[Dave K]

Despite any appearances to the contrary, summer is officially here! So time to open a new thread for the new season.

In an unkempt patch of the garden, today I have some Broad-leaved Willowherb in flower.

[Dave K]

Found a little baby bush cricket in amongst my potato plant leaves, assume it was a baby anyway as it was about 12-15mm long and most of that was antennae.

[Flatlander]

Been on a bit of a plant hunting expedition over the last couple of days - hope these are OK to post.

You could probably pin some of these to within a few hundred metres without seeing the background - I'll leave that as an exercise for the reader!

Spring Gentians are mostly over (probably in the warm weather last week), but we did find one or two still prepared to show some blue:



All the books on the locality claim these are Mountain Pansy but they look more like a cross of same with Wild Pansy when examined closely. Nevertheless, they are pretty mad for a native species!



Spring Sandwort was fully out - this grows in scattered locations around the UK - some more southern sites may be over by now.


Hoary Rock-rose was nearly out - this is certainly one you won't find anywhere else:


Scottish Asphodel not out yet - unlikely to be so north of the border either:


Birds-eye Primrose was just about at its best:


Rock Whitebeam about to flower:

This post has been edited by Tim Prosser: 05 June 2012 - 21:33

[Uskys]

Great Photos Tim

Here , the Bluebells have just come out....because of the elevation they missed the late march bloom that blighted many woods so I've heard, where they flowered at the end of march's warm spell and were put to ground by april's coolness.... and here, because of that coolness, have bloomed now.

[Halo]

I've seen some foxgloves in flower, and feverfew. Loads of ground elder flowers now. I spotted the wild horse radish plant in the same spot it grew last year. Red valerian (with white variants) fully out now. Stitchwort is just about finished now. Blackbird fledgling and parents keep visiting the cat feeding area. There was something else but can't think what it is at the moment.

[rosskesava]

There's a pair of seagulls nesting in between 6 chimneys pots on a large chimney that I look down on from my flat.

Both of the eggs hatched overnight so there's now two little fluffy chicks. The parent seagulls will now try to attack anything that goes near the nest.

The owners of the house have got used to the seagulls returning every year as they put string string from the gutters to the back fence that has little bits of paper or something similar attached to stop them being attacked in their back garden.

[rosskesava]

Just seen a solitary June Bug, or is it July Bug..... or May Bug.

Also, much to my surprise, along the Southern stretch of the M25 where it skirts the North Downs, while parked in Clacket Lane services, I was watching a Buzzard.

[Dave K]

Not much to report today down by the river. New flowers just some Water figwort and meadowsweet in blossom.

[Dave K]

Some more new stuff down by the riverside seen today in flower: hedge woundwort, dark mullein and yarrow.

Strangely no hogweed in full bloom yet although one plant was close to flower burst. All round, much less flowery than this time last year.

[Halo]

I decided to take a scenic route to the supermarket this morning and found quite a few things going on. Earlier I discovered that knapweed was beginning to flower and also Lady's Bedstraw. I, too, have found hedge woundwort in flower. Marsh orchid that I found last year seems to have spread a bit with quite a few scattered clumps in flower. Lots of six-spotted burnet moths were hovering in the fields along with a blue damselfly or two. I spotted a greenish coloured dragonfly in the field as well.

[rosskesava]

I've at last identified a huge dragon fly I saw a few weeks back as a Golden Ringed Dragonfly. What struck me was it's huge size - it was easily 3 inches long.

The area where I saw it is a quiet private housing estate with 3 small natural ponds, plenty of undergrowth and undisturbed shrub. The place seems to be a haven for damselflies and other species of dragonflies and this year especially, there seems to be more than previous years.

edit: The picture is one I found on the internet.

Attached thumbnail(s)

• 

This post has been edited by rosskesava: 30 June 2012 - 14:40

[Halo]

Cinnabar moth caterpillars have appeared on ragwort. Tutsan has been flowering recently.

[Foxy2]

Anyone else noticed how late some species of plants are flowering this year? For instance these are all about a month later than in recent years:, Elder and Guelder rose are only just beginning to flower now, creeping thistle and other thistles are only just beginning to flower, Marsh orchids were about a month late too and now are in there prime! Is this because of a lack of sunshine rather than temperature or rainfall? It really has been dull since the end of May.

[Dave K]

Foxy2, on 04 July 2012 - 10:20, said:

Anyone else noticed how late some species of plants are flowering this year? For instance these are all about a month later than in recent years:, Elder and Guelder rose are only just beginning to flower now, creeping thistle and other thistles are only just beginning to flower, Marsh orchids were about a month late too and now are in there prime! Is this because of a lack of sunshine rather than temperature or rainfall? It really has been dull since the end of May.

Yes, definitely later than the last two years - which is as long as I have followed it!

Nearby house is unoccupied and the tended garden was dug over, wild plants have taken advantage and now springing up all over it! Latest to come out is Scarlet pimpernel.

[Uskys]

Generally later here too, but more prolific.
Bluebells were 3 weeks late, Marsh Orchids around 2 weeks.

photos from 19th June.

Attached thumbnail(s)

• 
• 

[Halo]

Several heads on teasel downtown but no colouring on them as yet. Signs of mugwort beginning to flower. Yellow dotted loosestrife in full bloom.

[Dave K]

Seemed to be a bit more colour down by the riverside today, in amongst the thistles and knapweed there were a few Purple loosestrife and Great willowherb in flower as well as Indian balsam. Yellow water lily also quite abundantly flowering now.

Hogweed is now in bloom and plenty of meadowsweet and bedstraw. Hemlock pretty much gone to seed now.

[Dave K]

Haven't seen many fledgelings or juvenile birds around in the last few weeks, don't know if the strong gusty winds caused a lot of nest destruction. I saw a few dead chicks of various ages around in June. However there is a party of sparrows in my garden at the moment with 4 juveniles.

[Halo]

I've just realised there is some ragged robin in flower in a pot of lavender which is also in bloom. Our late neighbour used to grow ragged robin as he loved the plant and this is probably a remnant of that.

[Uskys]

It seems that in this neck of the woods some birds have started their 'Autumn' migration. Including Oystercatcher, common scoter , sandpipers & Whimbrel. ( these are only passage birds in this area)