Abington Naturewatch: May 2011

Tuesday, 31 May 2011

Giant Hogweed

Our regular Rivercare litter pick-up and monitoring session revealed a Giant Hogweed plant by the river. This is a non-native species, one of a few undesirables that are listed in our Rivercare packs!

We dug it up and took it away in black bags to stop it spreading seed along the river.

Friday, 27 May 2011

Mullein Moth Caterpillars

Derek Turnidge caught some Mullein Moth Caterpillars in his garden on 26 May:

Plant Walk - Beechwoods - 24 May 2011

We had an evening visit to Beechwoods Nature Reserve where we saw, among other things:

Chervil

Hawkweed

White Helleborine

Common Broomrape on clover

Sunday, 22 May 2011

Swan song

George reports that the swans appear to have left, leaving their eggs behind!

Tuesday, 10 May 2011

Bee Fly - Bombylius Major

Carole McCrae took this picture on 9th April:

Sunday, 8 May 2011

Entomological News

Jennifer Hirsh would like to gather information of any insect sightings in the Abingtons. Pictures would also be welcome: these are some of hers:

White tailed bumble bee

Common carder bee on rosemary bush

Broad bodied chaser (type of dragonfly)

Broad bodied chaser (type of dragonfly)

Green Shield Bug

Damsel Flies

Jennifer also reports that members have so far reported seeing 11 different butterfly species this year:Brimstone (the earliest)
Comma
Green veined white
Holly blue
Large white
Orange tip
Peacock
Red Admiral
Small tortoiseshell
Small white
Speckled wood
She would be interested to hear of any further sightings, especially of others to add to this list!

Saturday, 7 May 2011

Native Wild Bees 'Walk & Talk' - 7th May 2011

Mr Raymond Uffer visited us to lead a ‘walk & talk’ on our native wild bees. We started off with a short afternoon walk to Audrey Bugg's meadow, where we checked out the insect life, and then repaired to the Institute for refreshments and an illustrated talk. Raymond gave us a fascinating insight into the life of bees and other insects, illustrated by pictures from his collection.

These are some of the creatures (and plants) we found on the walk...

Robber Fly (Dioctria atricapilla)

Red Shanked Carder Bee (Bombus ruderarius)

Cuckoo Bee

Narcissus Bulb Fly (Merodon equestris)

Meadow Saxifrage

Star of Bethlehem

The Aims of Abington Naturewatch

At their meeting on 9 April 2005 the members approved this revised version of the aims of Abington Naturewatch:

To monitor and record the wildlife (fauna & flora) within the borders of the Abingtons;
To encourage protection of our wildlife, maintain its quality and foster its diversity;
To promote awareness of the richness, potential and problems of the natural environment of the Abingtons;
To cooperate in improving access to the local natural environment for the benefit of all Abington villagers.

Pat Daunt, Founder

The organisation is informal and communication is by email if possible; members are notified of events from time to time. Contact details are maintained by a small "project team". There is currently no membership fee as costs are covered by voluntary contributions at events.

Members are encouraged to report notable sightings of flora and fauna within the Abingtons to the appropriate sector coordinator and an illustrated record is published annually.

A map of the area covered, with some features noted, is available here: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=213774935674882866424.00000111dca2be9f06ab8&z=13>

For more information or to join, please contact David Farrant on (01223) 892871.

Contributions to our records should be sent to sector contacts or either of the above. Photographs may also be submitted to Andy Merryweather (amerryweather61@gmail.com)