The start of summer here in the far East - coinciding with the end of summer for some inept footballers - was marked by the arrival in the garden of the first Red Admiral and a Small Tortoiseshell.
I hoped for the first Marbled Whites on the beach, and indeed they were there -just a few. Last year the first emergence was on 20
th June, and by the 26
th there were 200.
There are still a few Small Blues at the usual sites, and for a change I took interest in the many moths along the shingle, as the East Kent Mercury (a good local paper) had reported that Sussex Emeralds and Bright Weaves had bred in this area. The one below might be the latter, or maybe not.
A weevil on Kidney Vetch
The
broomrapes have started to emerge, again about a week later than last year, and as usual I'll tentatively identify them as Ox-tongue
Broomrape. They certainly grow very close to
Oxtongue Hawkweed, one of their usual hosts.
A surprising find at
Otty Bottom was a few stalks of
Dropwort, a plant that I hadn't noticed here (or indeed anywhere else in the parish) before. Maybe I've previously been distracted by the orchids, of which I counted 9 Pyramidal and 130 Fragrant.
Despite the hot weather there is still a need to do some gardening, even if it is mostly pulling bindweed and Traveller's Joy (gardener's hate) out of the hedges. While doing this, I found a nest and a tentative fingertip touched something warm and downy.
I feel a
webcam project coming on.
The start of summer here in the far East - coinciding with the end of summer for some inept footballers - was marked by the arrival in the garden of the first Red Admiral and a Small Tortoiseshell.
I hoped for the first Marbled Whites on the beach, and indeed they were there -just a few. Last year the first emergence was on 20th June, and by the 26th there were 200.
There are still a few Small Blues at the usual sites, and for a change I took interest in the many moths along the shingle, as the East Kent Mercury (a good local paper) had reported that Sussex Emeralds and Bright Weaves had bred in this area. The one below might be the latter, or maybe not.
A weevil on Kidney Vetch
The broomrapes have started to emerge, again about a week later than last year, and as usual I'll tentatively identify them as Ox-tongue Broomrape. They certainly grow very close to Oxtongue Hawkweed, one of their usual hosts.
A surprising find at Otty Bottom was a few stalks of Dropwort, a plant that I hadn't noticed here (or indeed anywhere else in the parish) before. Maybe I've previously been distracted by the orchids, of which I counted 9 Pyramidal and 130 Fragrant.
Despite the hot weather there is still a need to do some gardening, even if it is mostly pulling bindweed and Traveller's Joy (gardener's hate) out of the hedges. While doing this, I found a nest and a tentative fingertip touched something warm and downy.
I feel a webcam project coming on.
6 comments:
Steve ,
Nice mixed bag of shots .
Haven't had a Marbled White yet .
Sory can't help with moth ID , I have to pass mine on to the pros to identify .
As a ex-pat southerner (W.Sussex), your blog keeps me in touch with species that we seldom - or never - see up here in the North east - thanks!
Hi Steve
The moth is not a bright wave, it is most likely a riband wave.
cheers
Phil
Fred,
Thanks... it's a great place for Marbles, and I assume they are early because the shingle warms the grass quickly.
Phil, and I thought you were a Geordie!
Phil, no surprise that I got it wrong - that's why I steer well away from moths. Thanks for your help.
Echoing Phils comment except that I have always been a Northumbrian. I can only look on in awe at some of the species you see down there...great post steve.
Ah....love the baby birds!
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