15 Thursday May 2025
I feel a bit like these beautiful Brimstones, needing to refuel to restore my energy after yesterday’s house move. My surroundings are still chaotic but I made sure to get out for a short time today because walking in Nature is how I heal, how I find peace amongst the madness, how I refuel my mind and my spirit.
The image above shows a female Brimstone, which is paler than the more yellowy male in the photo below. Red campion was their flower of choice this day.
11 Sunday May 2025
Posted in flowers, spring, wildflowers
Over the past few weeks I’ve been gathering photographs of white wildflowers during my walks. These are what I’ve found: Bramble, Chickweed, Cleavers, Daisy, Garlic mustard, Hairy tare, Hedge parsley, Meadowsweet, Oxeye daisy, Three-cornered leek, Wavy bittercress, White clover, Wild strawberry, Wood anemone, and Woodruff.
08 Thursday May 2025
Spring bird migration passed rather quietly this year, presumably because most incoming birds chose to fly straight through to their breeding locations rather than stop off here on the south Wales coast for a breather. And the breeding process is in full swing with the local birds – they’re either shouting from the bush tops about what a great mate they would be, or rushing around trying to find insects to feed hungry chicks.
In view of the breeding madness going on all around it, I was very impressed with how calm and serene this Dunnock was looking. Perhaps it’s too young to breed, or maybe its first attempt at nesting failed and it hasn’t yet tried again.
Sadly, I’m fairly sure this year’s nesting attempt has failed for my Crow family. For a couple of weeks, the male was desperate for food and quite obviously taking it back to one specific location in the woods, either to feed his mate and/or their offspring. But today both the male and female appeared for food and they had reverted to their usual practice of flying off short distances to stash food amongst low vegetation, then coming back for more. That’s the second year their breeding attempts have failed, which is concerning.
When the stress of life and breeding and chicks all gets too much, what’s a bird to do but find a nice puddle and have a good splash! These Goldfinches really looked like they were having fun.
04 Sunday May 2025
Posted in plants, spring, wildflowers
Tags
British wildflowers, Cwm George, Herb Paris, Herb-Paris, Paris quadrifolia, wildflower, woodland wildflowers
I’ve written about Herb-Paris (Paris quadrifolia) a couple of times before (Herb-Paris, May 2017 and Devil-in-a-bush, April 2021) but it’s such a lovely and unusual plant that I feel it deserves another post, this time primarily of images that I captured when I went on my annual Herb-Paris pilgrimage to Cwm George woodland, in Dinas Powys, earlier this week.
02 Friday May 2025
Tags
British butterflies, butterfly, Common blue, Common blue butterfly, Dingy Skipper, Large white, Small copper, Spring colour
Just as it’s always magical to see my first butterfly of the year, so is it just as special each time I see the first of each new species. These are the four most recent beauties that have made me smile.
On 25 April my first Large white of 2025 flitted along the footpath next to me, sipped on a Dandelion, then settled on a Bramble leaf long enough for me to photograph.
The next butterfly species to appear for me locally, on 27 April, was this lovely Dingy skipper at an unexpected location – a bonus!
The last few days of hotter than usual temperatures have presumably triggered the early emergence of some species. This stunning male Common blue popped up on 28 April, five days earlier than my previous earliest date.
And, this very morning, eight days earlier than I’ve ever seen one before, I caught a flash of brilliant orange and there sat this gorgeous Small copper, always a treat to see.
01 Thursday May 2025
The Moorhens that make their home in the dipping pond at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park are prolific breeders, producing on average three broods of between 5 and 7 chicks each year. The little cutie pictured here is one of this year’s first brood and, though one parent was keeping an eye on this one and its siblings, the other adult was already preparing their next nest. According to the BTO, though the record for Moorhen survival currently stands at over 11 years, their average lifespan is just 3 years, and they begin breeding at age one. With statistics like that, you’d think our waterways would be overrun by Moorhens but their predation rate is high, with both wild and domestic mammals taking their toll, as well as birds like Grey herons and the large gull species feasting on the smaller chicks. This Moorhen chick may be a little sweetie but its life will almost certainly be a tough one.
27 Sunday Apr 2025
Posted in flowers, spring, wildflowers
I had hoped to get to my local slice of ancient woodland for a walk amongst the native Bluebells this week but it didn’t happen so here are some beautiful non-native but naturalised Bluebells that I’ve encountered in this week’s urban meanders. I hope you all have woodlands near you with Bluebells to enjoy.
26 Saturday Apr 2025
Tags
Fine streaked bugkin, Fine streaked bugkin nymphs, Miridae, Miris striatus, Miris striatus nymphs, plant bug nymphs, plant bugs
At first glance, I thought these little creatures were fancy ants but a closer look took in the striped waist, the longer antennae and the generally larger size, and I knew they definitely weren’t ants. But what were they?
At this time of year, many insects are still in their early stages of development, particularly those that have over-wintered as eggs, so they can be tricky to identify. Usually, some well-focused internet research produces an answer, or a clue I can then follow, and, luckily, that was the case with these tiny creatures.
These are the nymphs of Miris striatus, a plant bug that has the wonderfully descriptive common name of Fine streaked bugkin – although these nymphs have their small yellow stripes, the streaking actually refers to the adult bugs, photos of which you can see on Naturespot by clicking this link.
That website entry states that these insects are usually associated with Oak and Hawthorn but, as I often find, creatures don’t read websites, and these bugkin nymphs were all on a single willow sapling (though there were Hawthorn bushes nearby). I’ll have to keep an eye out for the adults from May through to July.
20 Sunday Apr 2025
Posted in insects, spring, wildflowers
Tags
Allium ursinum, British wildflowers, Dark-edged bee-fly, Honey bee, Ramsons, solitary bee, Speckled wood, spring flowers, Wild garlic
The first two days of the Easter break were very wet so I’m glad I took these images last Sunday. One of our local parks has the perfect environment for Wild garlic – Ramsons, if you prefer, Allium ursinum. A shallow ravine runs through the park, with a small stream meandering along its base, and, at this time of year, the steep sides of the gulley are carpeted with the lush green leaves and bright white umbels of garlic flowers. Elsewhere in the park, under tall old trees, the path is also lined with Wild garlic, so anywhere you walk, whenever you breathe, your nostrils are almost assaulted by garlic’s strong smell.
Though I know some people can’t tolerate this odour, it doesn’t seem to affect the insects, neither attracts nor repels them; a flower’s a flower, with the pollen and nectar that nurtures them. Last Sunday’s walk wasn’t particularly sunny but I still found a few creatures feeding greedily: a Speckled wood, a teeny solitary bee and a Honey bee, and a Dark-edged bee-fly.
18 Friday Apr 2025
How many berry-flavoured suet pellets can YOU fit in your beak at one time?
I haven’t been to Cosmeston very often lately but, when I do, this gorgeous bird, my male Crow friend, comes flying almost directly to my feet. Of course, I know it’s not about me but rather the food I carry for him. And yesterday was definitely all about the food. He came alone and flew with several beaks full of food in to the trees, so I’m guessing he’s feeding his missus and possibly even young chicks. As their nesting attempt failed last year, I’m hoping my small contribution will help with this year’s.
earthstar 
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