Common Tern Hill Head.
Common Tern.
Red-veined Darter.
A hot walk in the New Forest during a “heatwave” and spotted a new dragonfly, 1st for me. Red-veined Darter. According to the British Dragonfly Society, this dragonfly is a fairly frequent migrant, principally to southern Britain, with scattered sightings elsewhere. Numbers spotted have been increasing since the 1980s. Breeding has been observed regularly, but the colonies are not yet stable.
Golden-ringed Dragonfly.
A striking, large black dragonfly with yellow rings along the length of the abdomen.Breeds in acidic rivers and streams of all sizes. Can also be seen away from its breeding habitat over the heathland. One of our regular dragonfly spots in the New Forest at this time of the year.
| Scientific Name | Cordulegaster boltonii |
|---|---|
| Status & Distribution | Widely distributed in Scotland, Wales, and north and west England. |
Badger Record.
This morning, I picked up a trail camera I had left in one of the many Badger Setts I am aware of in the New Forest. Footage on my YouTube postings.
Silver-studded.
Silver-studded Butterflies. A small butterfly is found mainly in heathland.
Sundew.
Sundews are plants found in the New Forest, growing in wet, acidic soil, where they get nutrients from insects.
There are 3 types of sundew in the forest.
I have seen the round-leaved sundew and the oblong-leaved sundew, but I have not yet seen the scarce great sundew. These plants are specially designed to survive in areas with low nutrients. The round-leaved sundew has round, sticky leaves that form a rosette and catch insects. In contrast, the oblong-leaved sundew has long leaves covered in sticky hairs that also trap prey. The great sundew has bigger leaves. When insects touch the leaves, they get stuck quickly; the hairs bend towards the insect to stop it from escaping, and the whole leaf curls over to trap it.
We went on a Boat Trip.
Wednesday, we took to the sea in Ilfracombe and went on a 2-hour boat trip on the Ilfracombe Princess along the coast . We spotted about 20 Grey Seals. Not many seabirds were still on the cliffs as the breeding season has now passed, but I did spot one lone Gannet.
Tarr Steps.
A visit today to see this remarkable historic clapper bridge, constructed from massive stone slabs; it proudly spans the River Barle in Exmoor National Park.
I was looking for Dipper’s in the river but only saw one flying down stream.
Cleeve Abbey
Now managed by English Herritage This 800 year old, abbey in Somerset housed a community of Cistercian monks for almost 350 years. Home to 28 monks. The whole monastery was complete by the late 13th CENTURY, 200 years later the monks lavished funds on renovating the cloister buildings and creating a magnificent new dining hall.
After the abbey’s suppression in 1536 the church was destroyed, but the cloister survived fairy intact today.
A place for quiet and reflection.
Spiders.
About 650 spider species are found in the UK, and about 450 live in the New Forest. One of my regular encounters in the summer is the Raft Spider. Its normal habitat is near water, where it can skate on the surface. The Raft Spider can also live underwater for up to about 20 minutes. They seem to favour wild mint plants to hide on in the area where we have found them.
They are active from spring through autumn. The best time to see them is during the breeding season from May to July.
Continued Reflections from my World. 