Meadow flora

My attempt at recording flower species in the meadow was partially successful. I did record 21 species of flower but I also recognise that there were a number I didn't get round to positively identifying so there is still some scope for increasing this list significantly next year. I also identified three species of grass and this is definitely only a partial record. I find grasses quite challenging to id but I have a new book by Francis Rose that is going to help me expand that list next time round. For the record the 21 species of flower are White Dead Nettle, Garlic Mustard, Meadow Buttercup, Ribwort Plantain, Cow Parsley, Common Sorrel, Stinging Nettle, Scented Mayweed, Broad-leaved Dock, Red Clover, Self Heal, Common Knapweed, Common Mouse-ear, White Clover, Ox-eye Daisy, Yarrow, Common Ragwort, Creeping Thistle, Scentless Mayweed, Bird's Foot Trefoil and Greater Plantain. The three grasses I identified were Cocksfoot, Timothy and Perrenial Rye Grass. The picture is of a patch of Scented Mayweed - one of the commoner flowers in the meadow..

Common Darter

There have been some Common Darters flying over the last few days. No pictures yet but I shall try and snap one if we have any more sunny days. It's been a very good year for dragonflies with seven confirmed species. For the record they are Southern Hawker, Emperor Dragonfly, Blue-Tailed Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Broad-Bodied Chaser and Common Darter. If I get time I shall trawl through my photos of Azure Damselflies to see if any are in fact Common Blue Damselflies just to see if I can make it eight species.

Kingfisher sighting

On my return after two weeks on holiday, I took a walk around the place and was amazed to see a kingfisher on site for the first time since February. I saw it come up from the water and settle on an overhanging branch but I was too far away to see if it had caught anything. I suspect it had as it sat on the branch for a minute or so before flying off low above the water.

I was also pleased to see seven moorhens on the lawn in a group. They are in the social phase where they hang out as a group although to be fair some are still young adults rather than fully grown so it might just be a family group. I think we started with two breeding pairs so a minimum of seven with probably a few more around as well is progress.

Shaggy Ink Cap

For once I found a Shaggy Ink Cap in perfect condition for eating. It needs to be eaten while the gills are white and firm. We had it on toast for lunch. The picture shows the ring on the stem that confirms that it is a Shaggy Ink Cap rather than a non-edible Ink Cap although the look is fairly distinctive anyway.

Butterflies - 16 species in one day

I finally got around to examining the photographs that I took on 30 July in detail. In particular I wanted to nail down whther I had seen both Large and Small Whites and make sure that I hadn't missed any species when logging them on the day. I can now confirm that I saw 16 species of butterfly on the meadow in one day - which seems amazing to me. Nothing unusual or rare it is true, but still quite a sight. For the record they were Comma, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Red Admiral, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Ringlet, Small Copper, Large White, Small White, Green-Veined White, Small Skipper and Speckled Wood. The photograph is of the underside of a Holly Blue.

Ladybird update

I saw a 14-spot ladybird today which got brought into the kitchen with some elderberries I had picked. It reminded me that I had seen very few different species of ladybird this year but on the other hand the quantity of 7-spot ladybird has been huge. There were hundreds on the low bush just outside our back door (pictured above). There have also been a reasonable number of 2-spot ladybirds and a few of the damn harlequin ladybirds early on in the season but I am not sure I have seen anything else.

New Species - Large Skipper

I have just been sorting through the butterfly photos I have taken over the last week or so and I realised that a couple of my pictures of skippers were in fact Large Skippers rather than Small Skippers. The chequered pattern visible through the underside of the wing is the giveaway. It's been a very good year for butterflies albeit I have only seen one Red Admiral and no Painted Ladies so far.