Today I made a further visit to monitor developments in terms of the flora and fauna. There has been no water (as far as I am aware) in the basin since its construction so I was surprised to find several pond snails beneath loose stones. They appeared to be specimens of the Wandering Pond Snail, Radix balthica, but I failed to bring any home for closer examination. There were willow saplings too plus Yellow Flag, Iris pseudacorus. Remarkable!
The flora consisted, as might be expected, of typical weeds of waste ground. Wall Lettuce, Mycelis muralis (= Lactuca muralis) grew on drier ground. It is not a photogenic plant; the specimens I noted were straggly things and my pictures were unsatisfactory so I won't trouble you with them, but it is one of those basic plants that the botanist needs to recognise. The leaves are reasonably distinctive.
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Wall Lettuce was present in drier areas on waste ground at
Badby Road West, Daventry. 4 August, 2020. Photo via the internet
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A waste ground plant par excellence is the Common Ragwort and it was almost inevitably present, although in small numbers. Its name has recently changed from Senecio jacobaea to Jacobaea vulgaris. Of course, although some botanists would argue that the new name is the 'correct' one, this is not the case. Is the name-change justified? In this instance it is a matter of opinion and it may be some years before the new name achieves general acceptance.
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| Ragwort can be a lovely plant. Waste ground, Badby Road West, Daventry. 4 August, 2020 |
There can be little doubt that, weed or not, a well-grown plant is a handsome thing. Under different circumstances it could be a valued garden plant and there is no doubt at all that it is valued by many insects. Today Honey Bees, Apis mellifera, were tucking in.
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A Honey Bee was busy at a capitula (the name given to this type of
composite flower head). Badby Road West, Daventry.
4 August, 2020
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Docks are also generally unwelcome plants in gardens or on farms, but they are important for a surprising number of insects. Among butterflies both the Small and Large Copper, Lycaena phlaeas and L.dispar depend on docks for their larvae and up to about twenty moths also use docks as food plants. Today however it was the Dock Bug, Coreus marginatus which was the most obvious, being large and present in large numbers. I was astonished to find, on checking, that one of the best-known books on the subject (Salt and Whittaker, 1998) fails to give this insect a mention!
It is ubiquitous throughout Britain and, although strictly speaking it is not a shieldbug, it is generally regarded as such - an honorary shieldbug. Today there must have been hundreds of specimens present, with every plant (Broad-leaved Dock in this case) carrying several.
It is ubiquitous throughout Britain and, although strictly speaking it is not a shieldbug, it is generally regarded as such - an honorary shieldbug. Today there must have been hundreds of specimens present, with every plant (Broad-leaved Dock in this case) carrying several.
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A Dock Bug on Broad-leaved Dock. Hundreds were present.
Badby Road West, 4 August, 2020
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I photographed a Gatekeeper butterfly, just for the record so to speak. Its Latin name of Pyronia tithonus, bestowed on the creature by Linnaeus, recalls the unfortunate boy who sought immortality. Zeus granted his wish but failed to explain the implications. Tithonus remained alive but instead of staying young he degenerated into a senile, pathetic wreck. Peter Marren (Marren, 2019) suggests that the shades of brown which the wings display are the secret; '...the butterfly is one of the browns, and brown is the colour of melancholy and disappointment'.
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The Gatekeeper, a study in browns. Badby Road West, Daventry.
4 August, 2020
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And finally, just before leaving with a full specimen tube, I spotted a Nursery Web Spider, Pisaura mirabilis, at its web entrance. It posed long enough for a photograph but then, clearly overcome by coyness, scuttled back into its 'den'.
References
Marren, Peter 2019 Emperors, Admirals and Chimney Sweepers Little Toller Books
Salt, D.T and Whittaker, J.B 1998 Insects on Dock Plants Richmond Publishing Co. Ltd.
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A female Nursery Web Spider on waste ground. Badby Road West,
Daventry, 4 August, 2020
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