12 Sunday May 2024
Posted in flowers, wildflowers
Until this last week of hot dry weather, this large clump of Yellow flag irises (Iris pseudacorus) had its roots in a pool of water, their preferred habitat, the leaves looked lush and verdant, the flowers sunny and glorious.
These plants can withstand quite dry conditions, but, as I write this late Sunday afternoon, we have constant thunder and torrential rain, so I think their feet will be damp once again and the irises will be looking lovely for some time yet.
11 Saturday May 2024
Posted in insects
While yesterday’s butterfly (a Dingy skipper) was late to arrive, today’s is about on time. I actually saw my first (the one pictured below) yesterday at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, and another during today’s walk through the meadows at Casehill Woods. These vibrant Small coppers are such a delight, and their fiery colours are the very embodiment of summer for me.
10 Friday May 2024
Posted in insects
They’re late this year compared to previous years, the Dingy skippers. I only saw my first on Wednesday 8 May whereas last year my first sighting was on 1 May; in 2022 it was 25 April; in 2021 23 April; in 2020 6 May and in 2019 my first Dingy was on 30 April. It just shows what a difference the climate makes: our cool wet spring weather seems to have had quite an impact on the emergence of many insects but this week has been warm and sunny, encouraging many mini-beasties to appear.
09 Thursday May 2024
Posted in insects
I am often amazed at how creatures manage to move long distances, especially small creatures like this Green tiger beetle (Cicindela campestris) I found at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park yesterday. At just 15mm long, this little beetle can run much faster than you might think, and it can also fly quite well for short distances, but it has never been recorded at Cosmeston before, and a check of the Welsh biodiversity database shows the nearest records were over 10 kilometres away and not recent. So, did it hitch a ride in someone’s car, catch a train and fly from the station, hop on a bus? And, if there’s one, are there more? I will be looking.
08 Wednesday May 2024
Posted in birds
Tags
We don’t often see Red kites in my part of coastal south Wales so you can probably imagine my delight yesterday to see four gliding overhead while I was exploring Lavernock Nature Reserve. They gradually circled higher, taking advantage of the warm weather thermals, before slowly drifting over the coastal fields towards Penarth and Cardiff. What a treat!
07 Tuesday May 2024
Posted in birds
Yesterday’s star birds were these Canada geese and their two gorgeous goslings in an inlet along the River Ely in Cardiff. The male looks like he’s watching me but he’s actually watching a male Mute swan on the water below the path where I was standing. A pair of Mute swans also nest in this inlet (the female is currently sitting on their nest) and it seems the male was not at all happy about the presence of the Canada geese. He went storming across the inlet towards the geese, which promptly took evasive action. The female Canada goose quickly disappeared into the nearby reed bed with her offspring while the male goose headed toward the swan, and then, at the last minute, veered to one side, leading the swan, which continued to chase him, towards the open river, away from his vulnerable family. It was well done!
06 Monday May 2024
Tags
British leafminers, British moths, Eriocrania semipurpurella, Eriocraniidae, leaf-mining moth larvae, leafmine on Birch
There are eight Eriocraniidae species of moth in Britain, the larvae of which can all be found mining the leaves of Birch trees at this time of year. And this means that, whenever I’m out walking and pass a Birch tree, I have to stop and stare at its leaves, looking for the signs of leaf mining. This is the first one I’ve found, Eriocrania semipurpurella, and it’s the biggest and most common of the Eriocraniidae. You can see what the adult moth looks like on the UK Moths website here.
The entry on the British Leafminers website explains: ‘The mine starts at or near the leaf edge and then widens into a blotch. The young larva has a dark head and sclerotizations on the prothorax (as shown) [click the link to see the images]. As the larva matures it loses these dark markings….’ I am still finding these mines tricky to differentiate – the British Leafminers site has a page of images that is a good starting point, and I’m lucky to have contact with one of the site managers, Rob Edmunds, so can easily get my finds checked.
05 Sunday May 2024
Posted in flowers, spring, wildflowers
Tags
British wildflowers, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Cowslip, natural colour variation in Cowslip, red-flowered Cowslip, Spring colour
I wish I’d found these for #WildflowerHour’s recent Cowslip challenge: a small number of red-flowered Cowslips amongst a sea of yellow at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park. This is a natural variation, just like the occasional pink-flowered Primroses you might see growing in the wild, though I’ve only ever seen these at Cosmeston.
04 Saturday May 2024
On Tuesday we had Moorhen chicks. On Wednesday I noticed one of the pair of Great crested grebes was carrying two tiny chicks on its back, while the other parent was diving frequently for food to nourish their offspring.
And on Thursday, while I was spellbound by singing warblers at Cardiff Bay wetlands, a mother Mallard emerged from a reed-edged channel of water with her nine little ducklings in tow. Fortunately, she didn’t stay out of the water for long – despite being a designated nature reserve, many people still walk their dogs off the lead in the area, which could easily mean death for unwary ducklings.
03 Friday May 2024
Tags
birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve, Reed warbler, Sedge warbler, spring migration
Thursday morning was looking grim and grey, with cloud so low it looked like fog, and a constant fine drizzle. But, when word came through that there was a festival of singing warblers at Cardiff Bay wetlands, I had to go. And it was absolutely amazing – with at least 14 newly arrived Sedge warblers singing alongside the resident Reed and Cetti’s warblers, as well as the more usual Blackbirds, Green- and Goldfinches, and Reed buntings, I may have got wet but was filled with wonder at the surround sound bird song. The Sedge warblers were mostly skulking but this Reed warbler, which had probably arrived a few days earlier and already established his territory, was enthusiastically advertising his presence.
earthstar 
You must be logged in to post a comment.