the admiral's tongue

There are dozens of our big late summer butterflies around, gathering on the butterfly bush, up to 6 or 7 at a time on one flower head. And there was one holly blue in the garden today.

harriet on harriet

and instructions for drawing a dog

a long way to go

The second broods of martins have started leaving their nests. This little chap was found just outside our front door, he/she could flutter but not fly. There was no obvious injury and he would soon come to grief on the ground, so he was put back in one of the nests (the right one I hope) where he is now to be seen perched on the edge chirruping away.

Notice the little feathers on the legs, a characteristic feature of martins.

Post script 23/08/2014

After another two days in the nest this martin appears to have fledged. Having held this scrap of life in my hand for a few brief moments, I can only marvel that it can make it all the way to somewhere in Africa (no one knows quite where, see this link for more information). 

HMV

Turning grey and grizzled, waiting for something to happen, Spot is a senior citizen now.

and spot the cow

scrumping

I thought this might be a snout moth but it may well be a member of the crambinae family and without a common name. As noted before moths are difficult! How about agriphila trisella (see this link to UK moths)? Or on further research a grass moth crambus pascuella.

Lack of activity recently has been caused by stifle injury to Spot's secretary. On the mend to some degree. He might get out.

gardeners' nightmare

As was predicted last year, there is a developing plague of white butterflies. There are 6 small whites (and a tortoiseshell) on this one small lavender bush. There will be no brassicas left.

Uncle Earnest's remarkably familiar photograph

                                     Sepia, that strange Victorian colour
                                     Fills the August photographs
                                     Of the Great War's early Summer days.
                                     It gives the uniforms an army hue,
                                     A hint of the coming Glories
                                     That would leave so many acrid mouths
                                     And mud enough for everyone.

                                     Those carefully polished buttons
                                     The dainty waxed moustache
                                     A bullet for your troubles...
                                                 
                                     And a photograph for us.

dkp                     

Like most English families we lost relatives in the First World War. Great Uncle Earnest died, aged 23, in the  battle of Loos in October 1915. He played rugby for Blackheath Rugby Football club along with his several brothers who included my own grandfather (who was wounded in the same battle). What leapt out of this photograph when I first saw it in the 1960's was the strong facial resemblance to living members of the family. The poem is part of a longer poem written, with some artistic licence, in his memory; the photograph is of the man himself, Earnest Lennox Robertson. Today we commemorate the beginning of that dreadful war.  Tonight the lights across Great Britain will be turned out once more.

the house that Sally built

It was Stoke Climsland Flower Show on Saturday and once again we were blessed with fine weather (it feels like every day this year has been fine). Every one is very creative round here. Especially with potatoes.

Spot the butterfly

We saw two or three clouded yellows today, this is several weeks earlier than last year. Clouded yellows are usually migrants from southern Europe but I wonder if these are indigenous examples which have managed to breed last year and survived during the very mild winter. The meadow was full of large butterflies today, including these three silver washed fritillaries having a dog fight over Spot.

giant wood wasp

 

Every now and again one comes across something genuinely strange. This is a giant wood wasp (urocerus gigas), about 4 cms long. The brown rod beneath her sting is the sheath of her ovipositor, and gives it the common name of horntail. She lays her eggs in sick or recently felled pine. The black rod is the actual ovipositor and she is pushing it into the pine wood. Her abdominal muscles ripple with the effort required. The larvae take up to three years to mature

as rare as a pig's bladder

another real local rarity is cornish bladderseed, seen here growing in profusion in the meadows.

cafe agrimony

It has been predicted recently that this will be a good year for peacock butterflies. They are attracted to hemp agrimony, a common wild flower locally and there were four on this one small patch to the side of one of the meadows at Greenscoombe. The moth below is a rosy footman (miltochrista miniata), described as 'local' in my reference book ie not that common everywhere. It is a very striking salmon orange colour.

wire trip

the first of this year's new swallows gathering for a geography lesson on the way to Africa.

round two

swallows and martins have raised one brood, and now have started again. This is a swallow nest (they tend to nest inside buildings eg barns, rather than on the outside like martins, this nest is in the porch of our near neighbours) and this brood have just hatched. There may be a third brood before they leave. The first brood help with feeding this and subsequent broods.

ant nursery

There has been a very marked increase in the number of ant hills in the meadows. I accidentally disturbed the very top of this hill. The eggs must have been very close to the surface which seems strange unless the ants are trying to control the temperature because of the recent hot weather. The eggs were quickly taken back under cover by their nursemaids.

butterfly count

It is the start of butterfly count month (see link). The meadows were teeming with the usual mid July suspects, including dozens of small skippers (as above) meadow browns, ringlets and silver washed fritillaries. Very few red admirals and no tortoiseshells or peacocks. Five common blues which is definitely up on the last two years.

morning cocktails

The amazing scorpion fly. I am not quite sure what it is doing, or what it has got its head in, but they have a reputation for drinking fermented fruit juices and getting drunk.

mother and children

one careful spider mother (probably pisaura mirabilis, the nursery spider) and dozens of babies

gathering 2

A wave of meadow brown butterflies is sweeping through the lanes, maybe it is going to be a very good month for butterflies.

the gathering

the rooks have heard that some people are complaining about the noise they make early in the morning .... they are planning their next move. Hitchcock eat your heart out.

on the mend

Our hedgehog is definitely on the mend, eating and drinking and doing a bit of stomping about (and increasingly ignoring us). Still not quite sure it is 100%, but we will release it late tonight if all seems OK.
But sadly not on the mend enough. He gradually became more withdrawn and listless. He was taken to our nearest vet this morning where he was found to be very anaemic and emaciated. The state of his teeth suggested he was an elderly hedgehog. He died under an anaesthetic  while being examined with a view to treatment with antibiotics and steroids.

bit of bread and butter no cheese

The air is full of the calls of yellowhammers. They are fairly easy to spot because they like to sit on the top of bushes, trees and telegraph poles to broadcast their presence. There seem to be a lot around locally even though they are becoming increasingly rare nationally (see link).

hedgehog day 2

I think we are going to be OK. We have moved out of the box, had something to eat and drink, and used the toilet facilities. If all is well he can be released tomorrow.

hedgehog day

We have seen plenty of hedgehogs in the grounds recently but never during the day. This hedgehog was found curled up out in the open at midday, and that usually means something is wrong. There were no external signs of injury fortunately. After checking with St Tiggywinkles (see link), we placed it in a cardboard box with some hedgehog food (which of course we have to hand), and some water. In the absence of a local wildlife hospital, the emergency vet recommended keeping it safe for 24 hours and then releasing it back into the garden. We shall see. These situations are strangely disarming.

June treats

 a greater butterfly orchid

a tattered heath fritillary

a violet ground beetle

fledging day

all the young blackbirds flew the nest this morning except this tail end Charlie (Charlene I think). It may well be the bird rescued earlier in the week.

After we checked all was well, it eventually left the nest this evening. It has had quite an eventful start to its life.

walking with Lottie

 Lottie will do almost anything for a carrot, and was impressed by how quickly a human was able to learn her trick.

 She then had to work off all those extra calories by giving free bareback rides (only one, actually)

and of course champions make friends with champions (you know what I mean)

again for more information about this epic journey, please see the link to walkingwithawen and give generously!

walking with Lottie

We were honoured today by a visit from Jan and Lottie who are walking from the furthest point East in England to the furthest point West, both for charity, and for the life enhancing experience (see link to walkingwithawen (aka Lottie)). They have walked from Dartmoor, via Sydenham Damerel, and over Horsebridge into sunny Cornwall.  Dartmoor can be seen in the distance just above the granite gate post.

Lottie quickly made herself at home