Ant Hills

Some old pastures and just a succession of anthills and their size can indicate the time that the field has been pasture as they grow very slowly in height each year. Whilst the anthills in the meadows here get knocked down each year when the hay is cut the ones outside the meadow are left to grow in size and I would estimate they add an inch or so in height each year or maybe a little less. They are formed by Yellow Meadow Ants. One side benefit is that we get regular visits from Green Woodpeckers whoc come to feed on the ants. The photo is one on the side of the drive.

Bee Orchid

For the third time a single Bee Orchid has appeared in the piece of grass above the South Field. The first one was in 2017, the next in 2021 and now one in 2024. This one is tiny and it is a feature of the Spotted Orchids this year that many are on the small side. It must be a weather effect I think. This year's Bee Orchid might be on the site of the one that appeared in 2017. It's difficult to be sure.

Collapse of Orchid population

Perhaps that is too apocalyptic an opinion of this year so far. Here are the stats. Orchids recorded as of June 6 - 170. Orchids recorded in 2023 by June 6 - 477. We are at 36% of last year's figure (so far) and that is after 11 years of increases every year. We went on to record 945 Orchids last year so using the same stats we might get to 340 or so which in effect takes us back to the 2020 numbers. I have no clear idea of why numbers should have declined for the first time but one important factor must be the rabbit population which is at an all time high here. There has been no mixamatosis for a few years and the rabbit population has soared and you can see that much of the field now has a much shorter sward. Deer populations have also increased substantially and they regualarly graze the fields in numbers. However I now have two deer and rabbit proof areas and even here I would say that orchid populations are down from last year so it may be that weather is also a factor. I am confident that populations will recover and look forward to breaching the 1,000 orchid mark soon. Graph at the top shows total orchid numbers up to 2023 and the total so far in 2024.

Swallows hawking over the West Field

It's been a number of years since Swallows last nested in our barn and there's been a definite decline in the number of Swallows seen in the village. It was doubly cheering therefore to see a pair hawking here yesterday.

Cow Wheat in Manor Wood

A great show of Cow Wheat next to the main track in Manor Wood.

Large Grass Snake

Unfortunately deceased but an impressive animal at 33 inches long. Also check out those tiny teeth. This is the second time I have found a dead grasssnake here. The first time in 2022 I had seen the snake alive in the field and the next day something had predated it. This time the snake was near the barn in the rough lawn we have and whilst it clearly had a wound it was difficult to know how it got there unless maybe a Buzzard had dropped it. A Buzzard had been around the last few days but they usually get harried by the Crow owners of this place so that is one possible explanation.

Flower update

It now looks like it's going to be a very poor year for orchids - the first year that numbers will be going down and not just down but way down. Unless things change of course and the weather tempts them up. I'm guessing it must be weather related but I don't see why lots of rain would keep orchids underground. Strangely enough a plant that does love the damp, Lousewort, has also appeared very differently this year. It spread from an initial few flowers about ten years ago to such an extent that it covered large areas of the West Field last year. This year it seems to be occuring in small patches but over a wider area. Not only right at the top of the West Field but also a couple of patches in different grassy lawn areas - in other words the first time I have seen it outside the West Field. I can only observe the flowers - I can't explain what happens! Photo is some Lousewort near the house.

New Species - Thick -legged Flower Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)

Considering the huge number of beetle species in the UK, I have a very poor list of those I have recorded here. They are not always easy to identify so that is one of the reasons. So it is good to see one that is easily named as it is a distinctive and colourful beetle with, as its name suggests, singularly thick 'thighs'.

Yellow Archangel

This is one of my favourite of the non-meadow flowers here. It is to be found in rough ground and at the edge of the treed areas. There is a good showing this year at the edge of the East Field.

Orchid update

Before we went away it was trending to be a very good year for Orchids with levels trending above last year's numbers. Since our return however I am struggling to find rosettes so we are now well below last year's. It could be that the vast numbers of bluebells are hiding the orchids. We'll have to see what happens in the next few weeks when the orchids will start to flower. Meanwhile one good bit of news is that there is again a Twayblade in the West Field - the same one has now come up three years in a row.

Horseshoe bat back in the shed!!

I had given up on our Lesser Horseshoe bat who has been living in our shed since 2014. I assumed he must have died or moved on as I had not seen him this year. Today he is back. I'll have to stop using the shed again!

New Grove Meadows

Just a mile or so from here New Grove Meadows has two orchid species that I would love to see here. It has stacks of Green-winged Orchids (photo) and a a few Early Purple Orchids.

New Hoverfly Species - Hook-barred Spearhorn

I found this natty hoverfly drowning in one of the small sink ponds and took some photos whilst it was drying off. It turns out to be the Hook-barred Spearhorn (Chrysotoxum festivum) which is to be found in the South of England and Wales.

Bluebells

There is a certaim point in the year when I feel like a Bluebell farmer - here's a particularly good crop in the West Field.

Orchid and Stoat update!

First of all - Stu the Stoat (or some relative) is back. I saw a flash of something moving fast and rushed to the binos. In the field Stu took a rabbit - it was all a bit gruesome but that's Stoats for you. I wonder whether it is living under the shed; there is a well-used burrow there. Meranwhile the Orchid count has reached 127. On the same day last year it was 72 and the yeqar before 51. I am not reading too much into it - it could just be that the season is a little earlier.

First identified bee in 2024

Bees can be difficult but I found a dead one in the field and was able to confirm it is a Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris ssp audax). Several of the Bombus genera are similar but this Queen had all the right features.

Spring so far

Despite the rain the Spring wildlife is progressing nicely. Lots of 7-spot Ladybirds for some reason, also quite a few Siskins on the bird feeder which is not a common sight. We are up to 91 Orchid rosettes which is about a week ahead of last year but that might just be an earlier season rather than a sign of lots more orchids. The other feature is a widespread fruiting of the Fragrant Funnel, easy to identify as its strong aniseed smell gives it away. This is an old photo of a Siskin - a handsome bird.

New Species - Garden Snail

Saw a couple of these largeish snails yesterday so I decided to add a second snail to The Beeches' list (already listed the Brown-lipped Snail). It is the Garden Snail (Helix aspersa) which appropriately is found in gardens but not in woodland or scrub.

First Waxcap of 2024 - Parrot Waxcap

It is unusual to find a fruiting Waxcap in April and even more unusual that the first one to come up is the Parrot Waxcap (Gliophorus psittacinus). The unusual weather conditions this year must be to blame.

First Orchid Rosette of 2024

At the bottom of the East Field where they usually come up first. There are two in fact close together. I note that my first record last year was 16 April - not sure whether I was looking earlier last year or whether the season has started earlier. If, and it's a big if this year, we get an increase on last year's orchid total then we should top 1,000 spikes for the first time.

Second deer and rabbit proof cage

The experiment last year with a cage to keep out Deer and Rabbits and see what effect that had on Orchid flowering was a big success. I of course chose an Orchid hot spot in the East Field where I would have expected a lot of Orchids to appear. In the first exclusion zone (about 10m x 5m) I counted 73 rosettes and would have expected maybe 40 of thos to flower successfully - in fact there were 172 flowering spikes. This second exclusion zone is a similar size but in an area less dense with Orchids (although no rosettes have yet appeared). I also will maintain the first exclusion zone and see what the numbers are this year. The photo is the second cage under construction.

Larch felling

This is going on apace around The Narth (except of course those weedy Larches next to our land that they can't reach). The area going out of the village towards Penallt is just being cleared. A large part of the programme is a response to the disease which is spreading amongst Larch trees - I just hope it doesn't reach the two superb trees on the margin of the East Field. This must be partly the result of the monoculture that is practised by modern forestry.

Loadsa Tadpoles

There was a lot of spawn in the pond, so as I did last year I transferred some into the two sinks and the small plastic pond but unlike last year there seem to be some tadpoles hatched in all four locations. Most are in the main pond but there are predators there and it also is at risk of drying if we have the current rain fest turns into a hot spell. Here's a poor photo of some tadpoles in the main pond.

Pair of Mallards on the pond

Pretending it is more than a few inches deep! They were either eating duckweed or frogspawn. I hope it was the former.

New Species - Stereum rameale

I am slightly reluctant to spend a lot of time trying to identify woodland fungi species but occasionally I get sucked in and this resupinate fungus turned out to be Stereum rameale which is a new record for the site albeit a common enough fungus on dead twigs. Hairy Curtain Crust (STereum hirsutim) is definitely hairy whereas this is merely downy on the underside (when looked at some magnification).

Record number of deer

I think we got to 25 Fallow Deer in the garden today. I actually spent some of yesterday constructing a brush fence to protect the dry stone wall that had taken a hit from deer so it was good timing.

Scarlet Elfcup

I thought this might be a new species for the site but in fact I recorded it here in 2019 - a striking looking fungus.

Frogspawn

For the second year in a row we have plenty of frogspawn in the main pond even though it barely holds any water. As last year I shall distribute the spawn around the ponds and sinks and hope that increases the survival of tadpoles. Last year one of the sinks did the business but I could see no evidence of tadpoles inthe other places. Given that I know we have some Palmate Newts in the small plastic pond the spawn or tadpoles should at least provide some food for them.

Squirrels

They seem to be animals who stumble across food rather than having a plan. Some years they will come across an apple on one of our trees and then strip the lot of that tree without moving on to adjacent trees. Yesterday I found a squirrel munching its way through all the rose hips that I had assumed would be eaten by the birds. It didn't look uncomfortable at all despite the viscious thorns.

Moles

I like Moles and I wouldn't wish them any harm but we probably have too many for the good of the flora and fungi in the fields. The South Field has had a poor year for flowers, particularly Orchids and not a great Fungi year either. Given that most of it is now molehills this is not a surpise to me.

Aftermath grazing - the deer step up

No sheep this year but there has been a lot of Fallow Deer grazing the fields. Not ideal aftermath grazing but it all helps!

Pale Oyster fungus in Manor Wood

Far from a path I found this magnificent Pale Oyster fungus growing on a large Beech Tree. Apparently they are omniverous as they get their Nitrogen from devouring nematode worms!