Hartwell Pocket Park: a final visit

Lest the title of this blog seems too valedictory I should add that today's visit was simply the last scheduled for 2015.

I have made numerous visits to this site, each time recording plants and various invertebrates in order to build up a list for the park volunteers. 

The grass had, a matter of a few days ago, been mown for hay making but, as I intended to concentrate on the planted flower border and tree foliage it was of little consequence.

The gall of Kaltenbachiella pallida on elm.
Hartwell Pocket Park., Northants. 13 September, 2015

A few elms formed part of the bordering hedgerow and I was pleased to find the dry and brown remains of a gall. Kaltenbachiella pallida forms a small bladder in which the gall-causing aphids develop. They had long gone, though perhaps they were present elsewhere on the tree. It is not a very common insect.  






Sweeping foliage was producing little; perhaps it was rather late in the season. But there were features of interest (to some). 

Guelder-rose showing damage by  Viburnum Leaf  Beetle.
Hartwell Pocket Park. 13 September, 2015

Guelder-rose, Viburnum opulus, was heavy with fruit but the leaves bore the typical perforations caused by the grubs of the Viburnum Leaf Beetle, Pyrrhalta viburni, an adult of which I recorded a few minutes later. This beetle has increased in abundance over recent decades with the increased use of viburnums in gardens.

Sedum spectabile - an excellent choice for lovers of insects.
Hartwell Pocket Park.  13 September, 2015

A border of herbaceous perennials exists, with the plants sensibly chosen to attract insects over several months. One of the so-called ice-plants, Sedum spectabile, was providing nectar for a wide range of insects, with its late summer-early autumn flowering making it particularly valuable.

Tachina fera on Sedum spectabile. Hartwell Pocket Park.
13 September, 2015

Honey bees, bumble bees, various hoverflies and bluebottles were busy on the flowers and I was pleased to note this rather handsome tachinid fly, Tachina fera, nectaring. Tachinid flies are parasites in the larval stage and this fly seeks out the caterpillars of noctuid moths such as Quakers as hosts.

Golden Rod is also a good choice for attracting insects.
Hartwell Pocket Park.  13 September, 2015

Golden Rod, Solidago canadensis, was also a well-chosen species and, as can be seen, was attracting greenbottles. The occasional hoverfly also called in. Most of the greenbottles proved to be Lucilia caesar but Lucilia bufonivora, a parasite on toads, was also present.

Dock Bugs were abundant. Hartwell Pocket Park.
13 September, 2015

A few dock plants had popped up in the border They may be unwanted but, like nettles, they support several species of insect. Here a couple of Dock Bugs , Coreus marginatus, are present on a Broad-leaved Dock, Rumex obtusifolius. In fact scores were present and I counted five on one leaf. Dock Bugs are not true shieldbugs but are usually included with them for convenience.

Ancistrocerus gazella?  Hartwell Pocket Park.
13 September, 2015

A Potter Wasp was awkwardly tucked in to some leaves and focusing was a problem. It appeared to be a species of Ancistrocerus and, although it is outside my usual interests I am fairly certain it is Ancistrocerus gazella. I also recorded it from the site last year.

Mines of Hawthorn Red Midget Moth at Hartwell
Pocket Park.13 September, 2015

Here and there hawthorn leaves were displaying the blister-like structures formed by the tiny Hawthorn Red Midget Moth, Phyllonorycter corylifoliella. Despite its common name it can be found on a range of leaves including hazel and various cherry species.





So, with quite a few specimens for examination later it was a worthwhile visit. The total now stands at 49 plants and 109 invertebrates. The pocket park is on the small side but I suspect there is a lot yet to be recorded. Next year perhaps...

Lawyer's Wig - updated

Fungi can make their appearance at any time of the year but they are particularly associated with autumn. This is the time when wildlife organisations arrange 'fungus forays' and bookshops, I suspect, note a rise in the sale of books about mushrooms and toadstools.

Lawyer's Wig on a Byfield Lawn.
13 September, 2015

These thoughts came to mind when I was in Byfield yesterday. A single, very prominent toadstool was present on a lawn in the village and I couldn't resist a photograph. It is a specimen of Lawyer's Wig, Coprinus comatus. I was a little surprised because, in my experience, these toadstools normally appear in groups.









They belong to a group of fungi known as Ink Caps, of which sixty or so species are found in Britain. This species, also referred to as Shaggy Ink Cap, is probably the best known. The gills produce the spores but then liquefy and are probably spread by rain. In the picture it can be seen that this liquid has dripped to the ground to produce a distinct black circle. The bell-shaped cap rocked on its stem in the light breeze, probably helping with this process.

Coprinus means 'living on dung' and comatus means 'hairy' - a reference to the curly scales on the cap.

The species is edible when young and firm but I take the word of others for this. A little care is needed as the Common Ink Cap, Coprinus atramentarius, is rather similar but the cap is smooth rather than shaggy - and is mildly poisonous, especially if consumed with alcohol. It is this latter species for which the liquefying caps were once used as ink.

Lawyers Wig at Doll's Hill, Byfield.
23 September, 2015

Fast forward ten days days and I chanced upon these deliquescent specimens, where the cap had all but dissolved. Soon the whole structure will have disappeared. Job done.

Isle of Wight, 2015 Part 2

Tuesday was another day of lovely sunny weather. Although Chris and I had zig-zagged around the Isle of Wight over the years we had never visited Ryde. In its day this town, with its fine beaches, had been the Skegness of the island; what is it like nowadays? Answer: very interesting.

We had and easy run there and began with a stroll along the prom. There were no brass bands playing 'tiddly om, pom, pom'  but it was lively, even out of season, and bright with municipal flower beds. Salvias of various kinds had been used extensively and were attracting hordes of insects. Bees and hoverflies were present and even a Humming-bird Hawkmoth. Macroglossum stellatarum, called in, although it zoomed away before I could grab my camera.

A stroll up the main shopping street was a must. The shops form a sort of time capsule; the crowds of the 1950's and 1960's have gone but there are still one or two 'Kiss me Quick' shops and a curious assortment of other 'emporia' also linger on. Our stroll involved much giggling, pointing and general window shopping. There is even a Donald McGill museum. McGill was the Leonardo da Vinci of the saucy postcard; master of the double entendre. Being very refined people we gave it a miss!

The Appley Tower, Ryde.  
8 September, 2015

Following the obligatory coffee we ventured further along the prom (sorry, esplanade), enjoying the sunshine. Striding eastwards towards Puckpool we soon came to the Appley Tower. This curious Victorian 'castle' was built in about 1875 as a garden folly, the garden being estate land owned by the Hutt family. It was Sir William Hutt who had the tower built and it is now one of the few remaining structures on the former estate. The folly is now in private hands.














We pressed on as far as the Boathouse pub (coffee) and found ourselves accompanied by Dad's Army. There was no clue regarding who put it the model figures there but the pub stands within a stone's throw of the huge gun emplacements - Puckpool Battery - which we later inspected as we returned via Puckpool Park.




And so back to Cowes.

The final full day, Thursday, was reserved for mooching around West Cowes, with it odd assortment of shops. Many of these have a nautical flavour and one feels that without the trade which yachting and other water activities bring, Cowes would struggle to maintain its population of some 9,500.

John gave it a miss, deciding to put his feet up; I let Ann and Chris push ahead while I strolled along the shingle beach to examine the strand line.

Dulse washed ashore at Cowes. 8 September, 2015

We generally take seaweeds for granted. This, I believe, is Palmaria palmata. Known as dulse it is being increasingly recognised for its culinary value, but I decided to leave it rather than harvest it.

Sea Lettuce was extremely common.  Cowes, Isle of Wight.
8 September, 2015

Also common was Ulva lactuca. This too is occasionally used in soups and salads - but not by me. In fact 'Ulva lactuca' is only one member of a complex genus requiring expert identification, so I should really be content with using its common name of Sea Lettuce. Occasionally vast quantities of it are washed ashore where it rots, producing noxious gases.

The internal 'shell' of Sepia officinalis. Cowes.
8 September, 2015

A cuttlefish bone was also among the debris. It forms the skeleton of the animal and, as it belongs to the Mollusca, i.e. related to snails, this 'bone' should really be referred to as an internal shell. By far the commonest of the three species in UK waters is Sepia officinalis, and I'm assuming that this is what I found.







With the shoreline yielding little else I made my way into town and, after an hour or so of doing not a lot, found Ann and Chris having coffees and joined them.




The following day we packed (why, in spite of buying very little, did there seem so much more than we came with?) and set off for the ferry. The sunshine held and we spent nearly all the voyage on deck enjoying the view.

'World Odyssey' moored at Southampton.
10 September, 2015

Everything from cruise liners (my idea of holiday hell)...

...to work-worn oil tankers disgorging their cargo at the huge Esso refineries at Fawley.

As is generally the case, by now we were keen to get home. So often one needs a rest after a holiday!  John must have been tired, with the combination of heavy traffic and boring motorways but he got us back safely.  

Postscript


We had the equivalent of four days on the island. I arrived home to find I'd put on four pounds. Ouch!

Isle of Wight, 2015 Part 1

For the last four years Chris and I have accompanied our friends Ann and John Pymm to the Isle of Wight, staying in West Cowes. Their daughter and son-in-law have a lovely house there and we are able to use it from time to time, and when we set off on Sunday, 6 September the weather was glorious and set fair.

The property makes an excellent base for exploring the island and, with splendid views from our bedroom window over the busy Solent, there was always something of interest.

The crossing from Southampton was easy, with very calm conditions and we spent a lot of time on the top deck taking in the sights of this very busy stretch of water.

I was delighted to see this False Widow spider in the
bathroom. Cowes, Isle of Wight. 6 September, 2015

We had our first surprise on entering our bathroom. A False Widow Spider, Steatoda grossa, was clinging to the sink. For rather obvious reasons I didn't try to manually manoeuvre it into a suitable position so the photograph, in the half-light is less than satisfactory. It was a female and, as the epigyne (external female sexual organs) were not fully developed, it was clearly sub-adult.

Steatoda grossa - not as dangerous as some would have
us believe.  6 September, 2015

The media have produced several alarmist reports about this species but, although it is quite closely related to the notorious Black Widow spider, Latrodectus mactans, and can inflict a nasty bite, it is unlikely to do so unless hurt or alarmed. They are quite common on the Isle of Wight and along much of the south coast and appear to be spreading northwards.





Monday was the first full day and we visited Newtown. This is not to be confused with Newport, the island's 'capital' and in fact there is no settlement as such, Newtown having been gradually abandoned as the nearby river estuary silted up. So we have the strange phenomenon of a rather attractive town hall - and no town!

What was once a busy harbour is now an area of salt marsh and mud flats. Adjacent to the sea are old hay meadows and woodland such as Walter's Copse, and the whole area is now a National Nature Reserve. We were fortunate in that it was a lovely sunny day; we were less fortunate with the bird life as most summer migrants have now departed and the winter visitors have yet to arrive.

Red Admirals were common on the reserve. Newtown,
Isle of Wight. 7 September, 2015

The hay meadows are carefully managed with Belted Galloway cattle and Hebridean sheep used as appropriate and there is a wealth of insect life to be seen. We failed to see any of the Silver-washed Fritillaries, Argynnis paphia,  for which the area is well-known and had to be content with the beautiful but commonplace Red Admirals, Vanessa atalanta, flitting from flower to flower.

Beechwod Sickener? Newtown, Isle of Wight.
7 September, 2015

This fungus is probably a Russula species and my guess is that it is the Beechwood Sickener, Russula nobilis.  Some Russula species are edible although this one is poisonous - hence the common name, but for certain identification a spore print is useful, and the specimens were not yet mature enough for spores.

View across the salt marsh, Newtown, Isle of Wight.
7 September, 2015

Once through the meadows and woods we came out to the estuary with its salt marshes. The bubbling of curlews was heard but the birds could not be seen. We did get distant glimpses of egrets. They seemed rather large to me and could have been Great White Egrets, Ardea alba. This is perhaps wishful thinking but they have become increasingly common in recent years and now nest in Britain.

The tide was almost at its lowest. Newtown, Isle of Wight.
7 September, 2015

The tide was well out and birds might have been seen feeding on the exposed mud but it was not to be.

L to R: John. Ann and Chris. Newtown National Nature
Reserve. 7 September, 2015

Perhaps sombre, olive-green clothing could have helped, but we had not come prepared in any way. Nevertheless it was a lovely walk.







Reserves like this depend heavily on voluntary help and donations. Grouse moors, designed for the slaughter of birds, are subsidised by the public to the tune of £56 per hectare! Sorry to inject a political note into this blog but it makes me genuinely angry.


So, our first full day was thoroughly enjoyable and produced some unexpected sights and pleasures.

Anemones

Chris bought a bunch of anemones several months ago (2 February). Those available at florists in late winter are usually forms of the Crown Anemone, Anemone coronaria. This species, which is found commonly in the eastern Mediterranean region and through the Middle East, is very variable in colour but is, within my experience, most commonly red or pink.

Anemone coronaria in a Daventry florist's window

Anemones, aka windflowers (Anemos was the Greek word for wind, not to be confused with flatulos) are members of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, and had the petals on the flower to the right been yellow, the relationship would have been obvious.

Anemone pavonina near Gythio in the Greek
Peloponesse. Spring, 2014

In the spring of 2014 Chris and I visited Greece and were based at Gythio, in the Peloponesse. There we found anemones in many places but they were overwhelmingly specimens of Anemone pavonina. Their petals are more numerous and more pointed than A. coronaria, giving them a starry appearance. 

Anemone coronaria 'Bordeaux' in a Byfield garden, 2014

Anemone coronaria in particular has been used by breeders to produce some gorgeous garden plants with the velvety blooms of Anemone coronaria 'Bordeaux' being of particular beauty. But I would guess that A. pavonina genes are in there somewhere

Only one species of Anemone is native to Britain (unless you wish to include the Pasque Flower, Pulsatilla vulgaris, which was once classified as an anemone) and that is Anemone nemorosa. In respect of Northamptonshire Gill Gent and Rob Wilson write 'It is probably more common now than for any time in the past sixty years'. (Gent and Wilson, 2012, 'The Flora of Northamptonshire and the Soke of Peterborough').



I cannot possibly do justice to this genus. According to my copy of 'Flora of the British Isles' by Clapham, Tutin and Warburg, (2nd edition, 1962) it contains about 120 species. A check today of Wikipedia also suggests about 120 species, so it seems there are few new Anemones to be found. 

Anemone hupehensis, Doll's Hill, Byfield,
Northants. 4 September, 2015

Having said that, there is one species which must be mentioned, and that is 'Anemone hupehensis'. It originates from central China but is generally associated with Japan, where it has been cultivated for hundreds of years.

For an anemone it is very tall, and the examples photographed, in the garden of my friend Nell Thomas, were a little over a metre high. Strictly speaking most of our garden plants are hybrids (Anemone hupehensis x A. vitifolia) but whatever, they are lovely plants for the border, made particularly valuable flowering so late in the year, taking us through to autumn.





I have no anemones in my garden. This situation cannot be allowed to go on!

Windmilling

I decided it was time for another visit to Newnham windmill (see blogs for 16 May and 5 August). A dull and cool morning delayed me but a promise of afternoon sunshine finally got me going. Steady walking soon took me to the acid pastures of this interesting site and I was quickly finding insects.

Pupa of Cassida rubiginosa. Creeping thistle near
Newnham windmill, Northants. 2 September, 2015

This strange-looking creature was on a Creeping Thistle, Cirsium arvense. It is a beetle pupa; to be more precise it is the pupa of Cassida rubiginosa, known as the Thistle Tortoise beetle.  Once it has emerged from this pupa the beetle, which is grass-green, will be well camouflaged. 

The pupa looks obvious but a closer look shows that the strange prickle-like protuberances help to break up the creature's outline and to me it resembles a piece of dried-up thistle leaf.

Leaf damage by the larvae of Coleophora peribenanderi.
Thistles near Newnham windmill, Northants.
2 September, 2015

Very obvious were these perforated leaves, showing where a moth, Coleophora peribenanderi, had been at work. Known as the Pale Thistle Case-bearer, its caterpillars are quite frequent on Creeping Thistle.

Newnham windmill. Graffiti not visible
from this angle. 2 September, 2015

The windmill stands at the top of a rather precipitous slope. Overnight rain had left the ground slippery in places and I had to be careful as I descended this dodgy hillside. Large clumps of gorse showed not a flower, unusual on this plant.

Small Copper on bramble blossom near Newnham
Windmill, Northants. 2 September, 2015

It was worth the descent for, feeding on bramble flowers at the foot, was this Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas. It is a very common insect and yet I often go long periods without a sighting. The caterpillars feed on docks and sorrels.

The blossom on the brambles is important for, apart from a scattering of Hawkweed flowers (Pilosella species) there is not a lot about in the way of nectar sources. This should sustain insects until the ivy begins to flower. Of course there are always gardens and this is why, perhaps, I found so many on my rock garden flowers yesterday.

A few Red Campion flowers remain. Scrub near Newnham
windmill, Northants. 2 September, 2015

The occasional Red Campion, Silene dioica, offered nectar but it wasn't getting any takers as far as I could see. Perhaps evening moths...









Anyway, I did take plenty of insects, with sun-bathed wooden fences and posts being particularly productive, but I had something like a  mile and a half to walk home so I called it a day.

A window in the weather

We have had lots of rain recently and, for the end of August, it has felt quite chilly at times. Today however, we had a fine morning and I was able to do some weeding, dead-heading and so on.

A Peacock butterfly warms up on garden furniture.
Stefen Hill, Daventry. 1 September, 2015

Garden furniture warmed up rapidly and this Peacock butterfly, Inachis io, seemed to appreciate the conditions so much so that it was reluctant to fly. Perhaps it was still a little torpid.

Hollyhock Rust in garden. Stefen Hill, Daventry.
1 September, 2015

I looked around I was generally pleased with what I saw although my hollyhocks are displaying quite a bit of Hollyhock Rust, Puccinia malvacearum. This is a nuisance, but the plants, being biennials, will die back this winter to flower next year - hopefully without the rust.

Cardoons in flower at Stefen Hill, Daventry.
1 September, 2015

In the back garden the purple heads of a Cardoon, Cynara cardunculus, with much brighter colours than my photograph suggests, were attracting many insects. This member of the daisy family is occasionally used as a vegetable but I grow it for the handsome flower heads.

Eristalis pertinax on cardoon flower. Stefen Hill,
Daventry. 1 September, 2015

Hoverflies, so often mistaken for bees, were exploiting the nectar and, to some extent, the pollen too. Here Eristalix pertinax is tucking in. This is one of the commonest of these insects and, despite having two wings instead of four, is very honey bee-like. 

A hoverfly, Eupeodes luniger, on cardoon flower. Stefen
Hill, Daventry. 1 September, 2015

Eupodes luniger was also there, trying to make photography difficult by delving in to the flower head. This kind of inflorescence, a feature of the daisy family, is known as a capitulum; similar structures are found on members of the Dipsacaceae family, such as teasels.

This bumble bee, clinging to a cardoon, was very wet and it may be seen that the furry hairs are clinging together. It may have been caught in a shower but normally bees are quick to find shelter during rain. So this specimen could have been carrying an internal parasite following an attack by a conopid fly. Sometimes its a tough life being a bee. I am no expert on bees but I believe this species is Bombus lapidarius. It is among the success stories in the bee world and is spreading northwards into Scotland.

This is probably Bombus terrestris; I say probably because the workers are very difficult to separate from Bombus lucorum. I don't capture bees for the necessary hand lens or microscope scrutiny so we'll never know.

Thunbergia alata will flower until the frost. Stefen Hill,
Daventry. 1 September, 2015

The Black-eyed Susan, Thungergia alata, is flourishing but it seems to receive no insect visitors. The flowers are clearly designed for insect pollination and in South Africa it is visited by bees; it also shows nectar guides when viewed under U/V light - another adaptation for entomophily. In warmer parts of the world this plant has escaped from gardens to become a serious weed.

The front garden is still full of colour. Stefen Hill,
Daventry. 1 September, 2015

By and large I am pleased with the front garden but nature never stands still so I'll tweak things in the autumn.

Female Common Blue on Erinus alpinus. Stefen Hill,
Daventry, 1 September, 2015

A plant of Fairy Foxglove, Erinus alpinus was past its best, but it still managed to attract this female Common Blue, Polyommatus icarus. The plant is one that will probably spread by seed to become almost a nuisance, so I'll have to be vigilant. Both this and the common foxglove have been transferred from the much truncated Scrophulariaceae family into the Plantain Family, Plantaginaceae. (Not to be confused with the banana-like plantains of the Musaceae.)

Primula vialii has flowered again after dead-heading.
Stefen Hill, Daventry. 1 September, 2015

I have done quite a bit of dead-heading and this Primula vialii has flowered for a second time. The plant has been given lots of 'common' names, some quite imaginative, some rather silly. I simply call it Vial's Primrose. It too was attracting the occasional insect - always a bonus in my eyes.






So, although there remain numerous tasks, we're getting there. But as I have said, a garden is a dynamic creation and there will always be work to be done.

It