Dene Park

I was glad to see butterflies that I was fairly sure were Large Whites, Pieris brassicae (L.),  rather than Small Whites, Pieris rapae (L.),  today. I was even more convinced when I saw the photos in close-up. The dark blotches that I can see on the upperside of the wing are rather on the large side and the patch at the tip of the wing tracks down both edges of the wing from the tip. The impression of size also helps.

This will be one of the second brood, in which males and females are pretty indistinguishable when seen from the underside.

There was also a Peacock, beautifully coloured on both its hind and forewing underside:

Tudeley Woods

Plants were looking particularly good. This Spear Thistle, Cirsium vulgare, was attracting Bumble Bees in particular, and is a useful ecological component despite being classified as a noxious weed under the Weeds Act 1959. .

This is a close-up of the tubular flowers from the infloescence above, with pollen being pushed out of the tips. In at least one I think I can see a y-shaped stigma just protruding. The purity of the colours is just wonderful!

This next photo was taken just at the edge of the inflorsecence - I am unsure of the nature of the more tendril shaped structures.

Looking lower down the inflorescence, the slight cottony fibres covering the surface interspersed with the green bracts somewhat recurved and ending in yellow spines were fairly clear.

The stem is slightly cottony as well.

and the leaves are also notoriously spiny.

Queensdown Warren late in the day

Lots of Meadow Browns and Two Marbled White Butterflies between 4:30 and 7:30 this evening.

This is a Marbled White, Melanargia galathea. This is a female, recognisable by the yellowish tinge on the underside of the wings, the males are more monochrome black and white. There are only four functional legs in both males and females in the family of Brush-footed Butterflies, Nymphalidae, the Browns, subfamily Satyrinae, the front pair of legs being converted into a small pair of "brushes". Incidentally, the stem behind is an Agrimony, Agrimonia eupatorium, stem going to fruit, remarkably beautiful.

This is the peak month for this butterfly and they should be dropping their eggs over the potential grass larval food plants from around this weekend onwards. This is a typical pose for these butterflies in the afternoon, either on grasses or their nectar source flowers. In the morning they tend to rest with their wings spread to warm up, and for the rest of the day of course they are generally much more active. Unimproved tall grassland is their typical habitat, particularly chalk downland, but even small patches of verge with tall grass will sometimes support small colonies. The Marbled White is a strong flier and a good disperser, so should be fairly good at surviving in the patches of grassland still available on the North Downs, according to research in Belgium and Germany. However the more patches there are, the easier that survival should be.

The Butterfly appears to be spreading slowly North and has most likely recolonised most of Europe from different glacial refuges around the Mediterranean. North Africa and specifically the Maghreb may also have been involved. There are two sibling species, Melanargia galathea that is thought by some to have expanded back into Europe after the last glaciation from two separate refuges in Italy (Western population) and the Balkans (Eastern population) and Melanargia lachesis that is currently found only in Spain and Southern France. The species split itself may have occurred much earlier in the glacial/interglacial cycles, but the mutual interactions of the two species raise several interesting questions about competition, dispersal and evolution. It is interesting to note that the form known as ssp serena is distinguished as the form found in Britain, which derives from the Western population of Melanargia galathea and which must also be a founder effect at the time of the cutting of the land bridge.

The subspecies include serena in Britain, galathea in Europe and the South Urals, donsa in the Caucasus, satnia in the Caucasus major and minor, lucasi in North Arfrica, and tenebrosa.  However I know little about the rest of the species' populations spread across Asia as far east as Japan.

The high genetic diversity and the relatively strong differentiation of the four African populations sampled in a
comparatively limited area of the Atlas Mountains indicate that the most probable origin of the species Melanargia galathea is northern Africa, with its sibling species, M. lachesis, evolving in parallel in Iberia. Most probably, M. galathea colonised Europe first during the Eem (last before this one) interglacial, some 130 ky ago. Since M. lachesis must have existed on the Iberian peninsula during that period already, M. galathea should have reached Europe via Italy. The genetic differentiation to distinct groups in Europe most probably evolved during the following (most recent) Wu¨rm glacial period.

There is a lot of genetic diversity in Melanargia galathea, but this is well mixed within its habitat patches and amongst the wider populations, due to the species' movement ability. The genetic diversity may have arisen partly as founder effects of the small populations isolated in refugia at the time of previous, and in particular the last, glaciation. The species may now in theory require this continuing diversity and intermixing and may be vulnerable to further habitat isolation if the genetic diversity is consequently severely reduced.

The distribution on the chalk in Kent is primarily Eastern according to Thomas and Lewington, and admittedly these are the most Westerly ones that I have seen so far in this county. On the other hand I have seen them in good numbers at Oxford services, so its not all about latitude! Other observers in Kent have also seen numbers to the West, at Darland Banks, Borstal, Lullingstone and Cobham, so the distribution in Kent may have evened out a bit.

This on the other hand is a male, not so well focussed sadly, seen a few moments later on a Large Knapweed, Centaurea macrocephala, flower.

Red Fescue, Festuca rubra, is thought perhaps to be an essential larval food plant, and it picks up some toxins from a fungal infection of that plant, which are apparently carried through into the adult body. However the larvae do feed on a range of other grasses.

Castle Ward

A sunny hot day at Castle Ward, County Down, produced a very nice mix of wildlife, tourism and garden plants.

As far as the birds went, I got a few photos of what seemed to be a second calendar year female pied wagtail, Motacilla alba yarrellii, on the foreshore below the farm at Castle Ward, with its dark grey and somewhat blotchy back, leading gradually into the black cap and a blackish rump (the latter not visible in the first photo below). I remember clearly as a child seeing what I think now must have been individuals of the European race of this bird, Motacilla alba alba in its winter quarters in Africa, particularly on the watered lawns of the yacht club and the posher houses in my then home town of Dar-es-Salaam.

I was surprised to see how brown the primary feathers in this bird were. The outer greater coverts are also browner than the inner ones indicating the mixed age of these feathers. Browning may indicate wearing of the feathers. I wondered if it was a first summer bird, as described in several websites such as http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?print=1&a=2544  but this is said to be an unreliable characteristic after the spring, according to  http://www.digimages.info/bergri/Wagtails_MotacillaAlba&Yarrellii_DB32-4_2010.pdf.

Another option I investigated but quickly rejected, is that this is a juvenile bird, hatched this spring and moulting into its first year plumage. This bird just wouldn't fit as juvenile plumage. In addition this bird today is very similar to the bird photographed at Morfa on the 10th of April, so both are presumably first summer (2cy) birds.

This is a fairly easy bird to identify to subspecies because of the time of year. As it is summer this must I think be a residential 2cy female (?) bird of Motacilla alba yarrellii. Migrating birds of the European subspecies Motacilla alba alba are more difficult to separate in the autumn than the spring, but it is a bit too early for migrants, and the features do not seem to particularly match alba. Reference to this ID sheet is generally useful, file:///C:/Users/davidc/Downloads/THE-SEPARATION-OF-WHITE-AND-PIED-WAGTAILS%20(2).pdf.

Further information is available on  http://www.chog.org.uk/Ringing/Features/Autumn%20Wagtails%20Identification.htm  and  http://birdwatchidblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/autumn-white-wagtails-easy-id-shortcut.html

In this picture the mixed age of the greater coverts is even more obvious. The newer coverts show good broad white edges to the feathers, as yarrellii should. The bird is quite dark grey on the upper flank as well I think (does not seem to be just a shadow cast by the wing), another characteristic feature of yarrellii.

This is perhaps the best picture of the continuation of the black feathers into a blackish rump, yet another feature of yarrellii. Again I think the dark grey of the upper flank can be seen.

Further along the foreshore I came across a different bird that appeared to be a male bird just doing some early moulting - the fluffy down of the old body feathers is over the outside of the new feathers, but still the overall impression is of a very black coloured bird, a putative male. It cannot be a 1cy bird as I had first thought, because they are very much greyer.

In this picture you can also see how fluffy the breast is, and overall the bird is quite tatty. It is quite confusing because this is strictly too early for moulting.

Down on the shore, there were also Herons, Ardea cinerea, Black-headed Gulls, Chrioicephalus ridibundus scavening along the tide line and Common or Artic Terns, Stena sp., fishing out in the deeper waters along Strangford Lough. Later on in the woods, there was a Blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla singing unseasonally and Jays, Garrulus glandarius, calling. Other birds included Blackbirds, Turdus merula, Songthrushes, Sparrows,  and Woodpigeons, .

The Black-headed Gulls were largely breeding adults with no signs yet of moulting to non-breeding plumage. These are two different birds, alike as two peas in a pod.

The Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea, was too far away to see any detail.

At the Taggarts on Sketrick Island

While the post-wedding lunch went well, fuelled with Tom's work at the barbecues I was able to explore the island a bit along the two roads left and right from the causeway around half of the island's circumference.

Down at the high tide mark turning left as you come across the causeway I found a couple of plants of Lax-flowered Sea Lavender, Limonium humile, together with some plants of the much commoner plant Scurvy Grass, Cochlearia officinalis. Lax-flowered Sea lavender is frequent in Ireland, and also found in Scotland. As Common Sea Lavender, Limonium vulgare, is absent from Ireland, we don't have to worry about the complications of hybridisation, so we can be pretty sure we have the species as such. I could confirm rosettes of ascending leaves arising from a woody rootstock, each leaf with pinnate veins, and a tiny thorn at the tip (mucronate?).

The flower clusters were well separated along the stem, and I think I could also half-convince myself that the outer green bracts were slightly keeled on their outer surfaces (backs). Only one flower was sufficiently open to look down into its throat and confirm that the anthers were red-brown rather than yellow. However it was difficult to be sure that these leaves were narrower than those of Limonium vulgare without a clear side-by-side comparison. There was also a suggestion from a good website that the bracts at the stem branches should be red rather than green, but I didn't pick any of those.

This plant is also known to gardeners as Statice, and produces "everlasting" flowers. It is certainly a very attractive plant in the wild.

Next up was a single plant of what looked like Scots Lovage, Ligusticum scoticum. The leaflets seemed to be too long, but on the other hand, nothing else in the Carrot family looked to be a likely match, so that is my best bet. this is recorded in this area but is a plant of concern as its population is apparently declining. I could see linear bracts at both levels of the inflorescence, the fruit looked the right shape, and the leaflets were trifoliate and shiny.

Finally there were some small plants under the hedge of White Ramping-Fumitory, of Fumaria capreolata. The first thing to do was to measure the length of the flowers and ensure they were large enough to be this species. I could also confirm the reflexed flower stalks, and the white flowers, pinched together vertically, just before (?) the purple tips. The sepals were largely transparent, but once I understood that, it was very clear that they were ovoid structures pointing forward sitting vertically on either side of the flower. As there were no fruit it was not possible to comment on the fruit shape. This plant is said to be quite common in the Mediterranean region, but in the UK it is mainly in the S and W, and more commonly found near the coast.

Birds seen on the shoreline included Herring Gulls, Common Gulls, Larus canus, Black-headed Gulls, Oystercatchers, a Curlew, a Heron, a Cormorant (eating various prey caught by diving, including an eel), and "Comic Terns" fishing in the distance.  

Down to Whetsted Gravel pits

As I got down to East Lock I paused to check for insects and particularly hoverflies at the wild-flower seed enhanced area just north of the lock. I had by now seen several Eristalis pertinax and here was my first Sphaerophoria female of the day, hovering about the Perforate St. John's Wort, Hypericum perforatum.

There was also this very nice hairy red beetle, which I feel should really be recognizable to someone if I had the gall to put this single side view on ispot !

While I was looking at the pictures of this Lesser Stitchwort, Stellaria minor, I noticed a tiny grub, possibly a Lepidopteran caterpillar (?) on the left-hand flower.

Crossing Poor's Meadow I saw that the farmer had started to cut the grass for hay, as is the tradition. The meadow is not particularly flower rich, but may contain some Dyers Greenweed on the southern wooded margin according to the BSBI visit report.

As well as keeping the field traditionally managed, the farmer has also, by accident or design, left the broken down old oak tree as a dead wood habitat.

After Poor's Meadow I crossed the wheat crop, which was ripening well, on the clay field which contains the Shepherds Needle Scandix pecten-veneris,

Moving on to the gravel pits themselves, there was a very nice patch of Hare's-foot Clover, Trifolium arvense, on the gravelly patch down at the southern end of the causeway across the west gravel pit. This plant is locally common in the Southeast of England, particularly at coastal sites and almost always on sandy soils. I am sure this particular patch has been here for several years, annually regenerating itself from the seed, which has effective dormancy mechanisms.

These are the woolly pink inflorescences that are the most obvious sign of the plant's presence - the leaves are fairly insignificant by comparison.

Here is a close-up of a single inflorescence - you can see the tiny whitish flowers in amongst the purple hairs of the calyces, each in turn fringed with a light pink fuzz, most easily seen in outline on the side of the inflorescence.

This is an older inflorescence in the centre, with the flowers browning from the base of the inflorescence upwards. On the left-hand inflorescence. a single white "pea-family" flower is absolutely fully open.

This may be a better close-up of a fading inflorescence specifically to show the hairs arising the calyx in the centre and the fuzz on the side of the inflorescence.

These are the narrow, grey, somewhat hairy (the hairs are adpressed) trifoliate leaves, with the two pointed reddish somewhat filiform stipules.

The plant keys out on the BSBI crib sheet for the genus, http://www.bsbi.org.uk/Trifolium_Crib.pdf. It is potentially a very important plant - it apparently contains a gene affecting tannin condensation that if successfully transferred into white clover could both increase yield and also reduce both bloat and methane emissions from cattle. This is due to be commercially available in about 2025, if it comes to market.

Another plant I found, in good numbers along the paths around the gravel pits, was the Common Birds-Foot Trefoil, Lotus corniculatus, in the pictures below possibly the cultivated variety cv. sativus. This variety, often used in wild flower seed mixes differs from the normal wild plant in having a hollow stem, being more generally yellow, and is also larger and more robust than the native wild form. When I cut the stem of this plant across it was clearly hollow, so my thinking is that it should be cv. sativus. I also checked the key species-characteristic feature, that the sepals were forward pointing, and not reflexed in the bud stage as in the Greater Birds-Foot Trefoil, Lotus pedunculatus.

In the picture below you can see the suffusion of orange in the petals at bud stage, the way the developing pod pushes the brown remnants of the corolla forward as the pod ripens and lengthens, and the generally forward pointing nature of the sepals.

I do keep on looking for the Greater Birds-Foot Trefoil, Lotus pedunculatus, but never seem to find it. This is known to be a similar robust plant which also has a hollow stem, but should be easily distinguished from corniculatus, whether sativus or not, by the reflexed sepals in the bud, no suffusions of red in the petals, and more than 5 (7) flowers in one inflorescence.

Another plant I was very glad to see today was the Common Centaury, Centaurium erythraea, which is only just starting its proper summer-long flowering season.  The flowers are a lovely pink, held on square stalks (both the pedicels and peduncles are square I think).

Part-way along the causeway I had come across a Long-Winged Conehead nymph, Conocephalus discolor, green with a dark stripe down its dorsum. I hadn't come across this insect before, and in its nymphal stages it is certainly a striking animal.

On the brambles in the hedge-line between the two western gravel pits there was what looked like an adult male (no oviposter) Dark Bush-Cricket, Pholidoptera grisoaptera, with its vestigial wings. I used this great site to try to compare the species. http://www.orthoptera.org.uk/account.aspx?ID=13 but I could not see the underside, which should have been yellow.





This is the first time I have seen the Azure Damselfly, Coenagrion puella, down here at Whetsted Gravel Pits - so I shall have to check the so-called "Common Blues" far more carefully in future. As this was also in the brambles by the big hedge between the gravel pits it may have come out of the small ditch there, as opposed to the Common Blues coming out of the main gravel pits themselves. I still believe the vast majority of the blue damsels seen on this site and around it to be the latter species.

For comparison, here is a Common Blue Damselfly, Enallagma cyathigerum, seen earlier, slightly tangled in some silky fibres, sitting quite quietly on the top of a fencepost along the causeway.

One of the nastiest insects around is the Horse Fly or Cleg, Haemotopota (pluvialis perhaps) with its vicious bite. There was one on the causeway which I admired before I fully realised its identity.

To the West of Hartlake Bridge

Quite a few White butterflies around today, and if the picture below has been correctly identified, they were all Small Whites, Pieris rapae.

There were also several Comma butterflies (Polygonia c-album) along the path - I was particularly glad to see these as it seemed to me that the numbers of Commas are a bit down, in contrast to the recovery of the Small Tortoiseshells. I really cannot tell if these are the "lighter underneath and brighter on top" Hutchinsonii form that should produce a second 2014 generation in early autumn this year, as the sunlight and shade so affect our perceptions.

A little further on I found a tiny insect on a Mayweed flower that I thought might be a solitary bee. On looking at the photos on the computer screen it turned out to be Microdynerus exilis a solitary "potter" wasp that uses old beetle holes in decaying wood and whose larvae are fed on weevil larvae. It is nationally scarce, Southern in distribution, and only added to the British list in 1937.

Here is a link to a Flickr page showing the sort of hole this potter wasp might possibly be using.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pennymetal/14499206175/in/pool-wild_bees

On the Bramble flowers there was a well posed Episyrphus balteatus, a very common hoverfly indeed this year.

As usual there were a lot of Banded Demoiselles, Calopteryx splendens, around the river area.

and this is a close-up of the female on a Bristly Oxtongue, Helminthotheca echioides, inflorescence: