• Home
  • about
  • about the photographs
  • Rhos-on-Sea
    • St.Trillo’s Chapel
  • Bryn Euryn Local Nature Reserve
  • Bryn Pydew Nature Reserve
  • Mynydd Marian
  • Coed Pwllycrochan Wood
  • Rhiwledyn Nature Reserve
    • Grey Seals in North Wales
  • Great Orme
  • Llanddwyn Island & Newborough Warren
  • The Wales Coast Path
  • Wildflowers of Coastal Paths, Cliffs and Dunes

everyday nature trails

everyday nature trails

Tag Archives: hemp agrimony

September Hillside

24 Sunday Sep 2017

Posted by theresagreen in British hoverflies, Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, Butterflies of Wales, calcareous grassland, hoverflies, Nature of Wales, North Wales, slugs & snails, Wildflowers of Wales

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Arion flagellus, common carder bee, common knapweed, eyebright, green-soled slug, hemp agrimony, robin's pincushion, scabious, speckled wood, volucella zonaria, yarrow

September 8th-Bryn Euryn

As I’ve already said, it was mighty windy out here on the not-quite-summit of the hill; not the day for hanging around gazing at the views, no matter how stunning they may be.

Windswept not-quite-summit of Bryn Euryn

A quick look around showed there to be little left in the way wildflowers in bloom, but there was colour on a wild rose – a whole colony of bright red Robin’s Pincushion galls. I don’t recall ever having seen as many on a single plant. The fuzzy growths will gradually fade to brown and the little wasps that cause the growths will emerge in June. If I’m lucky, one of these days I’ll catch them coming out, although the galls also attract ‘squatters’ and there can be a dozen or more species lodging in there!

I was to keen to keep moving, but when I spotted this lovely patch of Eyebright I couldn’t resist stopping again.

The dip between this part of the hill and the slope up to the summit is usually sheltered and offers a brief respite from the wind and the noise of traffic from the A55 below, but not so today. Yarrow likes this spot and there was quite a good large patch of it still in flower here. As with Eyebright, Yarrow is a plant designed to withstand tough growing conditions and is pretty persistent, as anyone that has tried to eliminate it from a lawn will testify; you cut it down and it grows right back! Personally I prefer the ferny-leaved Yarrow to the boring grass! Funny how we discriminate against certain plants, this wildflower Yarrow’s taller-growing golden-yellow flowered relative, Achillea, is a cherished garden plant!

Some insects rather like its flowers too, I found a tiny bee motionless on a flower today and recalled I’d seen a similar looking insect on Yarrow in the Rhiwleddyn reserve a few weeks ago.

Tiny bee on Yarrow – enlarged

On the summit a patch of purple Knapweed was fuelling a few Common Carder bees that were managing to cling on and fly short distances despite the best efforts of the wind to dislodge them. The little bees had varying appearances; some were practically perfect, others a bit more battered, their ‘fur’ worn away and at least one that had a bleached appearance like it had spent too long out in the sun.

Common carder bee-practically perfect
Common carder bee-practically perfect
Common carder bee-a little faded
Common carder bee-a little faded
Common carder bee-fur worn from back
Common carder bee-fur worn from back
Common carder bee-bleached
Common carder bee-bleached

There was another lovely clump of Eyebright up here, this one framed by the distinctively-arranged pods that give the Bird’s-foot trefoil its name.

More Yarrow too, this plant sheltering a tiny fly.

I was hoping that the other side of the hill would be a bit more protected from the wind, but alas, most of it wasn’t. The sun was putting in sporadic appearances though, so at least it felt a bit warmer. Ironically, the sea looked to be calm, was coloured in shades of beautiful blue and its surface merely ruffled. The blades of the wind turbines were motionless.

Looking over in the opposite direction to te sea, the view to the oddly-shaped hill at Deganwy, was fairly clear, although beyond it, Anglesey and the Menai Strait were shrouded in a light haze. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before, but the hill is named the Vardre and gets its unusual appearance from having two rocky summits. It has a little less height than Bryn Euryn, it being 108m, (354 feet) while the Bryn is 131m (365 feet). It was once home to fortifications that included Deganwy Castle.

On the woodland edge leaves are beginning to change colour. Hawthorn is one of the first to go

along with Silver birch as I mentioned in the previous post. Out here in the open it was easier to appreciate the combination of yellow leaves against a clear blue sky.

Next to the Silver birch is a single Whitebeam, which bears berries. The berries are orange in colour now but will gradually turn red.

In the short grass there are still a few Rock-roses in flower and here and there are big fat ‘penny-bun’, or Bolete mushrooms. At least they would have been big and fat before they were nibbled away. I like the different shades and textures such nibbling has left on this one; there was a little black spider on it too.

I have often wondered what nibbled the mushrooms. A picture I took a few weeks ago, at the end of July may have the answer. The sight amused me and I wondered if it was a romantic al-fresco lunch for two? Of course there is more to slugs than meets the eye. No gardener is ever going to welcome them onto their plot, but out in the wild they are another important cog in the wheel of the natural waste-disposal system. Although one slug may look rather like another, there are rather a lot of different species of them in our British Isles. I submitted this image to the very helpful folk that run the Slugs and Snails of the British Isles Facebook Group, who responded that to be accurate they need to see the undersides of the slugs too, but from other features that it is likely they are juvenile Arion flagellus – the Green-soled slug.

poss. Arion flagellus- the Green-soled slug

The bottom of the grassy ‘downland’ hill was still flowery with Hemp Agrimony, Knapweed, touches of Scabious and a sprinkling of Ragwort.

I walked down to where it meets with the woodland edge and lo and behold, for a few glorious minutes the sun came out. Suddenly it was warm and bright and the scene came alive with a whole host of insects vying with one another for the best blossoms.

Speckled wood on Hemp agrimony

I hardly knew where to look first, but then couldn’t resist the sight of a pristine Speckled wood feasting on Hemp agrimony. There were several of them, all looking freshly beautiful; most were nectaring on various flowers while some rested on the leaves of nearby trees basking in the sunshine. The only other butterflies in evidence were Red Admirals which unusually stayed out of range of the camera.

Speckled wood on ragwort

There was a good variety of hoverflies,large and small, a Common wasp and more Common carder bees too.

Hoverfly - Eristalis sp
Hoverfly – Eristalis sp
Hoverfly - Eristalis sp
Hoverfly – Eristalis sp
Hoverfly-Helophilus sp
Hoverfly-Helophilus sp
Common wasp
Common wasp

Common Carder bee on Scabious

Volucella zonaria

A beautiful cast of insects, but the star of today’s show was a big handsome hoverfly, which surprisingly doesn’t have a common name, but whose scientific name, Volucella zonaria makes it sound a bit like an Italian pasta dish. This is the largest British hoverfly and is quite a recent addition to our native list, appearing on the south coast of England during the late 1930s. According to my Hoverfly bible, from there it has spread upwards and outwards across the country as far as Cheshire and Humberside and South Wales in the West. We’re not so far from the Cheshire border here, so they must still be spreading, this is the second one I’ve seen this year, the other was in my daughter’s garden a few weeks ago.

170908-1510-BEICT-Hoverfly-Volucella zonaria 3
170908-1510-BEICT-Hoverfly-Volucella zonaria 5

The spell of sunshine didn’t last long and the wind was still blowing relentlessly; time to set off in the direction of home.

Wind-blown ash tree

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Like this:

Like Loading...

Signs of Summer Passing

12 Friday Aug 2016

Posted by theresagreen in Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, bumblebees, Butterflies of Wales, calcareous grassland, Nature of Wales, North Wales, plants important to wilflife, spiders, Wildflowers of Wales

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

gatekeeper butterfly, hazelnuts, hemp agrimony, male bumblebees, Nature in August, Nursery Web spider, Odontites vernus, Red Admiral, Red bartsia, tree bumblebee, white-tailed bumblebee

Historically August can be quite a wet month and is statistically less likely to have long spells of sunny holiday weather than July. This August of 2016 is certainly following the trend.

August is the traditional month for the harvest in the British Isles, which is the reason it became the main school holiday month. In the past village children were recruited to help with the then labour-intensive process and the first general Education Acts drawn up in Victorian times, providing general primary education for all, took this into account. Even the youngest child could play a useful role in keeping the pigeons and crows away from the gleanings (spilt grains). 

060712-Cornfield & Poppies

August 5th

Finally, this mid-afternoon, having waited patiently all day for an interval of more than half-an-hour without signs of imminent rain, I seized my moment and headed for the hill. Not confident the break in the rain would last long, I didn’t linger on the pathway up through the woods, only stopping to photograph a Sycamore leaf afflicted with Tar-Spot fungus …..

160805-Bryn Euryn (1)-Sycamore leaf with tar fungus

…. and those of a shrubby plant I don’t recognise, well-patterned by leaf mines.

160805-Bryn Euryn (10)-leaves with leaf mines

A quick look over the fence on the wood’s edge didn’t look too promising; the Carneddau mountains to the west were veiled heavily by approaching rain clouds.

160805-Bryn Euryn (7)

Incoming rain

I reached the Woodland Trail in record time for me,  again stopping only briefly by the big bramble to note any activity on the late flush of newly-opening flowers. Just a male Tree bumblebee and a Meadow Brown butterfly. (It’s fairly easy to spot male bumblebees as they have no pollen baskets and no real purpose other than to eat to stay alive for as long as possible, so they don’t rush about like workers).

Tree Bumblebee (male)
Tree Bumblebee (male)
Meadow Brown butterfly
Meadow Brown butterfly

I had reached the line of used-to-be-coppiced Hazels when the rain arrived. Fortunately the foliage of the tree canopy is so dense there that hardly a drop got through, so I was kept dry even minus a waterproof. The Hazels here produce few nuts; perhaps because they know their efforts will be squandered by Grey Squirrels; they take them while still green, have a quick nibble to reach the soft kernel inside, then cast them to the ground when they are done.

160805-Bryn Euryn-Hazelnuts (not ripe)

160805-Bryn Euryn (18)-ground littered with hazelnuts

I waited until I could no longer hear rain on the tree leaves and carried on walking, noting how surprisingly green and fresh-looking the greenery was for this time of year.

160805-Bryn Euryn (23)-steps up to field

However, despite the greenery there are sure signs that this summer is past its peak. In Adder’s Field the Burnet roses are bearing fruits; the hips already dark red although not yet as dark as they will become. The Wild onion flowers are coming to an end and they too are producing fruits;  tiny bulbils which will sprout in situ, then drop to the ground and produce roots ready to grow into a new plant.

Hips of Burnet Rose
Flowers of Wild Onion
Fruits of Wild Onion are tiny bulbils

Stretched vertically between the rose stems was the tightly woven web-tent of a Nursery-web Spider. Peering down to its base I tracked down the weaver to where she was hiding, only some of her legs properly visible. These spiders are quite big and clumsy-looking yet produce such surprisingly fine web fabric; it’s like a piece of silk organza. (Arachnaphobes maybe scroll down quickly now!)

160805-Bryn Euryn (40b)-Nursery web spider160805-Bryn Euryn (40a)-Nursery web spider on web

The Wild clematis, or Old-man’s Beard as it will become, is in flower too, another signaller of the slide into Autumn.

160805-Bryn Euryn (34)-Wild clematis flowers

On the opposite side of the field the swathe of Hemp Agrimony is in full flower and after the rain, the warming sunshine was drawing out a crowd of insects, literally buzzing with excitement at the abundance of nectar and pollen on offer.

160805-Bryn Euryn (60)-stand of Hemp Agrimony

Again, takers were mostly male bumblebees with a few hoverflies and butterflies.

Bumblebee dusted with pollen
Eristalis sp hoverfly
Helophilus sp. hoverfly

160805-Bryn Euryn (62a)-Gatekeeper

Sightings of Gatekeeper butterflies were top of my wish-list for today. I had already seen a few flying about in the last few days, but was pleased to find my first photographable one of this year. Its tiny size was emphasized by  the proximity of a large Red Admiral on a neighbouring flower.

160805-Bryn Euryn (61)-Red Admiral front view

Nearby, ragwort was also working to attract pollinators. A damaged 6-spot Burnet had taken respite on a flowerhead and was still there hours later when I passed it on my way home. There were more male bumblebees, hoverflies and a tiny black-and-white striped bee.

Damaged 6-spot Burnet
Male bombus praetorum
Small striped flower bee

At the top end of the field a patch of umbellifers – tall Hogweed amongst  shorter Upright Hedge Parsley.

160805-Bryn Euryn-Umbellifers

In previous years I have found a few stems of Red bartsia in flower amongst the long grass at this end of the field; this year there is a significantly larger patch of this interesting semi-parasitic plant.

160805-Bryn Euryn (73)-Red Bartsia-Odontites vernus

Given a week or two to finish ripening, a good crop of berries on the Rowan tree should keep the blackbirds going for a while.

160805-Bryn Euryn (74)-Rowan tree

Break here to sit on my favourite rock (still slightly damp), have a drink of water, eat a peach and scribble down notes before heading up towards the summit.

Click for more info within this blog about:  Nursery Web Spider : Gatekeeper butterfly

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Like this:

Like Loading...

A summer evening’s walk on the Bryn

20 Sunday Jul 2014

Posted by theresagreen in Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, Nature, Nature of Wales, nature photography, North Wales, Wildflowers of Wales

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

carline thistle, common soldier beetle, forest bug, harebell, hemp agrimony, hogweed, mating red beetles, Meadow Brown, rowan berries, tapered drone fly

There’s no such thing as a bad time to enjoy a walk on Bryn Euryn, but during the longer daylight hours of the summer, an early evening during the week can be the perfect time to find it quiet and peaceful.

The woodland is almost silent now, with just the occasional rustle from the undergrowth or the flash of a skulking bird to remind you that you are not alone here. It reminds me of such walks in the woods around the cottage I grew up in, at an age when my imagination frequently ran riot and I was convinced I was being watched from every tree and shrub. By what or whom I’m still not sure, but I can clearly remember that feeling  on summer evenings such as this, when the silence is almost tangible.

Out in the open insects are making the most of the late sunshine to stoke up on nectar fuel for the night.  Hogweed is in flower and almost every umbel has at least one pair of mating soldier beetles.

Soldier beetles mating on a hogweed flower

Soldier beetles mating on a hogweed flower

The slightly cooler temperature of an early evening can make it easier to photograph some insects as they are intent on feeding and move a little slower.

A Tapered Drone Fly- Eristalis pertinax on hogweed

A Tapered Drone Fly- Eristalis pertinax  (male) on hogweed

A movement at the top of a long grass stem caught my eye and I found this lovely Forest bug balancing there. It has a lovely bronzy sheen to its wing-cases.

Forest bug- Pentatoma rufipes

Forest bug- Pentatoma rufipes

Brambles are beginning to develop berries, but there are still flowers on some bushes attracting bees and hoverflies.

Marmalade fly on a bramble flower

Marmalade fly on a bramble flower

One of my favourite wildflowers, the Harebell is in fresh full bloom now. Sometimes they find themselves growing in goups, caught up amongst long grass stems where they grow longer stems to reach the open air.

Harebells in long grass

Harebells in long grass

I love to see them best growing from shorter turf, their beautiful blue bells held aloft on sturdy wiry stems where they can turn towards the sun and nod and wave freely in the breeze.

Harebell- Campanula rotundifolia

Harebell- Campanula rotundifolia

An important summer nectar flower, Hemp Agrimony, whose dusky pink flowers are relished by some species of butterflies is also blooming now. The impressive stand of it in my photograph was in shade this evening, so no visitors; I’ll have to come back earlier on a sunny day.

An impressive stand of Hemp Agrimony

An impressive stand of Hemp Agrimony

While some plants are at the peak of their flowering, others are already beginning to produce their fruits. I mentioned blackberries earlier, which are just beginning to form, but there are wild-growing raspberries here that are perfectly ripe. I couldn’t resist picking and eating a few; sorry birds.

Wild raspberries

Wild raspberries

The hips on the Burnet Roses are formingly nicely, already a good size and red in colour, they will get bigger yet and turn black.

Burnet Rose hips forming

Burnet Rose hips forming

There are tiny acorns on the oak trees too.

Tiny acorns forming on the oak trees

Tiny acorns forming on the oak trees

And the Rowan trees have ripening berries.

Ripening Rowan berries

Ripening Rowan berries

Back into the woods for a short while and its very quiet, although I have heard a Chiffchaff as I’ve been walking around and disturbed a young Robin where it was pecking around on the damp earth of the track. Emerging back into the sunshine onto the grassy hillside I also disturbed a rabbit that raced off up the steep hill in front of me. I watched its white cotton tail bobbing away and envying the effortless way it bounded up there. There are a lot of rabbits here that do a great job of grass-keeping in certain areas, but you don’t see them often.

Run, rabbit

Run, rabbit

Almost at the top of the hill I stopped to gaze at the view as I always do. That’s not just to catch my breath, although it helps, but it’s a stunning view whatever time of day or year you’re admiring it. I love it when as now the sun is lower in the sky and shadows sculpt the hills. The sky was particularly interesting this evening too.

Evening panorama from Bryn Euryn. (click on image for a better view)

Evening panorama from Bryn Euryn. (click on image for a better view)

On the rockier summit of the hill, where the soil is thinner and more calcareous, the fascinating Carline thistle thrives. For much of the year you can see the dried out remains of the leaves and flowers, but now is the time to catch it coming into full curious flower. I will go into more detail about this plant in a later post.

Carline thistles growing amongst rocks

Carline thistle growing amongst rocks

I had seen a few butterflies during the course of my walk, all fluttering around in the long grass. There were a few Small Heaths, but most were Meadow Browns. Just as I was heading back towards a woodland path to head back to the car, this one fluttered into view and landed on the tight bud of a knapweed flower. I was really pleased, as although this is an abundant species here, they are rarely this obliging and views such as this are not often offered.

Meadow Brown butterfly on the bud of a knapweed

Meadow Brown butterfly on the bud of a knapweed

 

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Like this:

Like Loading...

Late summer on Bryn Euryn

08 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by theresagreen in Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, bumblebees, Local Nature Reserves, Nature, nature photography, Wildflowers of Wales

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

agrimony, black knapweed, Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, carder bumblebee, gatekeeper butterfly, hemp agrimony, hoverflies, Meadow Brown, nodding wild onion, peacock butterfly, ragwort, red-tailed bumblebee, self-heal, wildflowers of Bryn Euryn

The soggy conditions created by the rainfall this year have not been ideal for many late summer wildflowers and, perhaps as a result of that, it seems to me that there has been a drop in some insect populations. I was on the lookout for flower beetles, in particular soldier beetles, which in  previous years have been prolific, and struggled to find many at all.

I spent a couple of hours roaming the pathways of Bryn Euryn on one sunny afternoon in mid-August, ignoring grey clouds rolling in at my peril, getting caught right at the top in a proper downpour. There is  almost always something interesting to photograph here whatever the weather though, and these are my offerings for that day.

There were very few plants still flowering on the lower field edge, but the first one, the Great Willowherb, often mistaken for Rosebay Willowherb, is one I’ve wanted to mention for a while and will do at greater length soon.

Great willowherb is often mistaken for rosebay willowherb

Common Mallow-Malva sylvestris

banded Snail on a bindweed leaf

Greenbottle fly-Lucilia caesar on Hogweed flowers

Most of the hogweed plants are setting seed


Self-heal- Prunella vulgaris

In the clearing at the top of the steps that cut through the lower woodland is a bramble patch that always seems to attract an array of nectar-seeking insects. Today there were a good number of hoverflies, most the one photographed below, but there were a few other Eristalis species too.

This attractive hoverfly is Helophilus pendulus, common names are Sun Fly as it does enjoy basking in sunny patches, and The Footballer referring to its colours and stripy patterning

Eristalis on Wild Carrot- Daucus carota

I headed a bit round to the open grassy area that this time last year was covered in purple flowered knapweed and buzzing with dozens of insects,  but now was looking quite bedraggled and bereft of colourful blooms. There was some knapweed, but hardly enough to go around apparently as most of the flowers had more than one bumblebee or hoverfly competing for its bounty.

Black Knapweed-Centaurea nigra

Red-tailed Bumblebee on knapweed flower

Common Carder bee on knapweed

In amongst the long damp grass was a pink flower that I recognised from last year but didn’t get around to identifying. This (I believe/hope) is an unusual plant of the allium family, common name Nodding Wild Onion or Allium. The pink bell-shaped flowers are  tiny and have protruding stamens; very pretty.

Nodding Wild Onion-Allium Cernuum tangled in amongst the long damp grass

A closer look at the pretty little flowers

There were a few plants of Agrimony – Agrimoniia eupatoria

The other staple of late summer nectar, Ragwort, is also flowering of course. I can’t not include it here, so thought I’d just put in a close-up of an individual flower to show how pretty they really are.

Close up of Ragwort flowers

One flowering plant that is relishing the damp conditions and flowering prolifically here was Hemp Agrimony. Its flat, open flowers are very attractive to insects; great for butterflies.

Hemp Agrimony-Eupatorium cannabinum

A partially-open flower head of hemp agrimony

There were a few butterflies about, but as the clouds came over and the air cooled those that were out and about were not very mobile. Meadow Browns were most numerous but most were fluttering about low down in the long grass. I spotted one on Hemp Agrimony, also a single Gatekeeper and was taken by surprise when a Peacock (butterfly!) flew right in front of my face. I did photograph them all, but by now it was minutes away from the onset of the downpour and quite dark, so the resulting images are a bit grainy, but there for the record.

Meadow Brown on Hemp Agrimony

Gatekeeper – Pyronia tithonus

Peacock – Nymphalis io, looking a bit faded and worn, on hemp agrimony

Tiny acorns are beginning to show on the oak trees

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Like this:

Like Loading...

Late summer wildflowers and busy bumblebees

31 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by theresagreen in Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, bumblebees, Nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

carder bee, forest bug, hemp agrimony, hoverflies, knapweed, late summer wildflowers, michaelmas daisy

11th August

Taking advantage of a pause in the rain I headed up to Bryn Euryn for some fresh air. Planning to stick to the woodland areas in case it began raining again, the track passed by a cleared grassy area that was bright with purple knapweed flowers and noticing insects flying, despite the coolness and dampness of the afternoon, I got waylaid for a while. Looking more closely I realised there were large numbers of bumblebees and hoverflies of several different species flying around the flowers busily taking nectar or collecting pollen, all doubtless also taking advantage of the dry interlude. The opportunity to get a good look at the insects as they were slowed down a little by the coolness of the air kept me there, stooped over with the camera, for a good half and hour or so and also got me some funny looks from passing dog-walkers.

11/8/11- Flowery grassland attracting dozens of insects

11/8/11-Black Knapweed-Centaurea nigra

Centaurea nigra is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names Lesser Knapweed, Common Knapweed and Black Knapweed. A local vernacular name is Hardheads. The plant flowers from July until September and is important  for a large number of insects including Gatekeeper, Large skipper, Lime-speck pug moth, Meadow Brown, Painted lady, Peacock, Red admiral, Small copper, Small Skipper, Honeybee and Bumblebees and Hoverflies. Goldfinches later feed on the seeds.

The plant is native to Europe but it is known on other continents as an introduced species where it is often treated as a noxious weed.

11/8/11-Buff-tailed bumblebee-Bombus terrestris

11/8/11-Red-tailed bumblebee (m)-Bombus lapidarius

11/8/11-Common Carder Bee-Bombus pascuorum

The common carder bee, Bombus pascuorum, has shaggy hair and can be seen at flowers late in the year, often into November in southern Britain. It is one of our most common bumblebee species, found even in the centres of large cities.

11/8/11-Hoverfly-Syrphus ribesii

11/8/11-Hoverfly- Melangyna cincta

11/8/11-Hemp Agrimony

Also attracting the attentions of a few insects were the flowers of Hemp Agrimony –  (Eupatorium cannabinum)

A large plant (1-2m) often found in clumps with big, fluffy heads of tiny pink flowers. Its leaves grow up to 10cm long and are arranged in pairs on a reddish stem.

Can be found throughout the UK growing in open or shady, damp or dry areas; waste ground and near water.

Flowers July-September.

11/8/11- Hemp Agrimony- Eupatorium cannabinum

The ‘hemp’ part of the plant’s common name comes from the similarity between its leaves and that of the cannabis plant. The two species are entirely unrelated, however, and do not share any other properties!

Hemp-agrimony is one of the flowers Plantlife keep track of in their Wildflowers Count survey – click here to find out how you can help out.

11/8/11-Drone fly-Eristalsis arbustorum

11/8/11-A mating pair of Red Soldier beetles

A plant I’m not sure about the identity of has similar flowerheads to the wild carrot/parsley but all parts are smaller and more delicate. This particular one was supporting a mating pair of Red Soldier beetles as well attracting a variety of small flies.

A 6-spot Burnet Moth was sheltering from the showers, clinging to a grass stem.

11/8/11-A 6-spot Burnet Moth resting on a grass stem

A wildflower I do recognise and can name is Agrimony, also familiar to me as one of the 38 Bach flower remedies. The plant is quite delicate-looking and may be easily overlooked, but it has a long history of use as a healing herb.

11/8/11-Agrimony

Agrimonia eupatoria is a species of agrimony that is often referred to as common agrimony, church steeples or sticklewort.

The common agrimony grows as a deciduous, perennial herbaceous plant and reached heights of up to 100 centimeters. Its roots are deep rhizomes , from which spring the stems. It is characterized by its typical serrated edged pinnate leaves. The whole plant is dark green with numerous soft hairs that assist in the plant’s seed pods sticking to any animal or person coming in contact with the plant. The flower spikes have a delicately spicy scent, a little like apricots.

A. eupatoria is a foodplant for the caterpillars of the snout moth Endotricha flammealis.

11/8/11-Michaelmas daisy-Aster novi-belgii

Originating in North America, Michaelmas daisies were originally introduced to Britain from North America in the early 1700’s. Although they are not native, they survive extremely well and are grown in gardens for their late summer flowers. The plant has also become naturalised and is found in wild places throughout the UK, often growing on damp ground or close to streams. It flowers from August through to late October providing late-flying butterflies such as peacocks and small tortoiseshells with a good source of nectar.

Michaelmas means Michael’s Mass. The flowers traditionally bloom on September 29th which is ‘The Feast of Saint Michael’.

Ragwort is still flowering profusely and I photographed a further two insects on separate plants, a Forest bug and a 6-spot Burnet Moth.

11/8/11- Forest bug - Pentatoma rufipes

The forest bug, Pentatoma rufipes, is a species of shield bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is a common and widespread species found in forests and woodlands worldwide. It is shiny dark brown with red-orange markings on its body and bright orange legs. It is shaped like an escutcheon-type shield, flat, and about 14 millimetres (0.55 in) long. Its distinguishing characteristic is a pair of plates extending forward from the shoulders at the front of its dorsal thorax.

The forest bug’s main food source is any of several species of oak. It is a sap-feeder and uses piercing mouthparts to withdraw the liquid. It can also be found on other species of deciduous trees. The forest bug may also be regarded an agricultural and garden pest, as it will not hesitate to feed on fruit and nut trees. Occasionally it will consume other insects.

Adults lay eggs during the summer in the cracks of tree bark, and the larvae hatch the following spring.

11/8/11-6-spot Burnet moth on ragwort

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Like this:

Like Loading...
Follow everyday nature trails on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

‘But it is the common species that keep the living world ticking over and provide most of our experiences of wildlife, and I would argue that maintaining the abundance of these is as important a conservation priority as maintaining the existence of rarities’. Richard Mabey

MOST RECENT POSTS

  • Scouting Signs of Spring March 16, 2023
  • January on the Bryn January 21, 2023
  • Squirrelling Away…… October 23, 2022
  • Conwy Marine Walk February 15, 2022
  • Blowing Away the Cobwebs January 26, 2022
  • On the Trail of the Jackdaws of Conwy Town January 17, 2022

OLDER POSTS

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING IN PARTICULAR?

  • The life of a Yellow Dung-fly
    The life of a Yellow Dung-fly
  • Grey Seals in North Wales
    Grey Seals in North Wales
  • Love your weeds - Red Deadnettle
    Love your weeds - Red Deadnettle
  • The Foxglove - of Fairytales, Myths & Medicine
    The Foxglove - of Fairytales, Myths & Medicine
  • Zig-Zagging up the Great Orme
    Zig-Zagging up the Great Orme
  • Spot the 'greens' on the Little Orme, but please don't eat them!
    Spot the 'greens' on the Little Orme, but please don't eat them!
  • Ravens of the Little Orme
    Ravens of the Little Orme
  • Dale beach and the Gann Estuary
    Dale beach and the Gann Estuary
  • Bird study : A Chiffchaff's year
    Bird study : A Chiffchaff's year
  • Wild in Eastville Park
    Wild in Eastville Park

nightingale trails

The Walk of the Monarch Butterfly-Sendero de la Mariposa Monarca

The Walk of the Monarch Butterfly-Sendero de la Mariposa Monarca

MY WILDFLOWER BLOG: where the wildflowers are

Snowdrop

Snowdrop

most recent posts

Follow everyday nature trails on WordPress.com

Social

  • View teresamaygreen’s profile on Twitter

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Website Built with WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • everyday nature trails
    • Join 344 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • everyday nature trails
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: