Showing posts with label Spring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spring. Show all posts

Monday, March 25, 2024

'Signs of Spring' Survey at Paxton Pits

 Our first survey of the year at Paxton is always along the main Heron Trail recording any wildlife (plants in leaf/flower, birds, insects). This is a useful year-to-year comparison. Despite the cold and blustery conditions, the sunny intervals brought out quite a bit of insect life. My favourite was the Simulid midge - minute but amazingly sculptured - it is on a nettle leaf so the stinging hairs give scale!!. We were pleased to see our new bee terrace being used - Andrena bicolor was the commonest bee recorded there.


Thursday, March 21, 2024

Spring Markers 2024

I have been recording the flowers out on approximately the same day in March for at least 15 years.With the warm winter, it is not surprising that this year there are more species in bloom at the moment with Cowslips, Plum blossom, Japonica, Comfrey, Alkanet all a couple of weeks ahead of last year. Certainly I have a very large number of wild or naturalised plants already in bloom and attracting insects such this Early Bumblebee, Bombus pratorum on the Mahonia.

Sunday, December 31, 2023

New Year Flower Recording

The BSBI (Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland) run a New Year Plant hunt which I completed for Toft today, recording 16 species in flower.

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Bluebells and Yellow Fields

Waresley wood was very busy this morning for our CCC Wednesday Workshop outing and, once we got parked and in the woods, we could see why:- the Bluebells are extra good this year. Fewer Oxlips, wood anemones or orchids but the smell and sight of the Bluebells made up for this. The blue of the flowers is so dependent on the light conditions - cyan out of the sun and almost purple in the sun. Not so keen on the smell of the Rape which is turning lots of fields yellow.


 

Ann Miles Photography - My Favourite Images of the Past10 years or so