Whiteletter Hairstreak on Cambridge Road

Derek has, for the third year running, seen - and this time photographed - a Whiteletter Hairstreak in his garden on 12th August. It was feeding for some time on Golden Rod.

The Nobes family had a rather exciting visitor on the night of 6 August -- a Privet Hawk-moth (Sphinx ligustri).

Anne writes: The internet tells me that this is our largest resident hawk-moth and is widespread across southern Britain.

Photo by Jenny Nobes (Anne's fingers for scale!).

Bourn Bridge Road Verges, study walk, 31 July 2012

Patrick reports:

A good turn-out of 15 members. The bad effect of the mid-season mowing on the non-PRV sections was noted. Lady’s Bedstraw as well as the Campions were past their best but Greater Knapweed and Scabious were still at peak.

These plants were seen either then or that morning:

MAJOR FAMILIES

Composites
Common Ragwort
Mugwort
Hoary Ragwort
Milfoil (Yarrow)
Common Knapweed
Creeping Thistle
Greater Knapweed
Scentless Mayweed
Canadian Fleabane

Peaflowers
Restharrow
Hop Trefoil

Crucifers
Hedge Mustard
Shepherd’s Purse

Mints
Black Horehound
Wild Basil

‘Scrophs’
Toadflax

Rose family
Blackthorn
Hawthorn
Dog Rose
Bramble

Umbellifers
Hogweed
Hemlock
Hedge Parsley

Campion family
Bladder Campion
White Campion

OTHER FAMILIES
Field Scabious (Teasel family)
Poppy (Poppy family)
Hedge Bedstraw (Bedstraw family)
Field Bindweed (Convolvulus family)
Lady’s Bedstraw (Bedstraw family)
Great Bindweed (Convolvulus family)
Broad-leaved Dock (Dock family)
Common Mallow (Mallow family)
Curled Dock (Dock family)
Perforate St John’s Wort (SJW family)
Stinging Nettle (Nettle family)
Knapweed Broomrape (Broomrape family)
Crow Garlic (Lily family)
Mignonette (Mignonette family)

Lizards on the Land Settlement

Anne has seen a common lizard sunning itself on a wooden sleeper beside her patio.

Anne also reports "incredible numbers of Ringlet butterflies in the garden and on grassy verges at the moment (I've disturbed 10 or more at a time when brushing through grassy wildflower areas). Must be making up for lost time! Other most numerous butterfly is the large white, with meadow browns coming in a distant third".

Green Woodpecker

Jennifer has managed to photograph this green woodpecker in her garden - she's seen it several times in the last three weeks:

Jennifer also took this photo of a Comma butterfly in her garden in the rain on 10 July:

River Sampling - 12th July 2012 18:30

We sampled for 3 minutes (kick & sweep) in the river alongside the cricket field. We also looked for signs of life on some stones taken from the river.

Naturewatch Study Walk, 30 June 2012

Coploe Chalk Pits

• Common Valerian, widespread & abundant, in places dominant - Likes ‘wet & dry grassland’
• Legumes: Kidney Vetch, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Lesser Trefoil, all in good numbers
• Campions, both White and Bladder. Bedstraws, both Lady’s and Hedge
• Composites: Rough Hawkbit (rich yellow flowers) and Mouse-ear Hawkweed (lemon-yellow flowers), both chalk-lovers
• Calcicoles: Purging Flax (five petals) and Squinancywort (four petals) in fair numbers, sometimes growing together. And Milkwort abundant and often of exceptionally good size. As blue-flowered ones were growing together with pink-flowered ones they are probably all the Common rather than Chalk species
• A good patch of Agrimony (Rose family) and some fine Eyebright (‘Scroph’ family)
• At the entrance a big Spindle with plenty of (unripe) spindles

Roman snails were also robust & numerous.

Heydon High Meadows (going west from Heydon towards Great Chishill, soon after passing the Animal Shelter on your left, park on the right in the gap opposite the research centre with a security fence)

Outstanding species, in the right-hand meadow as you get towards the oak tree.

• Grass Vetchling (Lathyrus nissolia), a very fine, sweetly scattered group, the grass-like leaves unique for a legume
• Yellowwort (Blackstonia perfoliata; Gentian family), a few small but showy groups, all the plants of exceptionally good size, especially the flowers
  
  
• Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), a good number, just coming into full flower
  
  

Other legumes: Meadow Vetchling, some big masses; Common Vetch, scattered
Also: Red Bartsia (Scroph family), esp. one big patch. Common St John’s Wort and Rough Hawksbeard here and there. Cut-leaved Cranesbill, very smart, along the access path.

A Ringlet butterfly was also seen: