The Natural Stuff Diary

The three fledgling peregrine falcons of Bournemouth are now whizzing around with the parents, learning to catch birds for themselves, but they are still screaming to be fed from the college tower.Other falcons are a little more advanced and one youngster from another family seemed to succumb to the attacks of herring gulls a few miles away, perhaps whilst trying to secure a meal of baby gull!. within the first few months after leaving the parents, they are at their most vulnerable.The picture shows the dead falcon on the beach below the house with the gulls nest.

On the heathlands, the heathers are flowering very early due to all the rain we have had, and here the flowers of the cross leaved heath display an unidentified leaf beetle.

Also an unidentified Geometrid moth, one of the emeralds was found on a B.N.S.S field meeting.It settled on the lens of my camera.

One of the largest and heaviest orb web building spiders in the UK is the angled orb weaver(Araneus angulatus). It is capable of growing larger than the other members of the group such as the common garden spider (A.diadematus) and the four spot orb weaver(A.quadratus). This species is rare over most of the UK but common on the southern heathlands where it can be plentiful, but never as common as the other two in regards to density within a colony of mature individuals;they are spaced out far apart. They build the largest of orb webs and anchor lines can extent several meters between trees and bushes, favoring high standing gorse(Ulex europaeus)

The smaller male (below) waits nearby until she is mature. He is prepared to wait several weeks, guarding her against other males wishing to mate with her.

The slave maker is a species of ant(Formica sanguinea). It lives on heathland and relies on other ant species to rear its young while the main workforce hunts.They kill existing queens of nests of various species and then enslave the workers. They are similar in appearance to the southern wood and (Formica rufa), but have small differences. They also bite instead of  spraying formic acid as the latter species often does.

In the heathland pools, tiny common frogs (Rana temporaria) and toads(bufo bufo) emerge from the mud to hop around the edges until they are a little bigger . There is a size difference between  the  two emerging species:the toad being the dark smallest individual. The frog is a bit larger than usual. The toad will move away from the pond and will not be back until three years time at least, or when when it is large enough to breed.Toads do not need water like frogs do and can live in dry conditions nocturnally hunting for small creatures. The frogs will stay within the damp grassy areas of water and breed when they are also three years old.The female slow worm (Anguis fragilis)is gravid (pregnant) and is about to give birth to tiny white topped replicas of herself.Most female slow worms have a dark dorsal line running the whole length of the back as this one does.

Newts such as this smooth newt( Triturus vulgaris) live on dry land once they have bred or before they are old enough to breed and live under damp logs and stones. Looking quite different from the  watery skinned or crested breeding animals it is easy for one to mistake them for lizards.

A very rare and pretty flower, the blue eyed grass (sisyrinchium angustifolia) happened to be at my feet when I was at Arne nature reserve,Dorset. It is mainly to be found in America and Canada but also found in the West of Ireland.

I am so pleased to notice that the peregrine falcons that nest on Bournemouth college clock tower have fledged at least three young, despite the terrible weather conditions for hunting and the rain and wind. they seem to be doing fine.Here the three brown juveniles are basking in the warm sun (two are visible)while the hen rest at mid day.

The tiercel (male)rests on the west facing side  .

A wing mirror spider (Zygiella x-notata) reflects itself in the wing mirror of my car.These are the most common spiders to be living in such places.

I have always loved shiny metallic objects ,especially if coloured. when insects are thus then they are special. I remember when i was four years of age, sitting on the carpet under the dining room table by the patio doors when a rose chafer flew in and rested next to me. I stared at it for ages. I loved it. In the UK there are several metallic chafer beetle species that look very similar, and many other members of the family that are not so colourful or shiny.The rose chafer can look different colours depending on its angle to light.It is diffraction of light that causes its colour and not pigment, as in most iridescent insects.this rose chafer (Cetonia aurata) looks both green and copper.

Another chafer species is the common garden chafer,(Phyllopertha horticola) a much smaller variety. both are now fling during warm sunny days.They can be seen in flowers or on vegetation.

The spider Atypus affinis is the only member of the mygalomorpha tribe ,the bird eating  and trapdoor spiders.They have massive jaws and fangs. This one is a male looking for a female on heathland.

When newts are not in ponds breeding ,they are on land in dry form usually under stones or logs.

With all the recent rain we have had over the last two weeks, flowering plants are at their best, and some of the best floral displays seen for years can be seen; this benefits all other wildlife also especially insects and birds. We may not like rain, but we need rain ! and we never get enough of it. Unfortunately it has been drummed into us that rain is bad, that is because we are so detached from nature.with no rain we have no cereals, no flowers and no drinking water amongst many other things. Even dry areas such as well draining cliff faces such as the sea cliffs at Southbourne in Bournemouth where I live are a floral picture of these seaside Californian daisies(Erigeron glaucus) among many other endangered acid grassland species.

Purple is my favorite colour and insects that show purple are loved by me also . This ground beetle (Carabus problematicus) was found on a B.N.S.S field meeting by a member.It is similar to (carabus violaceus) the violet ground beetle but is  more shiny and has larger granulations on the elytra(wing cases).

On the same area of heathland I found a large patch of Emporer moth larvae (Pavonia pavonia). There were well over one hundred of them on the heather, their main food plant.There may be a dozen or so that survive to pupate in late summer. The adult moths are pictured in an earlier post.

The sika deer are in their foxy red summer coats and the stags are regrowing their antlers.

A juvenile adder (Vipera bearus) basks in the morning sun in between showers of rain. When rough weather prevails for several days they are desperate to bask and make the most of every available break in the weather. This is a female; they retain their  orange brown juvenile colouration for longer,but some keep it for life. but most males change as they get larger to white with dark markings.The gravid (pregnant) females need the heat even more so as as their name states, they give live birth so need to move around with the warmth from the sun to incubate the growing young inside.

This time of year can be awful for various animal species as humans go out and about doing what they do. People must be aware though that the sheer numbers of people out enjoying themselves, cutting trees and bushes, walking their dogs etc has a profound effect on nature. We must all be considerate towards other animals. Deer have given birth and during the last two weeks of April and the first two weeks of may , this time is critical for all our deer species .The female will leave the calf somewhere quite and return several times a day to feed it until it is a few weeks old and large enough to follow her around. So many calves are killed or taken by people thinking that they have been abandoned.wild animals very rarely abandon their young not like some humans. The biggest problem is dogs and farm machinery.This roe doe had given birth but moved her kid from an area near a footpath where lots of dogs were walked daily. she moved it across the road into a meadow of long grass.The farmer came and cut the grass.Her kid was cut up also.Seeing this mother grieving for her child was very sad. This goes on all across the UK every year.

Other parents are faring better, with this coal tit(Parus ater)nesting in a fallen hollow log.The parents were so engrossed in feeding the chicks that they took little notice of me nearby.

With the warm weather returned for nearly two weeks the reptiles have been busy feeding up again but some insects are hard to get at.This 14 spot ladybird (Propylea 14 punctata) is  hitching a lift on the green lizard.

Some beetles such as water beetles fly, and that is how they colonize small water bodies, and then seem to disappear.They often mistake the reflective glow from vehicles as water when flying and looking down, and they drop out of the sky. This female water beetle(Acilius sulcatus) bounced off the bonnet of my car.

A newly emerged fox(Macrothylacia rubi) moth was waiting to complete his development on a gorse bush, on the heath. These large moths are mainly day flying and the larvae is commonly seen on rough grasslands and heather. The caterpillar is brown, large and very hairy and often loitering on paths.

Nearby in some wet water meadows alongside the Moors river, were a pair of green veined whites(Pieris napi) The larvae feed on mustard and cress species.

Another very fine beetle, the rainbow ground beetle(Carabus nitens),is now rare in the UK but can still be found on southern heaths in boggy areas. I found it just outside Christchurch.

Crab spiders of the Xysticus tribe can be found on flowers waiting for pollinating insects.Here a female Xysticus cristatus has a hover fly. She is on a greater periwinkle flower.(Vinca major)

My Puss moth larvae are getting big and very hungry. I have decided to put them on the sallow tree in the garden as I was having to go out at least twice a day to cut them sprigs.

This is the smallest out of twelve doing its defense posture.the purple fronds come out of the tail like tubes and wave around whilst its body squats up and looks menacing, well maybe to a small bird or large insect!

There is a lot of bugle( Ajuga reptans  )about ; a small annual that is attractive to moths and bees.Here a brown banded carder bee(bombus humilis)fills her pollen baskets.

There are lots of different moth and butterfly larvae to be seen now.Tents of silk can now be seen in bushes and trees. In a local nature reserve several good species of caterpillars were found in one morning.

The Garden tiger moth(Arctia caja) is not as common as it used to be. Here a larvae eats gorse, one plant among many that the species targets.

The Lackey moth(Malacosoma neustria)is a communal tent making moth. Many species do it to reduce predation, and to keep warm. Most moth larvae and some butterfly larvae can produce silk and moths are renown for it, especially the silk moths. Here a group of lackey moths are living in a tent.

The Brown tailed (Euproctis chrysorrhoea)moth is very common and many tents adorn brambles, oak trees or other low growing plants particularly by the coast. The hairs sometimes can be an irritant to some people. The larvae are very beneficial to many birds and animals.

Another tent making moth larvae is the small Eggar moth, (Eriogaster lanestris) a red data book species; that means that it is rare and threatened. Hawthorn (crataegus laevigarta)plays host to many a moth species.

A species that is becoming renown lately is the Ermine spindle moth (Yponomeuta cagnagella ) because it covers hedgerows with silk and often huge swaves of roadside spindle, (Euonymus europaeus)looks amazing as it is white, baffling many people and the larvae strip the bushes of leaves. At the moment the larvae are small and in tiny tents.

Spiderlings of many spider species especially the orb web weavers are now hatching and dispersing. Here young Araneus species leave the shelter of the nest and balloon, that is shoot out a long line of gossamer thread to be picked up by a breeze.They fly high and can travel for many miles.

They will take a while to grow and will be more noticeable in late summer.

I found an odd leaf beetle at a reserve this week . I am at a loss at to what species it is.

It could be a colour variation of an uncommon species.I will update this post when I suss it out.

Quercus is the genus name given to the oak trees, and oaks, especially the English oak (Quercus robur) is host to many an interesting fungi, in this case the oak maizegill (Daedalea quercina). It is not a common fungi but can be frequently found in the New forest.

It is called maizegill because the spore baring apparatus on the underside looks like a maize.

Another fungi that I found is the chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) also called the sulphur bracket . It  usually grows on oak and is one of the best edible fungi of the summertime. when young the texture, smell and flavour of it is excellent. I collected the bottom tier of this specimen.