[Bazmundo]

New season and a new thread for reporting any observations of comings and goings of various flora and fauna, as a sign of the apparent weather pattern.

As always, please contribute your reports to the Woodland Trust's Nature's Calendar site.

An interesting release from them (2nd Aug) states that Spring 2011 was the earliest this century, some sightings such as the Orange Tip Butterfly were the earliest for 100 years; with some reports the earliest since the charity began recording data (1891).

Quote

Professor Tim Sparks, nature advisor to the Woodland Trust said: "We had a cold winter but this was followed by a particularly warm and dry spring, which included the warmest April on record. This warmth is undoubtedly the main factor which led to many events occurring earlier than usual. It will be interesting to see what impact the early leafing and dry summer has on autumnal events, which is why we need the public to continue to send us their recordings in the coming months."

The spring months of March, April and May had a UK mean temperature of 9.1 degrees Celsius, which was 1.8 degrees above the 1971-2000 average. April was particularly warm, with mean temperatures across the UK being 3.7 degrees Celsius above average. For Central England, it was the warmest April since records began in 1659. It was also the sunniest April since records began in 1929.

The preliminary analysis compares all events with the baseline year of 2001, which is the year spring temperatures were closest to the 1961-1990 thirty year average.

To assist in gathering reports, a new VisitWoods site has been set up to help you find your nearest natural hotspots. :)

[Dave K]

Saw some house martins this morning, they don't usually fly over this part of the town except when they are getting ready to fly back down south.

[Bazmundo]

Saw a few trees in advanced stages of Autumnal wear and tear today, some only just showing first tint but having patches of leaves shorn off by the wind.

For info, Nature's Calendar records "first tint", "full tint" and "bare" as indicators of Autumn.

[Dave K]

I would say many trees are showing "first tint" here, mainly horse chestnut. Oak, ash and lime still quite green.

[Bazmundo]

Horse Chestnut "fruit" and "fall" are also used as indicators, perhaps we should have a Conker Monitoring thread?

Actually not a bad idea, as they are quite sensitive to environmental factors, particularly alien moths...

[Dave K]

Bazmundo, on 07 September 2011 - 09:31, said:

Horse Chestnut "fruit" and "fall" are also used as indicators, perhaps we should have a Conker Monitoring thread?

Actually not a bad idea, as they are quite sensitive to environmental factors, particularly alien moths...

Many horse chestnuts are showing signs of leaf miner moth damage around here, I wonder if that contributes to the leaves turning colour early too?

Can also add after a brief wander that sycamore and beech are still green. Slight hints of first turn on silver birch.

[Dave K]

Noticed a different sycamore today with quite a large number of "first turn" yellowing leaves whereas others are still all green, guess it will depend on the position for individual trees. I think it's a sycamore anyway, looks taller than a field maple.

[Halo]

Still a fair number of swallows and martins flying around (10 September). Occasionally they'll have a go at a passing buzzard which happens to stray into the area. Going to make the most of them as I enjoy seeing them around. Always feel sad to watch them go or should I say their numbers become less. All swifts have well gone now.

[PK2]

late report but for the last couple of weeks the trees have been showing signs of autumn. Now small piles of leaves on the ground, no doubt they'll get bigger tomorrow unless they're blown away.

[Dave K]

Had a wander around the park, not much too report. Still the main trees showing any leaf colouring are the horse chestnut, and that could be due to the leaf miner infestation. A few flowers remain, mainly the Indian balsam, yarrow, toadflax, agrimony. Plenty of insects about today; hoverflies, bees, bumblebees and other flies. No fungi. Saw a small snake for the first time in the park, went across the path quite quickly so didn't get a good look, not an adder but only about two feet long so maybe a young grass snake given that it was making for the water. Heard a chiff chaff singing so whether that is one that will overwinter or migrate...

[PK2]

More trees getting ready for autumn now. Rhododendron doing the (now usual) second flowering of the year

[Dave K]

Quite a large number of house martins have just appeared over the neighbourhood this evening, at least 30 flying around. Must be getting ready to go southbound again by now...

[Halo]

Looks like the swallows and martins have left the area (27 September), not seen any last few days.

[Dave K]

Such a lovely day, just had to take the camera out. There are an increasing number of trees showing a bit of leaf colour other than green, mainly horse chestnut (as I have mentioned before with pest damage), birch and poplar.

Here are some wild hops, well past their best but nice autumnal colours with what look like yellowed maple leaves mixed in



These I think are poplars of some variety showing a nice golden colour but being on the other side of the river couldn't get a look at the leaf shape



Quite a few dragonfiles on the wing today, one a rusty reddish colour and more of these which I think is a Common Hawker (unsure of ID), chuffed to get a close up



And found a tiny patch of cyclamen, which are supposed to be rare and protected - and also a native of C & S Europe so what they are doing in a deciduous wood in Kent I'm not sure - though a long way from any gardens.

[Dave K]

Quote

Flowers bloom for a second time this year

UK plants are flowering for a second time this year because of the unseasonably warm weather.

With temperatures soaring, plants such as foxglove and cowslip, which usually flower in the spring, are in full bloom six to eight months early.

Cold nights experienced across the UK in August are thought to have led to the early onset of autumn colours.

This warmer spell now has plants acting like it is spring.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15107243

[akkan]

I don't think the second flowering is due to unseasonably warm weather, we had plants doing that here and in Gloucestershire last year and the BBC didn't see fit to comment on it

This post has been edited by akkan: 29 September 2011 - 16:50

[Andy Mayhew]

Quote

Cold nights experienced across the UK in August are thought to have led to the early onset of autumn colours.

Not round here! Though the very dry summer may have had some influence

[Flatlander]

akkan, on 29 September 2011 - 16:49, said:

I don't think the second flowering is due to unseasonably warm weather, we had plants doing that here and in Gloucestershire last year and the BBC didn't see fit to comment on it

Quite. It takes more than a few days for a plant to 'decide' to grow a bud and then flower. At least a month, probably more. The story is, as usual, nonsense.

It _could_ be due to drought stress much earlier in the year - some plants flower if they are suffering stress as a last ditch attempt in case they don't make it. Whatever caused it, it wasn't a couple of days of warm weather this week.

This post has been edited by Tim Prosser: 29 September 2011 - 17:24

[Dave K]

I have to say I haven't seen any second flowering here. There is a cowslip in the garden but it's very dormant loooking.

[Dave K]

Actually yesterday I noticed that a few violets in the garden were blossoming once again, first time was around early April.