my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald

[ian mcdonald]

Hello Maggi, I thought a few close up photos. of common flowers might encourage people to look at our own wild flowers in more detail. We tend to ignore common flowers and concentrate on the rare or "beautiful."  Image 1020626 is Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium). I may post some more close ups later.

[ian mcdonald]

Tomorrow I am to take a Cecidologist round part of the local patch. I have known him for many years but did not know what this branch of natural history is called. He studies plant galls.

[Maggi Young]

Hello Maggi, I thought a few close up photos. of common flowers might encourage people to look at our own wild flowers in more detail. We tend to ignore common flowers and concentrate on the rare or "beautiful."  Image 1020626 is Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium). I may post some more close ups later.

Well done, beat us on that one!

[Maggi Young]

Well done, beat us on that one!

Cecidologist

  Well, I never knew that either!

[ian mcdonald]

An interesting day, hot and sunny. We did not find many galls but Toms friend, a photographer enjoyed himself taking pictures of beetles, dragonflies and butterflies. Among the flowers seen were pyramidal orchid img.1020654. Common bladderwort img. 1020663. Greater hay rattle img. 1020665. A small caterpillar on trembling grass (Briza media) img. 1020670. Among the birds were mallard, coot, black headed gull, lesser black backed gull, crow, jay, kestrel. marsh harrier, lapwing, tufted duck, pheasant, wood pigeon, 3 turtle doves (no partridge), cuckoo, chiff chaff, willow warbler, sedge warbler, reed warbler, reed bunting, whitethroat, wren, blackcap, robin, song thrush, meadow pipit, linnet, chaffinch and a roe deer.

[ian mcdonald]

It was the longest day yesterday and heavy rain was forecast. We did not get any. The wildlife on the site is increasing now that summer is here. I went to look at an area that had recently been cleared of Rhodos. and birch scrub. It is too soon to tell which plants will re-colonise the area. I did flush two Peregrines that were perched on a tree though. A jay flew passed and disappeared into a thicket. Also seen were a family of stonechats close to the path. Walking back along the main track I saw a small group of fragrant orchids (Gymnadenia conopsea). A pair of marsh harriers were hunting low over the ground. Ringlet butterflies were everywhere and a few large heath and large skippers in smaller numbers. I went to look for bog bush crickets but a darkening sky threatened the rain. Moving to another area I went to count the dune helleborines but the vegetation had grown since last time and I only saw 26, (34 last count). I took a few flower photos. and include them as a quiz, name the plant. Most are not too difficult for those of you who are interested in our native plants, with a couple of "puzzlers." See how you do.   img. 1020715 is a plant often seen by roadsides and paths. img. 1020725 is a thistle but which one. img. 1020730 is seen in a variety of habitats. img. 1020735 is a common plant often found in short grass. img. 1020736 is a tiny plant often overlooked. There are many varieties.

[ian mcdonald]

Image 1020757 is a bedstraw but which one. Img. 1020783 should be easy. Img. 1020787 has tiny pink flowers and grows in rough grassland. Img. 1020790 is a Reseda found on disturbed and arable land. Img. 1020792 is a plant of the Gentian family.

[ian mcdonald]

Img. 1020793 is a very common plant of bare ground. If it is crushed the name describes it. Img. 1020794 is an umbellifer not to be trifled with. Img. 1020798 is a campanula. Img. 1020724 is a juvenile what. Name the butterfly img.1020734.

[ian mcdonald]

Img. 1020737 is Aeshna grandis. Img. 1020791 is aptly named. Img. 1020796 is what. Also seen or heard were Mallard, coot, teal, black headed gull, chiff chaff, willow warbler, blackbird, cuckoo, sedge warbler, whitethroat, wren, reed bunting, wood pigeon, chaffinch, lapwing, crow, missel thrush, pheasant, blackcap, swift, goldfinch, moorhen, water rail, song thrush, dunnock, redshank, reed warbler, turtle dove and a cettis warbler. This bird flits about between different bushes and calls loudly. I have not yet managed to photograph it.

[ian mcdonald]

Red bartsia img. 00102. Purple loosestrife img. 00088. Musk mallow img. 00110. Gatekeeper on ragwort img. 00113. Rest harrow img. 00139.

[ian mcdonald]

Yellow toadflax img. 00119. A gall, Urophora carduii, on creeping thistle img. 00096. Teasel img.00142. Tufted hair grass D. caespitosa, img. 00145. Tansy img. 1020872.

[ian mcdonald]

Common knapweed img. 1020873. Fleabane img. 1020871. The site is in full summer plumage just now, with so many plants it is difficult to choose which ones to feature.

[ian mcdonald]

Hedge parsley, Torilis japonica. The buds are pink before they open img. 00112. A yellow fungi, common in grass, img. 00151. Wild angelica, A. sylvestris, img. 00163. Bladderwort, U. vulgaris, in a ditch img. 00166.

[Robert]

Ian,

The "patch" certainly seems like it is in bloom now!

For how many years have you been visiting this site?

Purple loosestrife - weedy?

In California we have Torilis arvensis a obnoxious weed. When I do fire control at the farm the burs (seed pods) get all over my overalls. It takes hours to pick them off so that the overalls can be cleaned!

Thank you for sharing the photographs and I am glad that I can keep up with your reports again, at least for awhile.

[ian mcdonald]

Hello Robert, I first visited the site in 1972, to look at a Bronze Age track-way. Several more visits followed with the local natural history group between 1980 and 2000. I found out that no botanical survey had been carried out of the whole site, so I started serious recording in 2010. I am still recording the plants there. July is probably the most prolific month for plants but there is something to see at any time as the site is large and varied.