Naturalists View – May

Looking back over the month of April, it has been a fairly spectacular time for Butterflies. A great improvement on the past couple of years which were something of a disappointment for sightings of the scarcer species such as Brimstone and Orange Tip and Small Tortoiseshell. They all seem to have had a recovery. Doing especially well are Speckled Woods. Places that have a shaded area required by these butterflies where i have visited have had good numbers to see.
Our nesting birds have had a good month with the fine weather helping them find food and bedding material. As April came to end young Sparrow fledglings could be seen having emerged from the wall mounted boxes.
Now May is with us and the blossom of Hawthorn adorns the hedgerows with its sweet fragrant white flowers. The ‘May’ tree is steeped in mythology and has acquired many folklore names, these include, May, Mayblossom, May Bush, Mayflower, Quick, Thorn, Whitethorn, Haw, Huath, Gazels, Halves, Hagthorn, Ladies’ Meat, Bread and Cheese Tree and Tree of Chastity.
Here is an interesting summary about the tree http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Hawthorn.

Butterfly activity focuses on the Blues this month, Holly Blues continue from April while Common, Adonis, Brown Argus and Small Copper butterflys make their appearance around this time on the flower rich chalk hillsides of our Downland and Meadows.

In garden ponds and larger lakes, Dragonflies and Damselflies have emerged from aquatic larvae and are on the wing this month  looking for mating partners. After mating they will deposit eggs on pondweed to start the cycle over again.

Blackbird

Don’t know how we missed it but discovered today that the pair of Blackbirds which we have befriended with regular offerings of Raisins, are nesting in the Holly bush in the front garden.
The young have hatched, evident by the pair taking live food and raisins back to the nest.

Elm Beetle Casualties

These Elm Trees in Mashbarn Lane, Lancing have succumbed to the attention of Elm Bark Beetle. The beetle spreads a fungal disease which infects the tree and creates ideal conditions for beetle grubs to develop under the bark.

info on Dutch Elm Disease

[SDJC info]

 

Mashbarn Lane Elm trees

Mash Barn Lane, Lancing

From Grinstead Lane, the present somewhat overgrown privately owned Mashbarn Lane, once continued its east route through some 330 metres of what was  formerly a brassica field. It then turns northwards to the Old Shoreham Road. 
Approachable from the end of Daniel Close the field margins are a haven for butterflies and other insects.
At the area of map ref: TQ 189 049 Large drifts of nettles, give way to Ivy festooned Hawthorn trees. 

A visit today proved the point, easily 20 Speckled Woods, some mating,  around 5 Holly Blues, a female Orange Tip,  a Comma, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, a Brimstone, at least one Small White and 2 or more Peacock. All seen in a small area and in around 15 minutes watching time.

 

Male and female Speckled Wood

St Mary’s, Sompting

Opposite the entrance to St Mary’s church car park is a meadow backed by tall trees with a public footpath through the northern edge of it.
 Sunday  afternoon on  19th April the long grassy edge  was inhabited by a pair of Orange Tip butterflies. The male is pictured here.

 

Orange Tip butterfly

Longhorn Cows on Bartons Farm

longhorn 6475, originally uploaded by lancing_nature.

Grazing on the coarse Tor Grass these animals will improve the grassland and encourage the development of habitat for meadow flowers.

Wood Mouse – Apodemus sylvaticus

Wood Mouse – Apodemus sylvaticus, originally uploaded by lancing_nature.

This is a cute little creature with big eyes and ears and weighs between 13-27g. They breed from March through to October with litter sizes of 4-7 and can produce 10 litters in a year.

Bee-fly

Bombylius major has made a visit to the garden today. Almost impossible to photograph!
Will keep trying..

Birding

New visitors to the garden were seen today, a pair of Warblers, presumed to be Willow Warblers. the colouration looked right and behaviour was light and flitting as they combed through the branches of Hawthorn, now looking very spring-like with fresh lime green leaves.

Sparrows are very busy, still using Pampas seed heads for nesting.

Blackbirds and Starling also collecting grassy material

First Wasp

Garden insect life is getting into full swing. A common wasp investigated the fence as a source for nesting material.