An apple core snatch and grab. Sometimes the temptation of getting close to a human for a tasty bit of food overcomes any fear. This Grey Squirrel was showing an interest in my apple while I was sitting on our van step. When I had finished eating it I dropped it on the grass within seconds he was on it.
And the prize.
Black and orange or orange and black. In recent years I have only found a few Cinnabar caterpillars. When we were kids each Ragwort plant in the fields behind our family home had many of these colourful caterpillars. When l find one today I am transported back to the carefree days of my childhood in the 60s unaware of the Cold War, the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missle Crisis.
Common Candy-striped Spider Enoplognatha ovata.
This spider can reach a length of 6 mm (excluding legs), and their legs are translucent. This spider’s globular abdomen is extremely variable in colour and pattern their background colour is white/cream or green and can be marked with a row of dark spots, a broad red stripe or with two red stripes in a v-shape. Despite its small size, this spider can prey on insects many times its size.
Egg Sack.
This spider was within a field of thistles.
There are many carnivorous plants native to the UK. These are Sundews, Butterworts and Bladderworts. Sundews are not a common plant in southern England. However, in the New Forest, they are widespread in many of the boggy areas. In the New Forest, there are 3 types of Sundew. The Round-leaved Sundew seems to be the most abundant and as its name has a round end to the leaves, The Oblong-leaved Sundew is also fairly easy to find. It has longer, narrower leaves. The Great Sundew is twice as large as the oblong-leaved plant I have not found one yet.
You need to get down low to get a good view of these interesting little plants.
Round-leaved Sundew.
(to get a scale the pad on this plant is about the size of my little fingernail).
Sundews eat insects! They produce a sticky ‘glue’ all over the leaves; insects become trapped in the glue, the plant curls the leaf edges over and releases digestive enzymes that consume the insects, passing nutrients into the plant.
Oblong-leaved Sundew.
The picture below shows the Sundew with a flower bud.
A spider’s nest on some bracken. The nursery web spider builds a nest and is very parental overseeing the eggs and carefully supporting the baby spiders when they hatch. In this nest, they have already hatched turning the leaf to look brought out the mother spider!
An interesting growth on a Dog Rose known as a rose bedeguar gall, Robin’s pincushion, mossy rose gall or moss gall. A gall wasp known as Diplopepis rosae causes these galls (Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to benign tumours) they mainly develop directly after the female insect lays the eggs.
We have survived a heatwave last 3 days the weather has caused a total meltdown here in the UK. Being obsessed with the weather we Brits have been totally preoccupied with what the temperature is and our infrastructure failings however we have short memories and in a few weeks, we will have forgotten what the effects of extreme heat are and climate changes are and we will return to our selfish ways.
A major fire swept through Hook nature reserve on Southampton Water near Washash.
We have been spending a lot of time during the heatwave by the sea at our usual spot on Meon Shore. The sea breeze helped cool the air and allow some comfort.
Probably the coolest place in the UK was on the water sailing in a yacht out in the Solent. These were sailing off Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Pictures were taken through a heavy heat haze from Meon Beach
Some people found other ways of keeping cool! Please note a hat is essential.
Some bird watching from the water’s edge. Despite the number of people on the beach birds were plentiful.
Oystercatchers.
Turnstones.
Herring Gull. (With attitude.)
Common Terns.
A young tern thinks he has caught a big fish!
Work goes on for others whatever the weather.
Experimental Hovercraft.
Shipping leaving port.
Search and Rescue Helicopter on patrol.
Thunderstorms and cooler weather are now forecast.
Sneaking up on a Common Darter (female) dragonfly.
Despite this Butterfly being named after its appearance the Marbled White is more closely related to the subfamily known as the “browns” rather than “whites”. It is unmistakable, its black and white markings distinguishing it from other species found in the UK. It favours unimproved grassland where the grass may grow up to 0.5m tall. It is often found in large colonies. There are large numbers in our local fields which have been uncultivated for many years.
Butterflies I spotted in the South of Hampshire during June. Suddenly we are in Butterfly season the sun has come out and so have the Butterflies.
Ringlet. A Butterfly that is often seen at the edge of fields and along woodland rides.
Marbled White. This is a handsome butterfly which we see in fairly large numbers in selective fields where it has been uncultivated for many years and the grasses have gone to flower and seed.
Below – A Marbled White pair mating (female on right.)
Comma. These dark orange-brown butterflies we spot only in small numbers but they are always worth a closer look.
Small Skipper. Often confused for a moth this is a common butterfly in our local fields.
Meadow Brown. Is a bit of a non-descriptive butterfly which can easily be overlooked.
Peacock. The large eye markings are unmistakable on this large Butterfly.
Speckled wood. Another butterfly that enjoys sunny spots in our local fields especially on brambles at the field edges.
Small Blue. (I believe). A small blue butterfly this one is on a Bramble flower.
