Lesser Horseshoe Bat back on site!

That makes it twelve years in a row that the male LH Bat is making its summer home in our shed. It is at least thirteen years old but quite likely older. Proud to have him around even if it keeps me out of the shed!

New Species - Oak Snakefly

I had an invertebrate expert come over to see what he could find on site and desdpite our day being curtailed by rain he found a lot of invertebrates. While I wait for confirmation of the species he noted I can show the species that he was most excited by - an Oak Snakefly. Snakeflies are apparently rarely seen as they spend their time high up in the tree canopy hunting aphids and mites. This one had conveniently come down to a hawthorn hedge and posed while I took photos. Impressive creatures and rarely recorded.

Playtime for the fox cubs

They were definitely enjoying themselves racing around, ambushing each other and dreaming of capturing birds.

Exciting new species - Green-winged Orchid

A Green-winged Orchid (Anacamptis morio) was last seen on this part of The Narth in 1987 and one has appeared in flower in the West Field. It is a species I have longed to see here. I certainly spread a little seed last year but that can't have produced this flower as they take years to get to the flowering stage. I also did a few years ago but whether this is from introduced seed or buried seed we may never know. I suspect the latter because this is not an area I would have cast the see in and also it has been a good year for GWOs flowering as evidenced by the hundreds that have appeared close to Trellech that by coincidence I was looking at just before I found the one here.

Greater Butterfly Orchid

We first had a butterfly orchid in 2022 - just one. There were two in 2023, none in 2024 and one in 2025. Now one has appeared with just basal leaves at the moment. We can hope for another one but it is not all certain.

Fox cubs on the patio

Great fun last evening watching a couple of fox cubs on the patio and peering through our glass door with us standing the other side. I would say playing but at one point one of them caught a rabbit despite being quite small. Photo is of one of them hiding in the rhubarb patch.

Bluebells in our fields

The Bluebells are now out in profusion in all our fields. This is the West Field show. A lot of sources consider the Bluebell a woodland flower but it is outstandingly happy in our meadows. I suspect that it likes undisturbed ground and so has hung on in woodlands where the ground is less likely to be disturbed over the decade/centuries but it seems equally at home in undisturbed meadows.