As soon as I got home after this mornings English Language GCSE paper, I went for a walk to get some fresh air and clear my head before sitting down to revise for tomorrows Geography paper.
Just to the edge of the footpath I noticed a Bee orchid.
I’ve never seen them in this place before, I normal go to see them in another village each June.
An old name for a Bee Orchid is ‘Dumble dor’
While revising for English Language GCSE in the garden today I spotted this Lesser Stag Beetle resting on the wall in the sun.
Its jaws were covered in cobwebs and fluff so I gently cleaned off as much as I could.
Lesser stag beetle are fairly common and are seen in woodland, hedgerows and sometimes gardens. Eggs are laid on decaying wood and the larvae then feed on the decaying wood of Apple and Ash.
During the past week or so this female deer has spent quite a bit of time resting in the meadow.
Mainly because she was heavily pregnant.
In the past couple of days she has had her kid. I caught a glimpse of them together this morning. No photos, as I’d rather not have a photo than disturb her.
Roe deer usually have twins, but sometimes one or even three kids. While I only saw one this morning, there might have been another hidden in the long grass, their dabbled coat helps to camouflage them.
The young are born from the middle of May to the middle of June and start to suckle within a few hours.
Today is the first day of #30dayswild The Wildlife Trust annual campaign to encourage people to do something wild everyday. https://action.wildlifetrusts.org/page/40705/petition/1
I spent today helping out on Oxon badger groups’ stall at the Wild Fair in Oxford
In one of my previous posts I said that we were taking part in No Mow May run by Plantlife.
It’s now the end of May and our front garden is looking amazing.
I spent some time yesterday looking at some of the insects that the flowers have attracted.
FREE signed professional print of my Kingfisher photo with every copy of my forthcoming book Get Your Boots On (released 3 July) pre-ordered during June! This offer is available exclusively from DivedUp.com – place your orders now!
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There are 8 types of ermine moths in the UK
I think this one is the Orchard Ermine, (Yponomeuta padella) because I saw it on Hawthorn and the larvae of the Orchard Ermine feed on blackthorn, hawthorn and cherry.
The moth’s larvae, which are about 2.5 cm long, make large communal webs for protection.
They feast on the surrounding leaves.
This was the first time I’ve seen one of these webs, but now I’ve seen a few in the last couple of weeks.
This one was quite a small web compared with some webs that are reported in the news.
As I’m writing this blog, with the windows open, I can hear lawn mowers up and down the street cutting away.
We have decided to join ‘Say No to the Mow‘ during May, although we haven’t actually cut the lawn this year.
I’ve already noticed a few differences in the garden. I hadn’t seen a Greenfinch for the past few years and yet two have visited this week, I’ve noticed Goldfinches pecking at dandelion clocks and as I walk through the grass so many more insects fly or dash out of the way.
Getting close up to take photos reveals the tell-tale signs of daily wildlife stories. Tiny feathers from a predated bird, fox scat left by a nightly visitor, a bumblebee washing, ladybirds in search of aphids, the jackdaws pecking for larvae and tiny flowers that would have gone unnoticed.
I would encourage everyone to leave a patch of lawn unmown, even the smallest patch will create extra habitat for wildlife.
Stay wild
Alex
FREE signed professional print of my Fox photo with every copy of my forthcoming book Get Your Boots On (released 3 July) pre-ordered during May! This offer is available exclusively from DivedUp.com – place your orders now!
https://divedup.com/shop/get-your-boots-on/
FREE signed professional print of my Fox photo with every copy of my forthcoming book Get Your Boots On (released 3 July) pre-ordered during May! This offer is available exclusively from DivedUp.com – place your orders now!
https://divedup.com/shop/get-your-boots-on/
To have a look inside go to Amazon
Stay Wild
Alex
