Borough Hill, Daventry

It may seem strange, but for over a year now I have lived within a mile of Daventry's Borough Hill yet in that time have failed to pay it a visit. True, I have been there, but that one and only occasion was over twenty years ago. Time to put things right.

For Sunday, 16 August, John Showers arranged a visit for local dipterists to do a survey of the hill top - albeit one that could only scratch the surface metaphorically speaking - but it was a chance to study the flies in an unjustly neglected part of Northamptonshire. John was joined by Graham Warnes, Brian Harding, Kevin Rowley and me.

John (left) and Brian discuss a point. Borough Hill,
Daventry. 16 August, 2015

The hill itself is 199 metres high and is capped with sandstone, giving the soil a distinctly acid nature - of which more later. The slope is very gentle and the group spread out to steadily work our way to the summit.

A Flesh Fly (Sarcophaga species) on Creeping Thistle.
Borough Hill, Daventry. 16 August, 2015

At this time of the year most of the grasses were sere and many forbs* were well past their best. Fortunately Creeping Thistle, Cirsium arvensis, was still flowering in some abundance and frequent among their visitors were Flesh Flies of the Sarcophagidae family. I took several specimens of these flies, aiming mainly for males, as these I find easier to identify. The fields were well endowed with dog faeces, perhaps a reason for the presence of so many Flesh Flies.

A slightly tattered Common Blue nectaring on Common
Ragwort. Borough Hill, Daventry.  16 August, 2015

Common Ragwort, Senecio jacobaea, was abundant and very welcome to many insects even though it may be cursed by horse owners. To some botanists the plant is now known as Jacobaea vulgaris but this new name has not been universally accepted. Be that as it may, this Common Blue, Polyommatus icarus, was more concerned with nectar than nomenclature.

Harebells are a fairly reliable indicator of neutral to
acid soils. Borough Hill, Daventry. 16 August, 2015

Evidence of the acid soil was becoming more evident and patches of Harebell, Campanula rotundifolia, were appearing. The limitations of my camera give the flowers a washed-out appearance, but they were of a lovely blue coloration. The specific name of rotundifolia can be a puzzle, since the the 'round leaves' are by no means apparent. The name refers to the young rounded leaves at the base of the stem; these have usually disappeared by flowering time.





Why bother with 'Latin' names? Well, this species provides a good argument for them: in Scotland this little plant is called a bluebell; in England a bluebell is a quite different and unrelated plant; in the U.S.A. the term 'bluebell' is applied, it seems, to several different species. All very confusing yet, if we speak of Campanula rotundifolia everyone is clear as to the species in question.

The occasional foxglove was still in flower.
Borough Hill, Daventry. 16 August, 2015

The Harebell (let's stick with the vernacular name for a moment) is a reliable indicator of neutral to acid soils. The Foxglove is a little less reliable but seems at its happiest in slightly acid conditions. On Borough Hill a few flowers lingered on, usually on plants which had been damaged earlier on, causing a delay in the flowering.

But in general the leaves were beginning to wither and the seed capsules were dry and brown. The slightest jolt sent hundreds of the tiny seeds tumbling to the ground.










The foxgloves were growing in, or on the edge of, a ditch and this habitat provided a congenial home for Elder, Ragwort and, in particular, Gorse, Ulex europaeus. This latter species also favours acid conditions but will tolerate more alkaline land if the ground is well-drained. Here it had largely ceased flowering and the foliage was brown. The species is, however, well- known for producing flowers at almost any time of the year.

Ditches date back to the time when a Bronze
age hill-fort occupied the site. Borough Hill,
Daventry. 16 August, 2015

The ditch was both long and obvious, forming part of the remains of a Bronze Age hill-fort. (The hill was also the site of a Roman villa and many pictures and references to this can be found via the Internet.)

The rather unexciting flowers of Common Hemp-nettle.
Borough Hill, Daventry. 16 August, 2015

By this time I had long lost contact with my companions but had gathered a good haul of insects. I began my return to the car park pausing here and there. I was momentarily puzzled when I examined a clump of stinging nettles and noticed that some Common Hemp-nettle, Galeopsis tetrahit was also present. Oddly enough, though this is a widespread weed, it seems a long time since I saw a specimen. Though called Hemp-nettle it is neither related to hemp, Cannabis sativa, or the common Stinging Nettle, Urtica dioica.

Antler Moth on Common Ragwort. Borough Hill,
Daventry. 16 August, 2015

In a clump of Common Ragwort nearby, an Antler Moth, Cerapteryx graminis, was at rest, even though this is a species often flying by day. Numbers of this rather infamous moth can sometimes build up to huge peaks, when they have been known to devastate crops - but I only noted the one specimen.

Lady's Bedstraw was in full bloom.
Borough Hill, Daventry. 16 August, 2015

Nearly back at base, I stopped and stooped for a picture of Lady's Bedstraw, Galium verum. It is one of the commonest forbs on Borough Hill yet it is easy to walk past without a second glance at the tiny flowers. A close-up shows that they are indeed rather attractive and, en masse, they can fill the air with a honey fragrance. The plant was once used to stuff mattresses and, when dry, it has a pleasant scent of new-mown hay. Often they filled the mattresses of women about to give birth, perhaps accounting for the common name.

The fine weather had held and the morning had been very enjoyable. The icing on the cake came when I spotted Chris waiting for me in the car park; I had been planning to walk home.




* The word forb is applied to any grassland or meadow perennial other than the grass itself.

Groundsel and Ragworts

The genus Senecio is a huge one with something like 1,300 species. It was once even larger but over the years species have been shunted off into other genera. It is represented in Britain by about fifteen species plus a number of casuals. (Casuals are plants which occur now and again around ports, or as crop impurities or where birdseed has been scattered; they do not persist.)

Some of our most familiar weeds are Senecio members, including groundsel and several ragworts. In my 'Kingsthorpe Meadows' blog of 23 June I briefly mentioned Common Ragwort, Senecio jacobaea, and I was reminded of this recently when examining some specimens in a friend's garden. A considerable number of plants had found a congenial place in her borders and I had a good look at them.

Cinnabar moth in a garden at Doll's Hill, Byfield, Northants.
24 June, 2015

I wasn't the only one interested. A couple of Cinnabar Moths. Tyria jacobaeae, were also checking them out. One of them paused for long enough to be photographed. They lay their eggs on various Senecio species and by looking beneath the leaves I soon found some on a plant of groundsel, Senecio vulgaris. Their striking black and red coloration makes them instantly recognisable. 'Aha, aposematic coloration,' I hear you cry. And of course you would be right.

Cinnabar eggs on groundsel. Doll's Hill, Byfield
Northants.  24 June, 2015

Cinnabar moth caterpillars on waste ground, Daventry.
11 August, 2015

The caterpillars are, of course, a very familiar sight with their bright yellow and black bands. It is not a coincidence that they display the same warning colours as wasps - another case of aposematicism.
Packed with noxious chemicals, these caterpillars are certainly not to be eaten 






Once the caterpillars have emerged they grow rapidly. Senecio species contain a poisonous alkaloid, jacobine, and the caterpillars will retain the poison in their tissues where it will remain even when they have metamorphosed into adult moths (imagos). So, larva or imago, the colours give a clear warning.



These brilliant red areas on the wings must surely have inspired its name of cinnabar which is, you may recall from school science lessons, a bright red ore of mercury. Like the moth, cinnabar is highly poisonous, a fact that did not prevent it being used for many centuries as a pigment, when it was known as vermilion. In ancient Rome the soldiers in parades which followed military victories would powder their faces with vermilion even though its toxicity was fully recognised. (For slaves sent to work in Spanish cinnabar mines it was a certain sentence of death.)

However, I digress. 

Common ragwort mined by...what? Doll's Hill, Byfield
Northants. 24 June, 2015

The mine on this Common Ragwort leaf shows that Cinnabar Moths are not alone in exploiting Senecio species as a food plant. I'm not sure which organism has created this mine; my money would be on a tephritid fly, Acidia cognata, but I simply don't know.

Aphids cluster around the stem-base of Common Ragwort.
Doll's Hill, Byfield, Northants.  24 June, 2015

Colonies of aphids were also clustered around the base of the stem. I didn't bring home a specimen but I strongly suspect it is Brachycaudus cardui. The primary host for this aphid is, among other trees, cherry, where their activities cause curling of the leaves. Plants of the Asteraceae Family, which includes Senecio, are the secondary host. There is no doubt that this highly poisonous plant is important to many invertebrates.

Oxford Ragwort growing in Byfield Pocket
Park. 15 July, 2015

The story of Oxford Ragwort, Senecio squalidus, is well-known - of how plants were brought from ash-strewn volcanic slopes of Italy and brought to Oxford, of how seeds were blown from that city's botanic gardens on to nearby railway tracks and of how the plant, finding these conditions amenable, began to spread along railway networks to become a familiar sight across much of Britain. Here it is in the pocket park at Byfield, growing in gravelly material at the side of a path.

Oxford Ragwort, cheerful despite its
 specific epithet of 'squalidus'.

Despite the specific name of 'squalidus' the plant is not unattractive and its bright yellow flowers brighten up many a neglected corner in towns and cities.

Sticky Groundsel in Byfield. 22 July, 2015

Rather like a small-scale version of the Oxford Ragwort is Sticky Groundsel, Senecio viscosus. It is unpleasant to handle, the whole plant being covered in sticky glands. Again like Oxford Ragwort it is an introduction and was first recorded in Northamptonshire in 1822. The latest flora for our county, by Gent & Wilson, describes it as 'occasional' and it seems only to be spreading slowly. Nevertheless there is a flourishing colony in Byfield, just off Edwards Close.


In general Groundsel and Ragworts are opportunists, occupying a patch of waste ground until they are shaded out by more robust and long-lasting plants. This was clearly the case when I visited Daventry earlier today (11 August). A patch of land earmarked for development has been 'invaded' by huge numbers of Common Ragwort to become a magnet for enormous numbers of insects.

 
I said in the opening paragraph that Senecio is a very large genus and it follows that I could ramble on about its members at length. I must rein myself in and sign off. And in any case I have a mysterious bug sitting under my microscope, demanding attention.

Oxenford

...which was the name for Oxford as described in the Domesday Book.

Chris and I have just spent thirty-six hours there and for me, with the streets heaving with people from all corners of the world, it was long enough.

We stayed at the very pleasant Hartwell Hotel at Iffley, from where it was but a few minutes walk to the locks at Iffley. No cargo boats ply up the Thames today but the river is very busy along this stretch with tourist boats of all shapes and sizes. And the weather could hardly have been better. Indeed, it was almost too good!

Iffley Lock area, the church in the background. 8 August, 2015

The Thames at Iffley is very 
picturesque with the lovely old church (locked!)just visible through the trees and, with weirs, locks, bridges and so on, the river system is quite complex. 










The bridges are themselves attractive and, when J.K.Jerome wrote his classic account of a journey from Kingston to Oxford and back the scene must have been colourful indeed. 'Three Men in a Boat', written in 1889 is not only extremely funny but gives the reader a real feel for the atmosphere which then prevailed - at least for the comfortably off.

Chicory was abundant. 8 August, 2015

Chris and I took a shortish walk along the very busy footpath towards Oxford on Friday evening. At the time of J.K.Jerome's novel the Victorian cycling craze was at it height and now, 130 years on, we still had to be wary with the recent boom in cycles resulting in hundreds thronging the banks. The brilliant blue of chicory, Cichorium intybus, was everywhere; I suspect this was not as common in the 1890's.

We would pass close by the Botanic Gardens but, as we will be going there in a couple of week's time, we gave them a miss.

I love Hemp-agrimony for its insect-attracting
properties. Oxford. 8 August, 2015

No worry. The river banks were a riot of colour with Hemp-agrimony, Eupatoria cannabinum, abundant. The link with true Hemp, Cannabis sativa, comes through the leaf-shape, which is distinctly cannabis-like. For me the plant is of interest as the pink flowers attract many insects - but there was walking to be done.

Purple Loosestrife - a most garden-worthy
plant. Oxford. 8 August, 2015

We called in to a riverside pub for a drink, but not before admiring the Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, whose spikes of flowers brightened the banks. Chicory is far too untidy for a herbaceous border but the Loosestrife is well worth a place and plant breeders have done much to 'improve' the plant.

Chicken-of-the-woods near Oxford.
8 August, 2015

Nearby, erupting from the trunk of a willow, was the brilliant yellow Sulphur Polypore, Laetiporus sulphureus. Sometimes called Chicken-of-the-woods, it is considered a delicacy in Germany, but needs to be gathered before the tissues become woody.










So on into Oxford to visit the Ashmolean Museum and indulge in a little retail therapy.

A little weary, we broke for a coffee, with a pensive-looking Chris ignoring Balliol College in the background. Thus refreshed we retraced our route back to Iffley for the evening meal.

Indian Balsam beside the Thames at Oxford

The following day we returned to Oxford, again using the riverside pathways. Indian Balsam, aka Himalayan Balsam, Impatiens glandulifera, was present although, fortunately, not in great quantities. It would have been unfamiliar to Jerome for, although it was recorded as a garden escape around 1850 it was not until the 1940's that it began to significantly spread. Beautiful though it is, there is danger that it will become a serious problem along rivers and canals, so it is usually eradicated where possible. 

Pulicaria dysenterica beside the Thames at Oxford
9 August, 2015

Common Fleabane (shown), Angelica, Water Mint, Reed Mace, Meadowsweet and many other plants brightened our walk, but the heat was again making us weary so we headed back to the hotel.

Across the meadows to Magdalen College.
9 August, 2015

Past Magdalen Meadows, with Magdalen College in the background, we headed south and climbed gratefully into the car. I love Oxford but the heat, the crowds and the generally frenetic nature of the city made us happy to leave. Daventry ahoy!

To the Windmill

Arguably Virginia Woolf's most famous work is 'To the Lighthouse'. We're a bit short of lighthouses around Daventry so I had to make do with the Newnham Windmill.

Although I set out in cool and cloudy weather with a blustery wind I was tempted to peel off a layer ere I had walked half a mile. I had decided to walk there and back on the grounds that I needed the exercise but it is a tricky area for car parking anyway, so 'twas as well I took Shanks's pony.

Newnham Windmill. 2 February, 2015

I had been to the windmill before of course - probably on four or five occasions - but this was my first summer visit so I kitted myself out to record some interesting wildlife (correction, wildlife that I find interesting).

The tiny galls of the mite, Aceria campestricola on elm.
Western Avenue, Daventry.  5 August, 2015

Elm lingers on alongside Western Avenue and, looking for an excuse to draw breath, I bent to examine the leaves. It was no surprise to find that most bore the small pimple-like galls of Aceria campestricola. Rarely do I find an elm unblemished by these structures, the work of a mite. 







The glory days of elms, Ulmus species, may have passed but they still harbour a wide variety of organisms, even though trees tall enough for a rookery are virtually unknown.

                     The rook a noisy quest,
                     That on the wind-rocked Elms prepares a nest.

                                                     Clare's Shepherd's Calendar, 1827



Moving on... I had reached the hill by 10.30 but before the final ascent (I make it sound like Everest!) there was time to record insects around the small pond, now virtually dry, at the foot.

Clumps of reed-mace mark the site of a 'pond' near Newnham Windmill
5 August, 2015

Had a significant body of water been present there might have been great numbers of insects around but I was able to record relatively few.

I braced myself: 'Onwards and upwards my son', as Del Boy would have said. At 201 metres the hill isn't really high at all, but the surrounding slopes are, in places, very steep.

Common Rustic moth beaten from Scots Pine
Newnham Windmill. 5 August, 2015

Pines are rather uncommon in this area so I took the chance to sweep some convenient overhanging branches, only to find an oddly asymmetric moth in my net. It was a Common Rustic, Mesapamea secalis, and the damaged right wings were probably the consequence of a rather unsuccessful pupation. Strictly speaking this could be a Lesser Common Rustic, M. didyma, and the species are only separable on differences in genitalia. But the Common Rustic is, as you might expect, the commoner.

Hoary Plantain. London Road, Daventry.
5 August, 2015

Despite keeping my camera handy I saw little to quicken the pulse until I set off home. On a grassy verge grew Hoary Plantain, Plantago media. It is the most attractive of our native plantains and it some nurserymen keep it in their catalogues, presumably because there is some demand for it as a garden plant.

There is a hint of pink about the flower heads and I would certainly be happy for it to be in my lawn - if I had a lawn! Clearly insects appreciate it too, with the picture showing a hoverfly calling in for refreshments.

The Plantain Family, Plantaginaceae, was - until about twenty years ago - a relatively minor family, but research has demonstrated that the plantains are closely related to foxgloves, snapdragons, penstemons, hebes, veronicas and many other species, all of which have been transferred to the Plantain Family, thus making it very important indeed.





On the same grassy verge grew yarrow, Achillea millefolium. Legend has it that this was the herb applied to Achilles' injured heel at the Battle of Troy. It clearly didn't work and he popped his clogs.

One of the tachinid flies, Eriothrix maculata, on yarrow.
London Road, Daventry. 5 August, 2015

A fly, Eriothrix maculata, was paying the yarrow a visit, ts rusty-red sides to the abdomen making it easily identifiable. There are other species with reddish sides but the form of the wing veins and one or two other features make it easy to identify.








My stomach was reminding be that lunch was nigh so, tearing myself away from some rather interesting roses, I called it a day and made for home.

Of gall bladders and other things

Today, 25 September, is sunny and dry.  Normally I wouldn't comment on this but so far the month has been rather cold and wet so I was glad of this opportunity to go for a stroll.

As already mentioned, the leaves of deciduous trees are showing wear and tear, largely as a consequence of the nibbling and boring of insects. Having said that, the first invertebrate on foliage to catch my eye was a harvestman, clambering through oak.

Harvestman with a mite. Kentle Wood. Daventry
25 September, 2015

As is often the case, this specimen was carrying a mite, seen as a red spot near the base of a leg. Some creatures such as mites and false-scorpions often 'hitch a lift' on an 
insect or other invertebrate as a means of getting from place to place. This is a phenomenon known as phoresy, but in this instance the mite is a parasite, and it is there to feed. The harvestman is Phalangium opilio, commonly found in low trees.

The pupal case of the Tipped Oak Case-bearer.
Kentle Wood, Daventry, 25 September, 2015

A curious structure on a nearby leaf had been formed by a micro-moth, the Tipped Oak Case-bearer, Coleophora flavipennella. The larva produces this case in which to pupate. The adult moth (imago) is confined to the south and east of Britain - and is, I'm afraid, very dull.

A Speckled Wood on cherry foliage.
Kentle Wood, Daventry. 25 September, 2015

Butterflies were still on the wing, with the occasional Red Admiral providing a brilliant splash of colour, but most were relatively drab Speckled Woods, as shown in the photograph.

The nymph of Palomena prasina.
Kentle Wood, Daventry. 25 September, 2015

Also on oak was the nymph of the Green Shieldbug, Palomena prasina. This bug has featured in my blogs before and I can find little new to say about it. This specimen will just have time for a final moult and then, in preparation for winter, it will assume brown colours and probably creep under dead leaves until enticed out by spring sunshine.

Silk-button galls on oak. Kentle Wood, Daventry.
25 September, 2015

Galls were becoming increasingly evident on the oaks. This very common species is the Silk-button Gall, induced by the wasp, Neuroterus numismalis. A single leaf can bear dozens of these galls.

Artichoke Gall on oak at Kentle Wood,  Daventry.
25 September, 2015

Rather more striking was this Artichoke Gall, sometimes called the Hop Gall. Again it is the work of a wasp, this time Andricus foecundatrix.  In this case chemically-induced distortion has caused a bud to become completely misshapen. Although common, it is the first record for Kentle Wood. 






I had set out with limited aims, the main object being a relaxing walk. In fact several new species were recorded and I arrived home well pleased.

The canal side at Braunston

The morning was gloomy but the weather forecast was for a bright afternoon. Throwing caution to the winds I decided to have a mooch along the banks of the Oxford Canal at Braunston, only about four miles away. Sure enough, the sun did its bit, breaking though at around noon and encouraging me to cast a clout.

The Oxford Canal at Braunston, Northants.
30 July, 2015

The usual colourful array of boats was present, some moored beside the bank but, this being the holiday season, many more heading both north and south. The occupants, seeing my net, all advised me regarding the best stretches of the canal to see butterflies but I didn't disillusion them by pointing out that my prey was simply flies.

If you don't mind a highly poisonous boat...
Braunston, Northants. 30 July, 2015

I was encouraged to see Wild Hemlock on the bank but, though it was only a boat, I did see a few of hemlock's relatives further on.

Orthops campestris is patterned in green and brown.
Braunston, Northants. 30 July, 2015

One of those relatives was Wild Angelica, Angelica sylvestris. (The Garden Angelica, Angelica archangelica, is the species occasionally cultivated for its petioles, which are candied and used in cakes, etc.)

The umbels (flower heads) had many green and brown bugs scurrying about; all were Orthops campestris. The usual food-plant of this little (3-4 mm) mirid bug is the closely related Wild Parsnip.

The blotch-mine of Phytomyza angelicae.
Braunston, Northants.  30 July, 2015

The leaves of the Angelica bore a blotch-mine caused by a fly, Phytomyza angelicae. As is usually the case, the insect seems to cause the host-plant little damage.








On a nearby leaf was a Sponge Fly, Sisyra nigra. It is a fly I've not seen before, largely because I do little waterside recording. The larvae are specialist feeders on freshwater sponges and are therefore most often seen beside still or very slow-moving water. Foolishly I failed to photograph it.

Orthops kalmii has no green coloration.
Braunston, Northants. 30 July, 2015

Another relative of Wild Angelica is Upright Hedge-parsley, Torilis japonica. This common annual was present all along the towpath although it is by no means water-dependent. It too was being visited by a bug, Orthops kalmii. Although superficially much like Liocoris tripustulatus, the latter is nearly always found on nettles. 

Marsh Woundwort beside the canal.
Braunston, Northants. 30 July, 2015

Of course, insect visitors or not, the flowers were interesting in their own right. Marsh Woundwort, Stachys palustris, was present in abundance. It is very similar to the very common Hedge Woundwort, Stachys sylvatica, but lacks its unpleasant odour.

Meadowsweet provides a background for Great
Water Dock. Braunston, Northants.  30 July, 2015

Great Water Dock, Rumex hydrolapathum, was present too. The flowers are unimpressive but the sheer size of the leaves has quite an impact. Several interesting insects are associated with this plant but to reach out was to risk life and limb - or at least, risk a wet foot. Here, as elsewhere, it grows among Meadowsweet, Filipendula ulmaria, with its froth of cream-white flowers.

Meadowsweet leaves disfigured by the galls of
Dasineura ulmaria. Braunston, Northants.  30 July, 2015

Meadowsweet had its share of problems too, but these galls of Dasineura ulmaria, are unsightly rather than particularly harmful.



 

Gipsywort,  interesting rather than
spectacular. Braunston, Northants.
30 July, 2015

The dock was sometimes growing among tangled masses of Gipsywort, Lycopus europaeus. This rather unexciting plant is, like Marsh Woundwort, a member of the mint family and, dull though it may be, it attracts its fair share of insects.

The neat little flowers of Skullcap beside the canal at
Braunston, Northants. 30 July, 2015

Yet another member of the mint family, Lamiaceae, was Skullcap, Scutellaria galericulata. This plant is common throughout the canal system in the county and is worth stooping to in order to see its rather attractive flowers.

Birch Sawfly, Croesus septentrionalis, on alder leaf.
Braunston, Northants. 30 July, 2015

Alder, Alnus glutinosa, is happiest in wet conditions. Here, in places, the branches hung out across the water where dozens of larvae of the Birch Sawfly, Croesus septentrionalis, lived a rather precarious existence, skeletonising some of the leaves. Birch and alders are, of course, closely related.

Nettle-tap larva beside the canal at Braunston, Northants.
30 July, 2015

Another larva, this time a moth (Moth and sawfly larvae? Its all about counting the legs.) was feeding on a nettle. It is a Nettle-tap, Anthophila fabriciana, the adults of which are extremely common on this plant. The larvae seem not often to be photographed. 

What is the collective noun for hoverflies?
Braunston, Northants. 30 July, 2015

Thistles are always worth checking. Here a Creeping Thistle, Cirsium arvense, is getting plenty of attention. On the far right is the abundant Marmalade Fly, Episyrphus balteatus, and with it (centre) is a female Syrphus ribesii together with, far left, Syrphus vitripennis. It is fortunate that the Syrphus species are females as the males, in some cases, cannot be identified without dissection. 




I could go on with more flowers, leaf mines and butterflies but to end, a moth. This is the Yellow Shell, Camptogramma bilineata. It is not a distinctly marked specimen but the key points are all there.

Yellow Shell beside the Oxford Canal at Braunston, Northants.  30 July, 2015

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