Ringlets About

Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus Family Nymphalidae A butterfly in the Brown Family found on Bramble

 

On the Theme of Red and Blue

Red Campion Silene diocia

 

For get Me Not Myositis arvense

The Sexton or burying Beetle Nicophorous sp was found today unusually on vegetation likely in anticipation of the oncoming rain . This beetle is a Carrion Beetle and likely more at home underground or on the belly of a dead Crow. Unusally it appeared to respind to the bright flash of the camera jolting when the burst of light was emitted

The Brook Today

Well after Heavy Rains , although not as heavy as throughout April the book is swollen and noisy this is a SEGI Site of Special Geological Interest with much of the Geology being cut out by the fast flowing flash floods generated from the steep surrounding slopes of the Clough. In Summer the Marshy area around the stream is bright orange as a result of the high Iron Ore content . Black coal is also dislodged from the surrounding rock layers

 

More Brook Life.........

Marsh Marigold Caltha palustris found in damp Marshy Ground and sometimes seen in ponds and is a member of the buttercup family Caltha is derived from the Greek for 'goblet'.

Owl Midges & Honey Bee

Owl midges, AKA Moth flies, about 3-5 mm This little flies are associated with damp or wet ground and drains and belong to a family known as  Psychodidae   

 

Also found in the adjacent pasture to the Flowing Beck fuelled by the prolific flowering of Dandelions wwas this busy Honey Bee Apis mellifera

Yesterdays Butterflies

After the spell of inclement weather and rain Newly emerged Butterflies enjoyed the brief spell of Spring Sunshine here in the North , Flying along the riverine Corridor containing a Beck in a typical northern "Clough" where the following Butterflies  

The nectaring source for this sudden pulse of Lepidoptera was the adjacent pasture containing a flurry of Danfilions

Comma (Polygonia c-album ) worthy to note in passing that the first generation vary from the second generation to the trained eye - a Spring or Autumn comma can sometimes be deduced

Orange Tips - (Anthocharis cardamines)  Pair just after mating Male with Orange wings , Female with Black and white on Wings , These will be feeding on Cuckoo Flowers and other Brassicaes such as Garlic Mustard

Peacock - (Inachis io ) Ubiquitous on Budleija b this specimen appears to have one of his fresh wing spots pecked likely by a hungry bird

Brimstones , (Gonepteryx rhamni)  whose caterpillars will be availing of Spring Alder Buckthorn and Purging Buckthorn  There is only one brood per year and this is a long lived Butterfly which is seen throughout  the year from March onward Buckthorns Link

What's In the Beck ???

Todays outstanding sunshine managed to get the Insects moving  what a transformation in a few weeks

From this

To This

In tomorrows post we will post some of the findings but observed today where

Orange Tip

Brimstone

Comma
Peacock

Owl Midge

Eristalis pertinax
Eristalis tenax

Apis mellifera

Bombus pascuorum

Bombus terrestris

Sarcophaga spp

Ramsons

Wood Anemone
Lesser Celandine

Barren Strawberry

Dandelions in Bloom 

Longhorn Moth

Wolf's Bane (Slime Mould) Myxomycetes

Ganoderma

She's A Lady

In the forth coming weeks we will be looking at British Ladybirds , they are about 42 or so British Species and like Shieldbugs they usually make colourful and static photos for Nature Photographers. This one was found toward the end of the year but are currently around in the sunny spells of weather when we get them !!

Not many people rea;ise the Larave of these more colourful creatures look like this

More to follow in the coming months.......... In the Meantime here is a really useful PDF Chart to help you identify and Record your Findings which you can report the the UK Ladybird Survey

 Ladybird ID Guide

Dock Beetle Gastrophysa viridula

The Green Dock Beetle  Gastrophysa viridula is currently around the  breeding season is from March to October. A single female can lay over 1,000 eggs, laying them in clusters of 20 to 45 and can generate over a 2000 in 2- 4 broods in a year. This bright Green Beetle feeds on Dock Leaves and is responsible for the net Skeleton on some plants later in the season when the leaves have been fully eaten  Both sexes are green with a metallic shimmer and make excellent photographic subjects

Circa 4 - 6 mm

National Distribution Please Allow Time to Load .

VC 63 Distribution  Please Allow Time to Load

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Rainy Day Banjo

A little bit more Celtic Music played on the Irish Tenor bBanjo By Mick Fitzpatrick

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Hours of Showers April Showers !!

Some Sayings & Proverbs

March winds and April showers

bring forth May flowers

Oak before ash,
in for a splash
Ash before oak,
in for a soak

A wind from the south has rain in its mouth.

"Halo around the sun or moon, rain or snow soon."

Did You Know ?

Some flowers close up as the humidity rises so rain doesn't wash away their pollen. The leaves of some trees curl just before a storm.  

Garlic Mustard Alliaria petiolata

Garlic mustard or Jack-by-the-Hedge Alliaria petiolata Family Brassicaceae a typical hedgegrow plant is now flowering and approaching its best . This Brassica is an important source of Fodder for many Butterflies and earlier Spring Insects.

Industrial Gems !!!!!

Well this is the findings from a Yorkshire Woodland Today - Although Rainy and you might think not much photograph a quick glimpse underfoot gives some clues to Yorkshires  Industrial past.
Below a Tree in the wet April Rain soon to flourish in the coming Spring but today Drab and Wet




These unmade paths where close to the old Low Moor Steel Works and all around the area is the recipe for Iron  , Old Wood for the Furnaces, Iron Ore in the Geology and Crude Coal to fire the Furnaces

As the rain water runs over the crude agregate and stone of the unmade paths ablue stone of varying shades is uncovered by the running water of heavy rain this shiny stone has been fired in the furness and which has been discarded as part of the Steel and Iron making process Blast furnace slag is a man-made type of glass, , some of it is .It occurs as orange bands in the black . It is not a Malchite Ore as originally thought

The photo is the blue/milky white from, that and a milky page green being the most common. In Whitby, York and a lot of other places it was remoulded and cast in to brick for roads, Some times made on to small hexagonal road patterns, mainly as pavement edging. Being glass it’s quite hard (hardness 7 or so) and protected pavements edges from damage by the iron on horse drawn carriage wheels. The pure black form of slag was made in to domestic items like cups, bowls, milk jugs etc. 

The Tippings from the Iron Kilns where depositted around the district as surfaces for unmade roads in By Gone Days

The colours are almost Gem like and various layers formed in the intense heat of the kiln

The Halifax Gibbet - Off with His head

Halifax Gibbet early precursor to the Guillotine used to decapitate and punish villains who stole more than 13 1/2 penneth of cloth used between 12th century and 1600 where over 50 victims met their end.