my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald

[MarcR]

Ian,

Your countryside is amazingly beautiful!

[ian mcdonald]

Thanks Marc. I think people tend to take it for granted, especially if they live in the area. Too much TV and not enough walking? Any area has wildlife to offer if we take the time to look?

[Robert]

Hello Ian,

There have been many unexpected changes here. As we are able, Jasmin and I continue to enjoy your photographs and postings immensely. Jasmin especially enjoys birds, however everything is incredibly fascinating. I will get back to you with our details in a number of days. Tomorrow, Thursday, I have a long day at the farm. I am still trying to catch up with some of my research. July 2024 in our region was the warmest July in recorded history. Many high temperature records were broken. On many days high temperatures exceeded 43.3 C. My trials with local Eriogonum species were quite encouraging. Other local native species faired well too.

Thank you for sharing your excellent photographs and your insights of your local flora and fauna.

[ian mcdonald]

I had another trip to the coast yesterday. The area I visited is just behind the piles of shingle thrown up by the sea. There are areas of low marsh with much Creeping Willow, Salix repens. Also there is the variety argentea. Marsh Pennywort, Hydrocotyle vulgaris is common here, as is Marsh Cinquefoil. Other plants on the marsh include Marsh Lousewort, Northern Marsh Orchid, Common Butterwort and rarely Coral Root Orchid. In another area piles of pebbles have been arranged in a semi-circular fashion. These piles are colonised by a variety of plants including Burnet Rose, Sheeps Bit Scabious and Bell Heather. Creeping Willow carpets the ground in-between the mounds. Many Silver Y moths were here.  Gorse is out-competing the area. Seen yesterday were two Scotch Argus, my first this year.  In an area of short turf Field Gentians, Gentianella campestris, can be seen. On bare sandy areas are many dry habitat plants such as Common Birds-foot, Ornithopus perpusillus, Hop Trefoil, Trifolium campestre and Sheeps Bit Scabious. Most plants had finished flowering now. I then went to an area where mud was exposed by the out-going tide. I met a party of bird watchers who told me that Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Ruff and Godwit were there. I did not see any godwit (that I recognised). Photography was hampered by a strong sun making the birds a silhouette.



Semi-circular banks of pebbles.



Creeping Willow.



Burnet Rose.



Sheeps-bit Scabious.



Field Gentian.

 

[ian mcdonald]

Silver Y.



Scotch Argus.



Ruff on left, Dunlin behind and Ringed Plover.

[Yann]

Interesting bog, here we don't find Coral Root Orchid but Gentianella and Gentiana are in huge quantity this year. The summer was so wet that the countryside looks lije in June.

[MarcR]

Ian,

Your profusion of temperate orchids reminds me of the Canadian Labrador coast. They grow different genera and species; but an equal, or somewhat greater profusion.

[ian mcdonald]

Marc, in the UK we are loosing orchid (and other) habitats at an increasing rate to "developments."

[Jeffnz]

Development and climate change not a good combination.

[Robert]

Hi Ian,

You mentioned some fascinating plants on your last outing.

I was wondering, are the piles of pebbles natural or of manmade origin? In another correspondence you mentioned tank traps and areas of soil erosion. Is this the same site?

We have a number of Orchidaceae species that are native to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in our region. Ladies’ Tresses, Spiranthes romanzoffiana, is fairly common in moist meadows at higher elevations in the Sierra and Nevada mountains.


Spiranthes romanzoffiana

Summer Coralroot, Corallorhiza maculata var. maculata, is also fairly common in drier locations over a fairly broad altitude range.


Corallorhiza maculata var. maculata

Rattlesnake Plantain is very common in dry mixed coniferous forests. Sierra Bog Orchid, Plantanthera dilatata var. leucostachys, and Rein Orchids, Piperia elongata and P. transversa are not numerous but commonly seen in the spring. Stream Orchid, Epipactis gigantea, is found at times growing along the banks of streams and rivers.

Development, wildfires, and rapid climatic changes are wreaking havoc in both managed and unmanaged ecosystems in our part of California. It would require an extensive article to thoroughly describe the impacts development, wildfires and climate change are having on our wild ecosystems as well as agriculture, and even ornamental horticulture. The magnitude of the crisis unfolding is very difficult for many to comprehend.

[ian mcdonald]

Hello Robert, thanks for your photos of orchids in your area. I thought that someone might ask about the banks of stone so I did some research about them. I could find no reference as to why they were arranged this way but seem to remember someone telling me the area was worked for the stones. The tank traps are only a few yards away from the banks of stone, on the shingle beach. The Marsh is also in the same locality. The area is a fairly small nature reserve but does not seem to be managed at all.

[MarcR]

Hi Ian,

------ We have a number of Orchidaceae species that are native to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in our region. Ladies’ Tresses, Spiranthes romanzoffiana, is fairly common in moist meadows at higher elevations in the Sierra and Nevada mountains.

(Attachment Link)
Spiranthes romanzoffiana

Summer Coralroot, Corallorhiza maculata var. maculata, is also fairly common in drier locations over a fairly broad altitude range.

(Attachment Link)
Corallorhiza maculata var. maculata

Rattlesnake Plantain is very common in dry mixed coniferous forests. Sierra Bog Orchid, Plantanthera dilatata var. leucostachys, and Rein Orchids, Piperia elongata and P. transversa are not numerous but commonly seen in the spring. Stream Orchid, Epipactis gigantea, is found at times growing along the banks of streams and rivers.
-------

Robert,

I find it interesting that we have Corallorhiza maculata var. maculata native on our property at 360 feet above sea level.

[Robert]

Hi Ian,

Thank you for answering my questions.

Humans have always been reshaping the landscape and natural systems. Sometimes, perhaps in the case of the piles of pebbles, it is not ready apparent. Here in our part of California the gold seekers of the mid to late 1800’s reshaped a great deal of the California landscape. In some cases whole mountains were blasted away by hydraulic mining. But even before the gold miners, the Native Americans were altering the landscape with fire and other activities. Sometimes these changes can seem subtle, however they did profoundly alter the natural landscape. All these things can make the study of natural history, botany, etc. extremely fascinating.



I found this photograph of Rattlesnake Plantain, Goodyera oblongifolia, another Orchidaceae seen in our area. This species is quite common in the Transition Zone of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Like Coralroot, Marc is very likely to see this species growing on his property or at least in the vicinity of his home in Oregon. The Willamette Valley is in the Transition Life Zone. The species is commonly seen in mixed coniferous forest in shaded, summer dry locations. It is reasonably easy to cultivate in our area providing it is kept on the dry side during the summer. They enjoy acid soil with plenty of organic material in the soil. The foliage and markings on the foliage can be very attractive.

[ian mcdonald]

Further to my post on August 14th. showing three birds. I identified the bird on the left as a Ruff. A birder went to the site next day and photographed a similar (poss same) bird and identified it as a White Rumped Sandpiper. It was still there the next day and identified the same.

[ian mcdonald]

The Summer of 2023 in our area was a wash-out, with few days of above 70F temperatures. This year we have been hearing of record temperatures in the South of England. For us this year the climate change has meant a colder, wetter Summer. There are fewer Warblers here this year and the number of insects has declined dramatically. Bees are rare here. My runner beans hardly grew in June and were still struggling in July. They have now reached the top of the supports but are not being fertilised because of the low insect populations. Like-wise, the number of Swallows, House Martins, Sand Martins and Swifts are lower. There are more Starlings than I,ve seen before and a mixed flock of Jackdaws and Rooks are residents. Apart from a few Whites, on warmer days, other Butterfly species are a welcome sight. I did see three Speckled Wood yesterday in a sheltered clearing in a wood.



A rare sight (for me) was the gall Taphrina alni, on female Alder cones.



Wild Carrot is not a common plant in our area. The seed head is beautiful.



Hares are sometimes seen but are very nervous when people are around. This one was wet after rain.



Red Squirrels are more used to being watched but rapidly climb trees if you get too close.



Wildlife adapt to our changing climate, which is more than humans can do. Except wear Winter clothes and turn the heating on, in Summer.