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sgt.colon
Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 6119
Location: Just south of north.
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 Posted: Fri Apr 13, 18 10:03 am Post subject: |
 
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After Googleing lesser Celandine, I remember we had some of that in our back garden when I was a youngster. It just turned up one year and spread life wildfire. |
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buzzy
Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3392
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
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| Posted: Tue Apr 17, 18 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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This Monday we had a reprise of last year's Adder hunt (see post on April 10 2017) and this year we were successful! We saw several Adders (though not all in very easy to see positions = this was the best picture I took:
 .
We also saw several Palmate Newts, having got to their pools before the dogs had muddied them to invisibility.
And we saw one Common Lizard and one Slow Worm (though we didn't search the prime Slow Worm habitat, wishing to leave them undisturbed as we had already seen one).
As before, Red Kites just about every time you looked in the sky, and several Bumble Bees and Brimstones, and a sunbathing Copper (edit to say that should have been COMMA, not Copper!). On one of the paths we found a very attractive, and rather moribund small bee, which turned out to be a Tawny Mining Bee (though originally misnamed Towny Mining Bee, due to small print in the bee guide!). I took it home, thinking it was dead, but it made a partial recovery and is now taking its chances in my garden.
Henry
Last edited by buzzy on Wed Apr 18, 18 5:01 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 9900
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| Posted: Wed Apr 18, 18 6:44 am Post subject: |
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Sounds as if things are really waking up from winter then. We found a solitary bee (unidentified) among some honey bees trying to get through a tent at a pub at the weekend. Silly place to put a tent!
Have seen brimstones and smell tortoiseshell butterflies in the woods, and see and hear plenty of bumble bees as the queens are setting up home at this time of year. |
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 34108
Location: yes
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| Posted: Wed Apr 18, 18 8:39 am Post subject: |
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"i have lost 3 good dogs in 5 yrs" scottish keeper
and a little later
"delicious" dpack
i have mixed feelings about adders, a charming and useful part of the fauna which should be considered honoured or mutt killers that should be avoided if practical or "subdued" if necessary.
some chums of mine lost a dog last year to an adder, i actively avoid places where they live so as to avoid such issues. |
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gz
Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 6286
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
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| Posted: Wed Apr 18, 18 8:40 am Post subject: |
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I heard skylarks last Saturday,for the first time this year..today should be the first time we're in double figure temperatures. |
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buzzy
Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3392
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
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| Posted: Wed Apr 18, 18 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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Oooops! I see I typed "sunbathing Copper" when it should have been "sunbathing Comma". This old age stuff is a bind!
Henry |
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sean
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 41887
Location: North Devon
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| Posted: Wed Apr 18, 18 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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A couple of years ago someone wrote to the Torrington Commons Conservators suggesting that they collected up all the adders and relocated them. |
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 34108
Location: yes
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| Posted: Wed Apr 18, 18 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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| sean wrote: |
| A couple of years ago someone wrote to the Torrington Commons Conservators suggesting that they collected up all the adders and relocated them. |
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buzzy
Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3392
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
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| Posted: Wed Apr 18, 18 10:14 pm Post subject: |
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I hope the volunteers for the job formed an orderly queue 
Henry |
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 9900
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 18 6:11 am Post subject: |
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On a similar but slightly different note we have had it suggested that if we exclude deer from the new coppice coups, we or the council should feed them. |
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 34108
Location: yes
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 18 9:31 am Post subject: |
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.... should feed on them
mended 
my favourite like that was being harangued for "murder" on the evidence of white fibres on the chopping block.
animal product? or bits of kevlar rope from chopping lengths and fluffing it up for improvised rollerbars? it shouldn’t be too difficult but it seems it was. the vegan fury at my silent wry smile was a joy to behold 
the apology later was even funnier  |
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buzzy
Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3392
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 18 11:28 am Post subject: |
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| Mistress Rose wrote: |
| On a similar but slightly different note we have had it suggested that if we exclude deer from the new coppice coups, we or the council should feed them. |
And there was the lady who, when walking in a 150 hectare wood, said to me that the owners should take away all the twigs and branches and leaves so that the paths were clear for walking.
Henry |
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 9900
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| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 18 7:28 am Post subject: |
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We have had that, and complaints about the mud. Also, why are there wheel ruts round some of the tracks. I didn't think about it at the time, but the pastime of carrying 1ton logs by hand is very over-rated. Even carrying a chainsaw for a long way is tiring, and gone are the days when you can leave your tools under a bush and they will be there next day. |
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buzzy
Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3392
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
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| Posted: Sat May 12, 18 10:23 pm Post subject: |
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Didn't go walking for a couple of Mondays - once because I was busy and then because we believed the dire weather forecast and cancelled.
But last Monday, a beautiful (and slightly too warm) day, we visited a site that was new to most of us. An old traditionally managed meadow that was pretty well carpeted with Green Veined Orchids (Orchis morio), and quite a good sprinkling of Cowslips as well.
But, though the plants were great, there was surprisingly little insect or bird life. We didn't see a single butterfly over the meadow, though we saw quite a few in the walk up to the site.
We did see another interesting plant on the way - Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus), which, though supposedly common is not a plant I see very often.
Despite the name, it is not closely related to Lesser Celandine, but a member of the Poppy family.
Henry |
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 9900
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| Posted: Mon May 14, 18 7:01 am Post subject: |
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I think the butterflies depends upon the temperature as they tend to fly more when it is warm. We have seen the first orange tips of the year and lots of brimstones, the odd small tortoiseshell, and possibly a comma.
Those orchids are lovely. I am not familiar with them, but will look out for them in my travels. We have a moderate lot of early purples in the woods at the moment, and quite a few twayblade, but not sure it is a really good orchid year this year.
I have greater celandine in my greenhouse, so to me it is a week I am afraid. We also have some cowslips in the lawn, so it is at least partly doing its duty as the intended downland turf. |
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