Another Day Done

The not so dull colour of winter...

Variegated Ivy 

The Robin

Robins are increasingly tame at this time of year as they come to feed This tame Robin came amicably to seed. Thankfully this l;ittle fella is well and happy well out of sight of the Sparrow

Spring Stirrings 2015

At this quiet time of year it gives opportunities to focus on things like Ferns Lichens and other botanicals often overlooked in the fling of Spring and Summer   yesterdays visit shows some nice stands of Harts Tongue Fern  Asplenium scolopendrium  also visible are the many foliose lichens on Trees visible now without the Tree Canopy and other Lichens on Stone All the usual candidates where present on the Bird feeders Jay,Bullfinch , Blue Tit, Robin and Great Tit Sh

Also found on a Birch Stand this Pincushion Moss Ulota needing summer Capsules to differentiate between the two possibilities Crisped/Bruch’s Pincushion

Two Others Lichen and Common Wall Moss TBC

Common Wall  Moss around the drystone walls Kindbergia praelonga

Better Bird Photography - Flying Birds

More BTO Identification Videos and  Birds on UK Wildlife

Sometimes........

www.ukwildlife.net

www.ukwildlife.net

This is a large build site which is ongoing  which encompasses many of the main categories of UK Flora and fauna which are continually added to. The site is being currently updated as a result of a number of servers becoming inactiive and causing broken links . It is hoped it willl provide a valuable source of Natural History  information and images

It has a large number of relevant categories Diptera Hymenoptera Fungi Heteroptera Homoptera Beetles British Wild Flowers Fungi Galls Ferns Birds and much much more

Each main Category has a Matrix for each sub category For example Diptera has a Family Matrix accessing species in each of the major  Families Such as the Syrphidae Hoverflies Muscidae -House / Stable flies Dolichopodidae - Long Legged Flies, Rhagonidae -
Snipe/DownlookerFlies,

There is , where possible imaging accompanied by a  species account for a large number of UK Species

Particularly well completed sections include To Ladybirds , Shieldbugs and Hoverflies .This is an ongoing and never ending project which is updated regularly

Ethical Art

More form Gordon Jackson see his Blog  3 D Photograph  & Art memeber of our FEET group

Quote of The Week 6

Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth
are never alone or weary of life. 

~ Rachel Carson ~

Tegenaria - House Spider

With Temperatures dropping Insects are winding up for winter but this doesnt stop the humble House Spider going on the prowl It is difficult to identify this genus to species as there is a large number of similars in the Genus

Quote Of The Week 5

" You may drive out Nature with a pitchfork, yet she still will hurry back. "

HORACE, Epistles

"November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring."

- Elizabeth Coatsworth

1906 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Caterpillar

1906 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Caterpillar found 18th August 2014

Not the easiest Caterpillar to identify but the prominent central raised region gives a good clue to its Identity it is a fresh early caterpillar more on the Development Sequence on This link  Click on the small image to expand

The larvae feed on a range of trees and bushes, including hawthorn (Crataegus) and blackthorn (Prunus spinosa).

National Distribution Please Allow Time to Load .

VC 63 Distribution  Please Allow Time to Load

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Quote Of The Week 4

God has cared for trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools.

John Muir

Non Biting Midge - Crictopus

Non Biting Midge - Crictopus

NOTES

Sitona - A Grassland Weevil

Sitona lineatus

Size 3.4  -  5.3 mm

Descriptions

Likely lineatus but could be striatellus. Several Sitona appear very similar but lineatus will become obvious in the field; the elongate and parallel sided form and dull metallic colouration with paler longitudinal stripes are characteristic A Grassland Weevil Descriptions can be found on the links below
Can be found throughout the Year.. and are assoiated with fabaceae - Vetches Trefoils and Pea Family

Hostplants Include various clovers and vetches and the weevils are well known as pests of leguminous crops; 

Sitona lineatus http://www.thewcg.org.uk/curculionidae/0297.htm

Sitona striatellus http://www.thewcg.org.uk/curculionidae/0659.htm

National Distribution Please Allow Time to Load .

VC 63 Distribution  Please Allow Time to Load

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Quote Of The Week 3

Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.

Roger Miller