December Nature Notes

January Nature Notes
 

February Nature Notes

March Nature Notes

April Nature Notes

BUTTERFLIES

Peacocks, one of our most showy butterflies, will come out of hibernation this month.  When their wings open you can see the four 'eyes' which, when flashed suddenly, are a deterrent to predators. Small tortoiseshells will also be around, having overwintered in dry places such as garden sheds or garages. Small white butterflies, which do not hibernate as adults, will have emerged from their chrysalids. Later in the month the holly blue, the first blue butterfly of the year, will appear. The females of this spring brood lay their eggs on holly, at the base of the unopened flower buds on which their caterpillars will feed.

BIRDS

The dawn chorus is now gaining in strength. The song thrush usually starts to sing first and the other birds soon join in. As soon as it is light they cease singing and begin to hunt for food. Nest building is well underway for most birds. The song thrush lays four to five bright blue eggs which have a few black spots. Hedge sparrows lay smaller blue eggs without spots. Male wrens build several 'cock nests' - little covered nests in nooks and crannies - to lure a mate. When the female wren chooses one of the nests she lines it with feathers and lays a clutch of half a dozen or so tiny eggs.

TREES / PLANTS

The blackthorn petals are beginning to drop, but along the Line their place is taken by swathes of cow parsley coming into flower. Towards the end of the month bluebells are in full bloom. Some may have white or pinkish flowers. The true native bluebell has a narrow stem with deep blue, scented flowers which droop from one side of the stem. The Spanish bluebell which is increasingly seen along the Line, is a very successful garden escape. It has paler blue, larger, more fleshy, unscented flowers which grow from all around a  much more sturdy stem. Its leaves are less slender and more strap-like. Just to confuse matters, there are hybrids along the Line which show characteristics of both types!

The sycamores are finally coming into leaf though some may not do so until next month. Their greenish flowers dangle from the buds. The tree was introduced from Central Europe and was widely planted in Britain in the late eighteenth century. In 1706 John Evelyn wrote of the honeydew produced by the aphids feeding on sycamores which 'contaminate and mar our Walks'. This is the sticky film we find on our cars when we make the mistake of parking under any tree on which aphids are feeding in the summer. Mature sycamores seed prolifically and grow quickly, shading out native species. Friends of the Nickey Line spend many happy hours pulling up sycamore seedlings so that the tree does not become too dominant along some parts of the line. In its favour the leaves decay quickly and boost earthworm populations and it hosts a higher number of aphids than any of our native trees, which is good news for many birds.

Like the sycamore, the oak is quite late in coming into leaf. Its new growth often has a dull pink flush. Look out for the small, green, male catkins, which are bunched below the emerging leaves. Many ash trees - another tree that is slow to come into leaf - are still showing their pointed black buds. The deep purple flowers appear first and wither as the leaves begin to open in pairs along the shoots.

April Nature Notes

Wildlife Interpretation Board
Progress on our new Wildlife Interpretation Board

Fungal Foray Wednesday 22 October 2008