Garden Update - Nests, flowers, butterflies,

A belated update on the Blue Tits - the female has laid 9 eggs and started incubating on Tuesday, 3rd May. The incubation period is 13-15 days so we should have a happy event early next week.

Apologies for the poor quality of the photos - the camera relays via the tv screen.

I am pretty sure the female wren is incubating eggs also in a nest in ivy on the patio.


The garden is looking very colourful at the moment - I went out a few days ago to practise using the Canon bridge camera.

The euphorbia I thought I had lost

Green Alkanet is in flower and plants are spreading all over the garden.

Azaleas starting to bloom

A patch of Wood Anemone and

Honesty has been attracting Orange Tip butterflies.

Orange Tips first started appearing on the 4th May and I saw my first Large White on 6th May.

I spotted the first Bee Fly of the year on 8th May - a Dark-edged Bee Fly - sorry no photo I did manage to get D to fetch the camera and even focused only for the camera to tell me there was no camera card :(


First Shield Bug of the year spotted last week - believe it is a Green Shield Bug

A few More Moths

A few photos of moths trapped on 17th and 21st August.

Square-spot Rustic (Xestia Xanthographa)

Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata)

Flounced Rustic (Luperina testacea) Most of the moths trapped at the moment are either various species of Yellow Underwing, particularly Large, and Flounced Rustic!

Ringed China-mark (Parapoynx stratiota) A new species for the garden and thanks to those on Twitter who helped with id.

Copper Underwing Agg (Amphipyra pyramidea)

Orange Swift (Triodia sylvina) New for Year

Finally, an Antler Moth (Cerapteryx graminis) New for Year. I was really pleased to see this species (from memory I have only trapped one before)

Butterflies

Finally, Peacocks and Red Admirals have started to appear in the garden over the last couple of days. Holly Blues and Gatekeepers have been plentiful this August.


I found this insect on a Cosmos flower - I believe its a Shieldbug (Common Green?) nymph - probably Final Instar

Some of you may already have seen a photo of this book on my other blog but I really am very pleased with it although its more of a reference book than one to read from cover to cover!

Its been quite a few years since I stopped collecting stamps but I really couldn't resist ordering a Presentation Pack of Royal Mail's Bee Stamps.

The delightful stamp illustrations are by Richard Lewington and the text in the pack is written by bee expert Dave Goulson.

Garden Bioblitz 2015

Last weekend I took part in Garden Bioblitz 2015 - the aim is to list all the species you find in your garden over a 24 hour period. You don't need to spend hours and hours if you don't want to but just go out at different times of the day and record what you see. Help with identification is available on i-spot and when you have identified all the species you have found records can be entered on i-Record.

Garden biodiversity has not been that well researched in the past so every record is important.

You can only record species of animals and plants that have arrived in the garden of their own accord so all those lovely native shrubs, trees and flowers we've planted over the years can't be counted! :(

If you want to find out more or take part next year there is a website at www.bioblitz.org.uk.

I couldn't take part on the Saturday (FA Cup Final) so opted to do the recording on Sunday, 31st May. The weather wasn't brilliant as it rained most of the morning. The afternoon luckily was dry with some sunny intervals.

Last year I found just over 70 species and, as expected with the cool weather, this year's findings were lower. There were certainly far fewer insects about and I didn't find even one spider. No mammals were seen this year - not even the Grey Squirrel who is a regular visitor.


Species seen


Birds

Blue Tit
Blackbird
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Wood Pigeon
Magpie
Dunnock
Carrion Crow,
Wren
Feral Pigeon
House Sparrow


Wildflowers
(Many of these weren't in flower this year but luckily many of the species I had also found in 2014 and were, therefore, easy to identify this time round.

Tormentil

Daisy

Ribwort Plantain - was a bit worried about this one as we have planted this species in the wildflower "meadow" area but this was in the lawn in the front garden so I've counted it!

Green Alkanet (I am really pleased this has somehow self-seeded as its such a magnet for pollinating insects)

Upright Yellow Sorrel
Lesser Trefoil
Yellow Corydalis
Herb Robert
Dandelion
Hairy Bittercress

Bramble

Common Nettle

Groundsel
Wall Speedwell
White Clover
Smooth Sow Thistle
Common Mouse-ear
Cut-leaved Dead-Nettle
Common Ragwort
Cleavers
Common Cat's Ear
Broad-leaved Willow Herb

Ferns

This Hart's Tongue Fern has self-seeded in one of the stone walls

Trees

Sycamore

Rowan

Oak - this Oak (Quercus sp.) self-seeded and OH has planted it in a pot

Common Whitebeam - a common street tree round here and this one self-seeded just after we moved in - its now huge and home to the nestbox which houses the Blue Tit family - all six chicks by the way are still doing well.



Grasses

Meadow Grass

Perennial Rye Grass

Common Couch Grass


Bryophytes

Rough-stalked Feather-moss


Amphibians

Common Frog
Common/Smooth Newt


Bees

Buff-tailed Bumble Bee
Honey Bee
Early Bumble Bee

Ants

Black Garden Ant
Red Ant

Mines

Holly Leaf Mine (Phytomyxa ilicis)

Stigmella aurella - found on Bramble

Snails

White-lipped Banded Snail

Garden Snail

Butterflies

Holly Blue


Moths

Bee Moth


Beetles

I found a real hotspot for ladybirds in the front garden where part of the Beech hedge was in full sun. There were loads of Harlequins

Harlequin Ladybird

Several pairs were mating - anxious to guarantee the next generation!

and I was really pleased to find a native 2-spot ladybird in the same area of the hedge. Sorry rubbish photo to be honest when I am bioblitzing I just snap away to get a record for id purposes only as from memory they want you to upload loads of photos to verify your records.

Flies

Green-bottle

Blue-bottle

Black Bean Aphid

Other Insects

Common Pond Skater
Common Rough Woodlouse



I ran out of time again this year so didn't have chance again to do any pond dipping or examine the log pile. There are several moss, lichen and grass species I am having problems identifying.

The total is higher than I expected given the cool weather - just over 60 species although a few may not be accepted by i-Record. For example, I suspect Honey Bee is probably not on their list! Last year I had problems with some of the species names although I think in the end I managed to record them all.

Its certainly a fun thing to do and would be particularly good if you had young children. It also makes you realise just how many species are using the garden and gives you an incentive to actually identify them all.