We dug it up and took it away in black bags to stop it spreading seed along the river.
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.
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
Chervil
Hawkweed
White Helleborine
Common Broomrape on cloverSunday, 22 May 2011
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
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!
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 FliesJennifer also reports that members have so far reported seeing 11 different butterfly species this year:
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...
Red Shanked Carder Bee (Bombus ruderarius)
Cuckoo Bee
Narcissus Bulb Fly (Merodon equestris)
Meadow Saxifrage
Star of Bethlehem