were more Banded Demoiselle damselflies, males and females and Beautiful Demoiselle damselflies in good numbers with a single Large Red damselfly seen:

The Large Red damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphal) is usually the first damselfly to be seen in the spring - in late April - but it's emergence this year was certainly delayed in this area.