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What I do on Mondays!
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buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Mon Jul 02, 18 9:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Out today to a mixed area, where we mainly explored the heathland part. Saw Green Tiger Beetles in the first few minutes, but, like all the invertebrates, they were extremely active in the hot sun, and I didn't get any pictures.

There were lots of solitary bee/wasp nests, and we saw Ruby Tailed Wasps.

A variety of dragon and damsel flies round the ponds, but again, far too active for pictures.


One person, several times, said "Oh, look! Purple Hairstreak!', pointing at a fast vanishing black dot high in an Oak tree.


We stopped at a hide near another pond, where a Magpie and a Stock Dove (Columba oenas) posed for pictures:






I haven't photographed Stock Dove before, even though they live in the garden. They seem to be secretive, as I hardly ever see them, though I hear them frequently.


Henry

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Tue Jul 03, 18 6:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The insects are very fast moving at the moment aren't they. There are several butterflies I would like to look at but they won't stay still! Nice picture.

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Mon Jul 16, 18 7:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

What I saw hunting in my garden this morning.



That's a fuchsia leaf, which gives you an idea of how small the spider is.

When I first noticed it the caterpillar was thrashing around. By the time I got the camera and went back outside it was limp as the spider scuttled to the underside of the leaf.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45376
Location: yes
PostPosted: Mon Jul 16, 18 8:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

the escaping blob is a sign the weather is warm , smallish whiteish or big n gaudy is the closest i have got to id recently

the spider will have a decent meal out of that, nice snap.

buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 18 8:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Have missed a couple of Mondays for a variety of reasons, and last time I went out did not get any usable pictures.


However, last Monday was pleasantly cooler and we had a very good walk, finding an excellent cluster of Violet Helleborine, making a much better showing than they did last year. Plenty of butterflies (Ringlets, Gatekeepers, G V Whites, several rather worn S W Fritillaries and one extremely worn White Letter Hairstreak).


Found these rather nice mite galls on Wayfaring Tree (Viburnum lantana):





Caused by the mite Eriophyes viburni


Supposedly quite common.


Henry


PS Meal at the "All you can gobble" Indian buffet after the walk. Very enjoyable.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45376
Location: yes
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 18 10:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

as they share part of a name that mite depend how common the tree is ( couldn’t resist it )

well noticed still things can be as evasive as fast things

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Aug 01, 18 6:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Did you get a picture of the violet helleborines Buzzy? We have wayfaring tree in the woods, but never noticed any galls on them. Perhaps I should go looking.

buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 18 12:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Last week we had a very warm walk on some very dry grassland - but we did see our target species (Dodder - lots of it) and the gall on Dyer's Greenweed (just two of them).

This week (yesterday) was much cooler, but the grassland was still very dry. We did find a few small specimens of Slender St John's Wort but they had finished flowering and were most unphotogenic!

We saw quite a few female Wasp Spiders (Argiope bruennichi). They were quite large and presumably full of eggs:





Adjacent to the Wasp Spiders we came across a very eggful Four Spot Orb Weaver (Araneus quadratus) which refused to turn round for my camera!:




Henry

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45376
Location: yes
PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 18 11:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

nice spider snaps, thanks.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 18 6:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Good pictures. Afraid I can't identify spiders.

buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 18 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Today we had a walk round an area of flooded gravel pits, expecting to see lots of water birds. Well, there were lots of birds, but mainly the 'usual suspects'. Swans, Coots, Mallard, Lapwings, Great Crested Grebes, various gulls and terns, a few Little Egrets (lurking amongst the Swans and pretending to be skinny Swans). Two of us saw a Bittern, flying between two patches of reed (not me, sadly).

There was a variety of dragon and damsel flies, including this mating pair of Common Darters (Sympetrum striolatum) which posed on a wire fence:



Later we found a patch of this fungus:




which one of our mycologists hailed as a new county record until it was pointed out that we had just crossed the border into the next county! It turns out that there are four previous reports in 'our' county, which Mr Myco had forgotten (or didn't know)about. Also there are two reports from the next county. It's clearly not a very commonly reported species.

It's called the Tiger Sawgill (Lentinus tigrinus). The gills are toothed (a bit), but it's not especially tiger striped. Oddly enough, though it quite clearly has gills, it is placed in the polypore family. Not sure how the mycologists justify this.


Henry

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Tue Aug 21, 18 6:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We have seen a few dragon flies about in the woods which is without water, so they must fly quite a way. Nice picture of them. Have so far found one unidentified bolete, and what I think is a Dryads saddle on a dead tree, although it may be some other fungus.

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Sun Sep 16, 18 12:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Afternoon visit to an arboretum on my way home. Monarch butterflies nectaring on ironweed in the big meadow. Preparing for their migration towards Mexico, perhaps . . .


Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sun Sep 16, 18 6:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

If we get Monarch butterflies at all, it is a very rare sighting. Nice picture Jam Lady. Saw a yellow one and lots of speckles woods yesterday in the New Forest; think the yellow was probably a brimstone, but it was too far away to be sure.

buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 18 12:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

After a few weeks of no walks (lack of transport, and then I was a bit poorly) I got out on Monday, to an abandoned brick/borrow pit, which is usually very good for fungi, but the extremely dry summer meant that we saw very few. One that we did find was this:





which is one of the Waxcaps, but I'm waiting for Mr Myco to tell us which one.

There weren't many birds, though we saw a couple of possible Marsh Harriers (one on the way there and one on the way back).

We went to our nearby favourite café/restaurant afterwards, which is always a good way to end a walk!


Henry

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