Rocking the Rhodos

30 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, parks, plants

Tags

Bute Park, Graphocephala fennahi, leafhopper, plant bug, rhododendron, rhododendron leafhopper

160830 Rhododendron leafhopper (2)

What dapper little critters these are, don’t you think? The fashionistas of the bug world in their pale-green orange-striped suits, with contrasting purple trim and coordinating pale yellow under-wear. No dull dark-grey pinstripes for these hoppers; they’re American immigrants and they’re happy to be noticed. It certainly makes them easy to identify, a huge bonus in the world of plant bugs!

160830 Rhododendron leafhopper (1)

Rhododendron leafhoppers (Graphocephala fennahi) were first introduced to Britain in the early 1900s and I was first introduced to them early last week, when walking a butterfly transect with a colleague, but I’ve been back twice to see them since then, just because they make me laugh. The ones in my pictures make their home in the rhododendron bushes in one small area of Cardiff’s Bute Park, and there are hundreds, if not thousands of them – so many, in fact, that you can actually hear the sproing as they flit from leaf to leaf. And, if you stand in front of the bushes, you’re in serious danger of straining your neck from watching them fly and spring back and forth. Yet another free entertainment package from Mother Nature (with a little voyeurism thrown in)!

Seven Sisters Country Park

16 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by sconzani in birds, insects, nature, parks, wildflowers

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, chalk cliffs, Cuckmere River, East Sussex, Seven Sisters Country Park

Last Wednesday Jill and I walked the full length of the Seven Sisters Country Park in East Sussex twice, down to the sea and back on one side of the river, followed by a break for a delicious lunch at the Cuckoo Inn, and then down to the sea and back on the other side of the river.

160816 7 sisters (1)

We did the same walk on 13 August 2014 and it was top of my list to do again on this visit. Rather than the cloudless, bright blue sky of two years ago, this time it was quite overcast though no less beautiful as the clouds lent a different atmosphere to the landscape, creating a more moody feel that I almost prefer.

160816 7 sisters (11)

The huge chalk cliffs were just as awe-inspiring, the cliff tops were covered with luxuriant wildflower growth, and we delighted in sightings of birds and insects. It was a magical day!

To walk the landscapes of the Seven Sisters Country Park, check out my Sconzani blog posts: this was on a blue-sky day in 2014 and this was last week.

I’m following a tree: month 7

07 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by sconzani in nature, parks, trees

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Bute Park, Dawn redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, redwood tree

Midsummer has been and gone and, though we’ve had some glorious sunny days – and a short heat wave, we’ve also had some unseasonably cool weather. Perhaps that’s why there are definite signs of autumn to be seen in the foliage of trees and shrubs in my local parks and woodlands.

Even Dawn Redwood is showing small signs of the changing seasons and, remember, most unusually for a conifer, Dawn is deciduous. So, these tiny tinges of orange and red are just a hint of how spectacular she will be when the real autumn weather comes.

160807 dawn redwood (5)

Some time during the month, Dawn seems to have suffered a little damage at the top of the tree. Either that or she’s had an incredible growth spurt in one particular branch, which I doubt. You can see the change in the photos below: the one on the left as taken in May 2016, the one on the right in late July 2016.

We haven’t had any particularly strong winds or stormy weather so I’m not sure what happened to cause this change but she looks rather wild and a little unkempt compared to her previously perfect pyramidal shape. It will be interesting to see if this corrects itself or if she loses that errant branch or if she just stays this way. Time alone will tell.

Tree following is fascinating and fun. Why not join in? You can find out more here.

A birder’s bliss

25 Monday Apr 2016

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, parks

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, Blackcap, Blue tit, British birds, chaffinch, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Great tit, jackdaw, robin, Woodpigeon

We’ve seen some of the landscape at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park; we’ve checked out the prime lakefront real estate; and we’ve been tit-elated by some of its small birds. Now, here’s what was on Nature’s menu last Wednesday.

160425 blackcap

The absolute highlight of the day was seeing my first Blackcap, and not just one, but five in total, at different times, in different locations, including a female (she wears a brown cap). I was well pleased with that!

160425 tits

After a quiet birding day last time I visited, I was delighted to see more of my favourites this time: a robin was feeding its fledgling; the great and blue tits were demanding food; chaffinches and wood pigeons were getting tucked in to seed left by others; two buzzards were gliding overhead, looking for lunch; a jackdaw was collecting nest-making materials.

As well as these and many other birds, there was a wonderful assortment of butterflies and bees feasting on the lesser celandine and wild violets flowering along the path edges. There were occasional clumps of bluebells and wafts of wild garlic flowers, and it was a gloriously warm spring day. A man I met during my wandering told me I looked happy, and so I was, doing what I love most – being with nature.

Cosmeston Lakes Country Park

24 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by sconzani in nature, parks

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

birding, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, countryside, walks, wildflowers

I’ve mentioned Cosmeston Lakes Country Park a couple of times previously in this blog so I thought I would show you what a wonderful place it is for a visit. With two lakes and over 100 hectares of woodland and meadows, it’s a place you can get lost in – or, at least, find somewhere to escape the madding crowd.

160424 cosmeston (5)

Where the lakes now provide homes to a myriad of waterbirds there used to be limestone quarries, providing the raw material for the since demolished British Portland Cement works. And the northern part of the park, which was once the site of two rubbish tips – the air vents can still be seen dotted around the grasslands, is now the perfect environment for wildflowers, birds and insects. It is a splendid example of a landscape reclaimed from the ravages of mankind to provide a home for wildlife, and so successful has that transformation been that some areas are now designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

160424 cosmeston (2)

The park is not far from Penarth, a seaside town on the outskirts of Cardiff. It is easily accessible by car or public bus, though I prefer to catch the train to Penarth then walk along the now-disused railway track that has been converted to a tree-lined trail heading west. For me, that provides the perfect start to a wonderful long wander in the park.