August Diary 2016

31st August - Well that's the end of August, the sun is still shinning here in the south of the country, in fact the countryside is looking like it needs a good soaking, Meadows are being cut now, berries are covering the trees, Butterfly sightings have not been that good considering the good weather, just a few Speckled Woods being seen, a few Green Woodpeckers have been disturbed from the glades.

In the woodlands " Chicken of the Wood" fungi appears to be breaking out on a lot of the old fallen trees. with a few Beef Steak Fungi also breaking through.

24th August - 

Blue skies over  the glades

Heatwave continues, summer is definitely not over yet, not much to be seen this morning, a few Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood. one Migrant Hawker.

In the Woodlands, birds are still conspicuous by their absence, very quiet. Bracket Fungi appearing all around the woodland which seems very early.

This bracket Polypore, which is possibly " Glossy ganoderma or shiny Polyporus" looks very fresh, if it is this type of fungi it's also known as Lingzhi mushroom used in chinese medicines. we will have to wait and see how this develops over the next few days.


Well after a few days, looks like ordinary polypore, the shiny glaze has disappeared and now resembles the usual polypore seen around the woodlands

Also quite a few Puffballs starting to appear in the woodlands.

23rd August -  The warm weather has returned, plenty of Butterflies out today, I checked out the Buddleia tree by the air raid shelters, although plenty of Red Admirals, Small White, Comma, and Small tortoiseshell there was no sign of the Painted Lady unfortunately. Around the glades Meadow Brown and a single Common Blue, no sign of any Gatekeepers now.

There seems to be a lot of bracket Fungi suddenly appearing around the woodlands at the moment, these caught my eye today.

Chicken of the Woods

Beefsteak fungus

possibly Dryad's saddle 

Dragonflies confined to one female Common Darter and several Migrant Hawkers

20th August - Strong wind blowing this morning, making it difficult to find any Butterflies, just five Meadow Browns and one Small heath seen.

Bird sightings still very quite, a small flock of six Ring Necked Parakeets flying over the glades, Blackbird, a few Wood Pigeons and Carrion Crows, a Nuthatch heard calling from the woodland.

17th August -Slight chill in the air in the shady areas of the woodland and eerily quiet at the moment with very little bird song or calls even.

As I came out of the woodland and into the sunny glades, the chilly night had left a heavy dew highlighting the webs of the Orb spiders, always amazes me as to the number of webs that cover the wildflowers and undergrowth, usally unnoticed.

As I walked through the glades I was thinking how different a day can be, nine species seen the day before, today just one Meadow Brown.

That was to change, as I approached the old air raid shelter I thought I would check out the Buddleia growing at the back of it, it's in full flower at the moment, almost the first butterfly seen was a fine looking Painted lady, but as usual the wrong lens with me, so I had to settle for a distant shot heavily cropped.

Painted Lady

15th August -  Beautiful morning with the sun still shinning, Checked out some Buddleia growing near the old air raid shelters, Red Admiral. Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and a Small White all flitting around the flowers, some nice flowers of Old mans beard or Traveller's joy on show amongst the Buddleia.

Old Man's Beard

The grey fungi seen a few days ago has fallen allowing a look at the underside, not that it's helped anyway, I believe this may be a fungi known as Powdery Brittlegill.

Powdery Brittlegill ?

Butterflies were prominent this morning, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood and Gatekeepers still around in good numbers, finally started to see a few Common Blue's and today at least three Small Heath, that's nine species today,

Common Blue

Small Heath

Plenty of Migrant Hawkers around, patrolling along the footpath vegetation, just two Common Darters seen today.

Migrant Hawker

13th August - Dry warm weather continues although a stiff breeze kept the Butterflies down, with just a couple of Small Whites being seen and the usual Gatekeeper horde. I noticed this blue wildflower in a shady area of the woods giving a noticeable splash of colour , I believe there called Nettle-leaved bellflower Campanula trachelium

Nettle-leaved bellflower Campanula trachelium

Another unidentified Fungi has appeared on a fallen log, even with my new field guide I am still struggling to identify. It doesn't look very appetizing though.

?

Wayfarer Berries

Wayfarer berries are ripening to an  shiny red, eventually to turn black, attractive to the birds and small mammals not so good for humans, causes vomiting and diarrhea.

11th August -  A few more bird species being seen of late, four House Martins were hawking over the glades, a small flock of Stock Doves and the local Jackdaws appeared to be having a disputer over ownership of an old dead chestnut tree. the Usual Wood Pigeons and Carrion Crow seen around the glades, Green Woodpecker seeing flying towards the woodlands, Robin and a Jay heard calling unseen in the woodland.

Not many species of Butterfly seen today,but Gatekeepers around in good numbers, one Migrant Hawker passed me in the glades and a glimpse of another female Common Darter seen in the woodland.

Common Darter

8th August - Another warm sunny morning, lots of Dragonflies around the Woodland, mainly Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers but very active.

Butterflies as seen before, mainly Gatekeepers a few Meadow Browns, no more sightings of the Common Blues, seem very scarce on this site this year.


Another Fungi seen this morning, some type of Puffball.

7th August -  A pleasant walk through the woodlands revealed another fine looking " Chicken of the Woods " fungi. the only notable bird sighting was a Green Woodpecker disturbed from the long grass in the Glades. Just Two Common Darter females seen in the usual patch of bramble today, no sign of any Common Blue's today, Gatekeepers and Meadow Brown by far the commonest butterfly sighting today.

Chicken-of-the-Woods fungi

Meadow Brown ( F )

6th August -  Bird sightings still sparse at the moment although a fine looking Common Whitethroat appeared out of nowhere and promptly disappeared again. Finally caught up with the Migrant Hawkers on their favoured early morning patch, with just one female Common Darter seen.

Migrant Hawker

Gatekeepers are by far the most numerous Butterfly sightings at the moment, well over fifty plus seen this morning, a few very faded Ringlets, a single Comma, and a few Red Admirals, and for the first time this year a Common Blue was seen briefly on the a short grass in the glades.

Red Admiral

Gatekeeper

As I was looking for dragonflies I found myself being checked out by several of these Drone Flies that hovered almost motionless around me.

Drone Fly

Still lots of activity around the Ornate tailed Digger wasp site.

Ornate-Tailed Digger Wasp

4th August - Dry warm weather has returned and plenty of sightings to stir the interest, as I walked down towards Two Ponds, the small herd of young British Shorthorns were making good headway through the bracken.

The unidentified Red Fungi seen two days ago has been decimated by the wildlife, a view of the underside had initially left me bewildered as to its identity, I don't think its a Waxcap now, the gills of a waxcap are spaced relatively wide apart and nothing like the underside of this one.

I have found a photograph of a very similar looking Fungi called a Ruby Bolete, described as a small bolete of intense colour, found in deciduous woodland or open parkland usally in grass, this all seems to fit, also described as occasional to common, the underside is identical to the one in Ashenbank, colours and appearance all match, so not too unusual,  but the first one I have seen.

Ruby Bolete in Ashenbank Woods

A great spotted woodpecker was seen high up on the dead branches of a chestnut tree, Robin, Blackbird and a Jay also seen in the woodland.

A bramble patch held a good variety of Hoverflies, flies and Bumblebees, White Tailed Bumblebee, Red Tailed Bumblebee and a very small Early Bumblebee.

Red Tailed Bumblebee

White Tailed Bumblebee

Early Bumblebee

The Bramble patch that seems very attractive to a few Dragonflies held a few Male Common Darters this morning and several Migrant Hawkers, A couple of heavily cropped photographs of a Migrant Hawker.

Migrant Hawker

Butterflies seen were mainly Gatekeepers which seemed quite variable in size, some really small , deceptive until the open wing pattern is seen.

Gatekeeper.

A Green Woodpecker flew fast over the glades towards the woodland and out of sight.

2nd August - A cooler, damp walk following overnight rain, Butterflies were few and far between,  a few Gatekeepers, some very small looking individuals, Meadow Brown and Ringlet

Ringlet

Dull conditions did not look good for the hoped for dragonfly sightings, although Common Darter female was seen on the bramble patch, no Migrant Hawkers around today.

Common Darter

Another  fungi showing today near Two ponds growing through the grass, I could not identify  in all certainty, maybe a type of Waxcap or Brittlegill the stem of this fungi was the same colour as the cap.

Reidentified as Ruby Bolete

Great Spotted Woodpecker heard calling in the woodland, over the glades a small flock of Swift hawking for insects, at least 8. a few Carrion Crow and Wood Pigeons, not much else at the moment.

July Diary !

30th July - A dull cloudy morning did not bode well for the sighting of any Dragonflies or Butterflies, and so it was, no Dragonflies on my bramble patch that has attracted the dragonflies for the last few days, and the only Butterflies today were a few Gatekeepers.

Gatekeeper

Only notable Bird was male Kestrel hunting over the glades, a brief view of a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a few Blackbirds, Robin and a Wren. Most of the Ragwort around the glades is being consumed by hordes of Cinnabar caterpillars, hope this is reflected in the number of  adult Cinnabars seen next year.

Ragwort

I noticed in the woodlands, that a lot of the fallen logs covered in moss were showing Dead man's Fingers fungi as shown below.

Dead mans fingers fungi

And a splash of colour from the few remaining berries of the Lords-and-Ladies plants.

Lords- and- Ladies  Arum maculatum

29th July - A warm sunny morning with a threat of rain later, good start to the day with a fine looking Buzzard perched on a lamp-post outside the woodland, a few blackbirds, Robins and a Wren seen only.

Butterflies seen included Gatekeeper, Meadow brown, Speckled Wood, Small Skipper.

Western Honey Bees still active in the old tree nest, and the wrecked Red Tail Bumblebee nest still has a few individuals flying in and out of the large gaping hole in the grasslands

I have discovered a patch of bramble that catches the early morning sun and seems to be a magnet for the dragonflies, at least five Migrant Hawkers, five plus Common Darters all female. haven't managed to capture an image of the migrant Hawkers yet, who are very active .

Common Darter female

26th July - Beautiful sunny morning with slightly cooler temperatures, a bramble patch with a sunny aspect was attracting a few Dragonflies today, one Migrant Hawker, which would not settle for a photograph and a few Common Darters all female, the pale yellow stripe can clearly be seen on the legs with this one.

female Common Darter

At least four Speckled Woods seen today, two Marbled Whites, Green Veined White, Red Admiral, Peacock, five Comma and several Small Skippers, Meadow brown , Ringlet and numerous Gatekeepers.

Comma

Red Admiral

Gatekeeper in the meadows

Small Skipper.

25th July - Bright sunny morning with a few Butterflies on show, Gatekeepers appear very numerous at the moment, Ringlets and Meadow browns still around but again looking very worn, just singles of Red Admiral, Peacock and this lovely Comma , one of my favourite looking Butterflies.

Comma

The aftermath of a probable Badger attack on a Red Tailed Bumblebees nest was evident on the open pasture within the woodland, you can just make out the Red Tails at the bottom of the nest site.

Badger attack on Red Tailed Bumblebee nest

22nd July - Dull cloudy day weatherwise with just a few butterflies being seen, Ringlet, Meadow brown and a red Admiral, interestingly there was this little "pokemon" seen hiding in the grassy meadows.

" A real life Pokemon -  Skippo "

21st July - Much cooler today which I'm sure my dog appreciated, Butterfly numbers were down, a Few Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Gatekeepers, just one Speckled Wood, and one Small White, one Red Admiral, still no Common Blues or  Brown Argus which were a common sighting last year.

Bird sightings today included two juvenile Green Woodpeckers, Wren, Song Thrush and Blackbird.

Not much to be seen around the glades today although one small clump of ragwort had a good number of Cinnabar caterpillars munching away.

Still plenty of wildflower colour around the park, these caught my eye today.

Common Mallow

20th July - The sun still shines, and more and more Butterflies appearing now,  Ringlets and Meadow browns still around in good numbers although starting to look a little faded and tatty, a Speckled Wood made an appearance this morning the first for a while now, Red Admirals were more numerous with at least six seen, two pristine Peacock Butterflies also seen today. two Large White, and a few Green Veined whites were also seen, Small Skippers appearing everywhere in the long grass now, no Marbled whites seen today.

Common Blue butterflies seem conspicuous by their absence at the moment, seventeen species of Butterfly seen at this site so far this year.

Flushed a large brownish looking dragonfly from the edge of the glades which I could not identify with any certainty.

18th July - Good weather continues, and at long last the Butterflies are appearing in good numbers, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Small Skipper  only three or four Marbled Whites seen today, Gatekeepers have made a sudden appearance now appearing along the edge of the woodlands.
 Just one unidentified Dragonfly over the glades, possible Emperor or a species of Hawker, not sure which. a distant view.

Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper

17th July -  The warm sunshine had brought out the little digger wasps into full view today, they appear to be the Ornate-Tailed Digger wasps, on checking my records I did see this species here last year. I managed to get a few interesting images this time, a few with the wasp carrying its paralysed prey back to its burrow, which it uses as a host for its larvae.
 And a flight shot, this little wasp is no bigger than about half an inch, or a centimetre for you europeans.

Ornate-Tailed Digger Wasp

The glades were sown with wildflower seeds a few years ago, and now and then  throw up an unusual wildflower occasionally, this Musk Mallow, and they do smell a little musky, sticks out like a sore thumb in the middle of the meadow.

Musk Mallow

Some good Butterfly sightings today with at least fifty plus Ringlets, Twenty five plus Meadow Browns, five Small Skippers, two Red Admirals, three Green Veined Whites and the surprise of the day at least ten Marbled Whites the most I have ever seen at this site.

Marbled White

A few clumps of Ragwort starting to flower, strangely just one Cinnabar caterpillar seen.

Cinnabar caterpillar 

This huge Labyrinth spider was seen low down in the long grass, with an interesting array of body parts left in its web.

Labyrinth Spider

16th July -  Bright sunny morning in the woodlands today, bird sightings still very sparse, a Wren, Few Blackbirds, two Magpies, Wood Pigeons could be heard unseen in the treetops.
An interesting encounter with a "Moth man" who had set his moth traps throughout the night in the woodland, unfortunately for me he was packing up his equipment, and most of his catch had been released, two moths however were lingering on a close by tree, The Orange moth probably a male and a woodland specialty, and a Lime Hawk-moth both past there best according to the expert, but nice to see anyway.

male Orange Moth

Lime Hawk-Moth

Back to the Butterflies, and still good numbers of Ringlets, seen mostly around the long grass of the meadows, at least fifty plus, a few Meadow Browns and just one Red Admiral. The Small Skipper colony was quite active today with five to six being seen again in the long grass.

Small Skipper male

11th July -  A brisk wind this morning kept the butterflies down, no Skippers seen at all today, a few Ringlets disturbed from the long grass in the glades and just one Red Admiral seen.

Along one of the dusty tracks a number of small holes have appeared, occupied it seems by a very small digger wasp, I could only see their heads as they peeped out of the holes only to scurry back out of sight when they caught sight of me hovering with the camera over the entrance of the hole.
I will try over the next few days to get an image of the wasp emerging from its burrow and try to identify it properly.

9th July - Another beautiful morning where the main focus has now shifted to Butterflies and wildflowers, saying that, I was accompanied by the song of the Chiffchaff as I searched for Skippers.
The small colony I have found in the glades continues to give me some good photo opportunities, allowing me to feature a whole blog page on them on my main blog " Pear tree and Beyond" coming soon, at least three Small Skippers seen today.

Still plenty of Ringlets and Meadow Browns and just a single Small White Butterfly.

Meadow Brown.

A closer look at some wildflowers today, a single flower of the " fireweed" or Rosebay willowherb.

and the blossom of the Blackberry now showing all around the woodlands and hedgerows.

Rosebay Willow herb

Blackberry

 8th July - All quiet in the woodlands barring a singing Song Thrush.

In the Glades, Ringlets continue to be the most numerous sighting of Butterfly, just one Meadow Brown, a single Small Tortoiseshell was the first seen here for me, and just a single Small Skipper seen in the usual small patch of favoured grassland.
Some different views of the same Small Skipper seen this morning.

Small Skipper

6th July -   Another bright sunny morning ( has it really been that wet here!)   Bird sightings very poor once again, but July in the woodlands can be very quiet at times, Butterfly sightings definitely on the increase now, once again mainly Ringlets but in good numbers, Meadow Browns increasing in numbers and today I found a small area of grassland with at least six Small Skippers flitting around.

Small Skipper

Just one Red Admiral seen basking on the pathway.

Red Admiral

There is still some activity around the Western Honey bee nest, lots of sightings around the glades with the Common Knapweed coming into flower.

Honey Bee on Common Knapweed

The only other sighting of interest was a distant view of a young Rabbit seen near the air raid shelters.

 5th July -  After returning from my holiday in sunnier climes, and the news that the local weather here has been very wet, which I  hate to admit, is always nice to hear when you are away in the sun. These vapour trails in the sky gave me a reminder of my long return journey home.

Blue Skies return

 I was keen to see how the woodland was looking on a gorgeous sunny morning. The main change I noticed as I entered the woodland was that the Bracken had grown to waist height along the pathways and the tall Rosebay Willowherb flower spikes were now in full bloom giving a lovely contrast of colour.

Rosebay Willowherb

I could hear a few of the local bird residents singing unseen in the trees,  Blackcap, Wren, a pair of Song Thrushes were disturbed from the undergrowth, along with a few Blackbirds, A Green Woodpecker flew up from the freshly cut grass around the old air raid shelters. As I approached the glades on the edge of the woodland a distant Pheasant was calling, the Common Whitethroat was still near Ashenbank pond, Wood Pigeon, Stock Dove, Carrion Crows and a few Jackdaw were also seen.

Butterfly sightings have been very poor so far this year, my first Butterfly seen today was a fine Comma basking in the sunshine on an old dead tree, Ringlet butterflies were a common sighting this morning  along with a few Meadow Browns, and my first Skipper of the year was a  male Large Skipper.

Ringlet

Ringlet basking in sunshine

Large Skipper male

Butterfly list for this site in 2016 so far :-

Brimstone
Orange Tip
Peacock
Red Admiral
Comma
Speckled Wood
Small Heath
Meadow Brown
Ringlet
Large Skipper
Small Skipper
Small Tortoiseshell
Small White
Green Veined White
Marbled White
Gatekeeper
Large White
Common Blue
Painted Lady

Blue and mauve seems to be the most prominent colour in the woodland flower scene, these caught my eye today.

Common chicory, Cichorium intybus

Viper's Bugloss

Prunella vulgaris (selfheal)