It's waxcap central......

To my surprise there are extensive fruitings of waxcaps in the third of the main fields around the house. I was surprised to find them in a second field a few weeks ago but this field is less botanically diverse than the two other fields with waxcaps and I wasn't expecting them to be there. There are also fairly profuse. One interesting aspect is the timing of the appearance of the fungi in the different fields. They have only just appeared in this field which is probably about eight weeks after they fruited in one of the other fields. There seem to be around four species, a single robust H. citrinovirens and lots of H. chlorophana and I think H. ceracea. The fourth example which I have not identified is pictured above.

New Species - Common Darter

I haven't actually recorded a dragonfly on site before although I have spotted a few large hawkers. We have no ponds on site (yet) so I don't really expect dragonflies in any great quantity. However Common Darters are found away from ponds and one posed patiently on the doorstep yesterday so I thought it was time to kick off the Odonata species list.

Waxcap heaven

At last the waxcaps have appeared in the 'waxcap' field and in some profusion although the set of species is not the same as when I was lasy able to record them in detail in 2011. In fact I am struggling with some of the identification and await the only UK book on waxcaps which I have just ordered. There are also more waxcaps in the other field where they have appeared this year. In that field I have seen Meadow Waxcap (Hygrocybe pratensis) and what must be Snowy Waxcap (Hygrocybe virginea) to add to the species already seen there. In the main waxcap field there are a couple of the iconic Pink Waxcaps (Hygrocybe calytriformis)and swathes of other waxcaps including H. chlorophana (Golden Waxcap) and H. ceracea (Butter Waxcap) plus others I am still working on. The picture is of H. calyptriformis.

New Species - Eyebright

Another delightful flower seen for the first time in our fields this week is Eyebright. It is in a different field to the Red Bartsia I came across a couple of weeks ago. Eyebrights are difficult to differentiate, not only are there 20 microspecies but they hybridise. Our example looks to be Euphrasia nemorosa but I shall get an expert opinion when I can. Update - 20 September First of all I had a more structured effort at an ID and I decided that actually it was more likely to be E. rostkoviana (which has now been renamed E. officinalis). However today I got some more expert help and using a recently devised key we came to the conclusion that it is either E. confusa or E. nemorosa. One critical element of how erect it is points towards confusa but this flower is rarely found here in this neck of the woods, if at all, so maybe it is nemorosa. I shall take some measurements but unless something definite is found then a formal ID will have to wait until next year when some samples can be sent off.

New Waxcap Species - Hygrocybe citrinovirens

The waxcap discoveries continue. I suspected one of the examples I found a few days ago was H. citrinovirens but I was working from cut up pieces. I found a couple of fungi in situ and I am pretty sure these at least are citrinovirens. The cap and stem were non-slimy, the gills were bright white and most importantly google images is showing me something that looks identical. Note added: 6 October - having received the only book on Waxcaps I can find I am starting to have some doubts about this ID. It is described as rare and the pictures in the Boertmann book don't look like these examples. However citrinovirens has been found in the area so I'll just have to get an expert opinion at some point.

More and more waxcaps

Still not a single waxcap in our 'waxcap' field but more are appearing in the field that hasn't until now presented any waxcaps or at least the field where I have not until this year recorded any waxcaps. I have been cutting the field today as part of the management programme and never having seen waxcaps here I did not cut early. Consequently I have been coming across pieces of chopped up waxcap which does make identification difficult. The photo is of two waxcap bits where I have made an ID. Firstly the Pink Waxcap a critical species of which I found at least four chopped up fruiting bodies. With it is Hygrocybe chlorophana (I think) or Golden Waxcap. I am less certain of two further species although one may be Hygrocybe citrinovirens (Lemon-green waxcap) as it definitely has a green tinge and the other is a deep orange waxcap I cannot ID from the pieces. Given that I had identified around nine species from our 'waxcap' field in 2011 and there are at least a further four species in another field this year, we are up to around 13 species in total. I look forward to adding to the list.

New Species - Buff-tailed Bumblebee

I am pretty sure this is Bombus terrestris rather than the White-tailed bumblebee as there is a definite hint of buff on the tail and the yellow bands are darker than would be the case on Bombus lucorum. This is my second attempt at bumblebee identification - hopefully I'll add a few more next year.

New Species - Red Bartsia

As the summer is coming to an end it is becoming unusual to spot any new flower species so I was delighted to spot this single example of this elegant flower. It seems that this one flower that has two subspecies and this one is Odonites vernus ssp serotinus which is the subspecies you would expect to find here.

Feisty swallows

I was a bit too late with the camera so you'll have to trust me that the picture of a buzzard shows a buzzard retreating after being mobbed by swallows as it sat on the roof of the barn containing a swallows nest. A few weeks ago I saw a single swallow chasing away a medium sized bird of prey, about sparrowhawk size, who couldn't move away fast enough. It is impressive to watch small birds see off much larger enemies as they use their agility and speed to make up for the difference in fighting weight. I was reminded of Arctic Terns attacking Great Skuas and in turn being seen off by the tiny Wilson's Storm Petrel but in terms of size differential this is just as impressive.

Waxcaps in a new place

I have been waiting for the waxcaps to appear in the field that has put on such a good waxcap show in the last couple of years but nothing so far. Meanwhile two species of waxcap have appeared in a field where I had not seen them previously. They are the Blackening Waxcap (Hygrocybe nigrescens) and the Butter Waxcap (Hygrocybe ceracea) neither of which had I definitely identified from the 'waxcap' field. I am wondering whether the appearance is due to the timing of the cutting of the hay in that field (it was done relatively early in mid July) or whether I just hadn't spotted them in previous years when the grass was longer at this point. I am still waiting anxiously for the normal waxcap field to deliver. Pictured is the Butter Waxcap.

Jay vs Woodpecker

No contest really. The Jay had size and aggression on its side but the Greater Spotted Woodpecker has got a fearsome bill and was not showing any signs of being afraid. The Jay retreated once it realised that the Woodpecker was not budging. The Greater Spotted Woodpecker was perched near the top of a Larch and the Jay decided to see it off, probably just to pass the time. Corvids can be like that, they enjoy a good barney. However after a couple of attempts it flew away presumably deciding that discretion was advisable on this occasion.

New species - Common Toad

I am used to seeing frogs in the long grass even though there are no ponds on site but until last week had never seen a toad. While I was cutting and removing growth from the fields I left a few piles of long grass temporarily on the edges of the field. When moving them I came across a couple of small toads sheltering in the heaps. Given that I rarely saw toads when living surrounded by ponds, bogs, woodland and long grass I found that a little surprising. I must get on with the project to create a couple of ponds to encourage the toads.

Baby swallows

Like last year the swallows have ignored the expensive ceramic nests I put up for them in the barn and built their own. I was sure there was a nest there but couldn't find it until the other day. In the gloom of the barn it looked empty but I took a flash photo and can see three young swallows at least. Whilst I was taking the photo a parent flew in and was not best pleased with my proximity to the nest. Given that we have had a decent summer I suspect that this was a second or third brood of youngsters.

Juvenile birds

There are a stack of juvenile birds around at the moment. Hopefully our feeding station has helped with the raising of extra broods this year or at least helped to ensure the survival of more youngsters. We rescued one young blue tit from our boiler flue as it had got a bit too inquisitive and plunged down the whole length of it. A family of seven blue tits arrived on the electricity wire outside the window followed by a juvenile swallow and then a young sparrow - all of them fluffy and new looking. Those birds are all easy to identify as the colouring is similar to the adult birds although I do find that many juvenile birds confuse me momentarily as they don't look quite right at first glance. Pictured is a juvenile green woodpecker. It is unmistakeable as a green woodpecker yet on close examination there are a number of differences to the adult bird, most noticeably the mottled breast.

Blackcap in the Apple Tree

This is a bird I sometimes hear but don't often see as it seems to keep a low profile. Spotting one in the apple tree outside the window I took the opportunity to get a snap of this shy bird which has such a gorgeous song.

New species - Field Grasshopper

It only took me a couple of days to add another Orthopterid to the species list - this time the Field Grasshopper to add the Meadow Grasshopper I found earlier in the week. I had to capture it momentarily to get the photo so please ignore the background and blurring.

New Species - Essex Skipper

My suspicions have been confirmed by a butterfly expert and I can add the Essex Skipper to our buuterfly species list. It seems that contrary to what my butterfly book says the Essex Skipper is found in South Wales and so it is not surprising that we have them here as well as Small Skippers. The photograph above shows the black undersides to the antennae that are the giveaway that it is an Essex Skipper and not a Small Skipper. That makes it 17 species of butterfly this year on site.

New species - Meadow Grasshopper

I hadn't realised how similar some of the common grasshopper species are and how wide the colour variations are but this is a Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)according to Google images at least. The policy of leaving some grass uncut each year seems to be paying off in terms of inverterbrate numbers. I shall be looking to see if I can spot at least one more Orthopterid this month.

Red-tailed bumblebee

Having picked up some bee identification sheets I thought I ought to make a start. So here's my first ID - a Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius). Excuse the lack of sharp focus - I was having camera issues yesterday.

Small Copper

One of my favourite butterflies has made its appearance at last this year - the Small Copper. That makes 16 species (or perhaps 17 depending on how the Essex Skipper ID pans out). Apologies the picture was overexposed so the colours are not accurate. It does have a new-agey vibe about it though.....

Slow worm

I posted a picture of the end part of the tail of a slow worm a while back. Now I have a proper picture of a slow worm so it is time to reprise this particular lizard. Found whilst haymaking hiding in the cut grass.

More butterflies

I hate to drone on but it has been stupendous here for butterflies this year compared to the last two summers. Assuming that the skippers I have seen are all Small Skippers ( and I am still reviewing that as one or two of the photos have me leaning towards an Essex Skipper but that is still to be confirmed) then we are at 15 species so far but it is the quantity rather than the diversity that is so impressive. I am a little concerned that a large number of meadows locally have been cut already due to the extended heat but here most of the fields will only be cut when the flowers have seeded and the butterflies have laid their eggs. For the record the species are Tortoiseshell, Orange Tip, Speckled Wood, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small Skipper, Marbled White, Large White, Comma, Small White, Gatekeeper, Green-veined White and Peacock. Pictured is a Small Skipper on Greater Bird's-Foot Trefoil.

Buzzards in bloody action

We often see buzzards overhead but I usually don't have my camera in hand so the other day I snapped a couple of shots when I had the opportunity. A majestic sight to see. Just a few hours later we found a buzzard on the ground in our neighbours hen run, having just killed one of the hens - not quite as pleasant a sight. We have also in the past seen one pick a live rabbit off the road in front of the car. The windscreen darkened as it swooped over the car to take the rabbit which was at the time only worrying about being run over.

Fungi in the field

It's not yet time for the waxcaps to appear but meanwhile there are some stunning Boletus fungi under a Beech tree in the top field. I think the two I photographed are the same species at a different stage of development but I am not sure. The first specimen was impressive for its size - 20 cm across the cap and its vivid yellow and brown colouring. The second has a deep orangey red underside and just a thin line of yellow between the red and the chocolate brown of the cap. I struggle with fungi identification but I will plump for both being Boletus ssp. Both immediately stained blue as the flesh was exposed.

Meadow Brown variant

A week ago I was watching what appeared to be a Meadow Brown when I noticed it had two white marks in its eye spot. Now one of the ways that you can distinguish the somewhat similar butterflies, Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers, is by seeing whether they have one or two white marks in their eye spot. Meadow Browns have one mark. There are other differences but when the butterfly is on a flower with its wings folded then this is a useful tool to identify it. However I was sure this was a Meadow Brown and I had not seen any Gatekeepers so far this year so I consulted the books. My butterfly book revealed that this was 'not an absolute rule, for one occasionally finds a Meadow Brown with two white pupils, but these generally occur in Scotland, far North of the Gatekeeper's range'. An internet forum revealed someone seeing a similar Meadow Brown in Devon. I have been looking more closely at Meadow Browns as there are plenty around and I have now seen more with two white marks in their eye spot. I have also today seen my first Gatekeepers of the season and they are of course quite different in profile when you look closely at the markings on their wings. So it could be that the two spot variant is more common than people think or maybe we have a genetic hot spot here for the variant or maybe the unusual hot weather somehow favours the 2-spotter.

Marbled Whites on the wing again

It continues to be a good butterfly show in this prolonged hot spell. Yesterday the Marbled Whites took to the wing. This is a very handsome butterfly that displays itself proudly as it is poisonous to predators. Hopefully I can get some better pictures in the next few days but here is a starter. There continues to be large numbers of Meadow Browns and Ringlets and increasingly a number of Tortoiseshells.

Loadsa butterflies

I have been surprised at how few butterflies I see here given the number and variety of flowers in our meadows. However in the last few days of heat they have arrived - big time. Hundreds of butterflies and everywhere you look in the fields or the garden there are a number on the wing. It is perhaps a little disappointing that 99% of them are Meadow Browns or Ringlets and that the only other species I have seen in the last few days are a few Tortoiseshells and one Speckled Wood but overall it is great to see the meadows alive with butterflies for the first time. Hopefully our meadows management has contributed to this resurgence but I suspect it is mainly weather related. The out-of-focus photo contains a number of butterflies - but they appear to be dark splodges. It might convey the density of insects on the wing. I am eagerly anticipating some Marbled Whites as they appeared last year in small numbers and they are a great sight to see on the wing.

6-spot Burnets - back in force

There are a lot of 6-spot Burnets around - so many that they are having to share knapweed flowerheads! The photo of Burnets on Knapweed is a common one but the colours are irrestible.

New Species - Marsh Bedstraw

As with the Ragged Robin I found a couple of days ago, this is another species I wasn't expecting to find here as I associate them with wetter ground. It was a struggle to identify it as according to my flower books the plant had some features of Heath Bedstraw and some features of Marsh Bedstraw. However the 'Flora of Monmouthshire' sorted it out for me. Apparently the typical Marsh Bedstraw found here is Galium palustre ssp palustre whereas there is also a Galium palustre ssp elongatum which is slightly different and was confusing the issue.

New Species - Ragged Robin

I was surprised to find a solitary Ragged Robin in the least diverse of our four fields. I think of this as a flower of boggy and shady areas but here it stands pink and proud in the centre of the field.

Common Spotted Orchids

2013 is turning out to be a good year for orchids here at The Beeches. In 2011 we had a grand total of 14 orchids and last year only 11. This year we have reached a total of 30 Common Spotted Orchids and so that is definitely satisfactory progress towards the vision of meadows drenched in orchids. The surprising things is that one meadow has shown no significant change in numbers and the other has an increase of more than 400%. The first field has gone from 8 flowers in 2011 to 6 and then 7 this year. The other has gone from 6 orchids to 5 in 2012 and this year has 23 specimens. Of course these are small numbers so we can't read anything into them but it will be interesting to see how the numbers change over the next few years.

Fallow deer

Normally they are fairly skittish and don't hang around to be photographed but one came by the house today and was obliging enough to have its picture taken. I was happily watching it browse on the trees in the garden but will be very cross if it has trampled any of the orchids.

New species - Slow Worm

I have seen probable evidence of slow worms before - round holes in compost heaps - but I saw one live for the first time a couple of days ago. I lifted up a large bird bath to find one resting below. I hastily put the bird bath back and got my camera hoping that the lizard would kindly remain in place. Alas it merely left me a wriggling tail and had slunk off to grow a new one.

Woodpeckers like suet

A new visitor to our suet balls is a Greater Spotted Woodpecker who makes short work of suet placed in the feeder and also makes a lot of noise about it. I find myself being woken sometimes not that long after dawn by the woodpecker's visits. A couple of days ago I heard a loud bang on the window of the room I was in and going outside found the woodpecker stunned on the ground, having flown into the window. It recovered after half an hour or so and seems none the worse for the experience. It is back eating through the suet again and I have just re-ordered supplies.

New Species - Dryad's Saddle

A monster Dryad's Saddle (Polyporus squamosus) is gradually encircling a large ash tree in one of the field boundaries. It can't be doing the tree any good but it makes an impressive sight. Until I saw this I had not realised that this fungi feeds on living trees as well as dead ones.

New bird species - Raven

I know this is Raven country but I hadn't seen one until yesterday. It was the distinctive call that alerted me - it sounds like a double bass version of a woodpecker to me. The picture is poor but it was all I could do at short notice. The raven performed some aerial stunts above our fields before disappearing rapidly into the clouds. Strangely enough I was out walking later in the day and a couple of miles away I came across seven ravens - again confirmed by the calls. I hadn't appreciated that ravens flocked as I have only ever seen them in ones and twos before.