New Species - Ghost Moth

I spotted this large moth climbing a blade of Yorkshire Fog after I strimmed some nettles in the East Field. It turns out to be a Ghost Moth (Hepialus humuli humuli) one of the five Swift moths to be found in the UK.

Orchid number 60

As of today we have 60 orchids on site - which is a big improvement on the 11 we had in 2012. Up until now the orchids have all been Common Spotted Orchids but the latest one is a new species - a Broad-leaved Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine). It is more of a woodland flower and it is fittingly under the largest tree on site - one of the beeches that gives this place its name. I normally only post photos of plants actually in flower but I make an exception for this new orchid.

Weaseltastic

I have seen a weasel on a couple of occasions hunting for bank voles in the bank vole mansion that is our garden wall. But I was amazed to see in broad daylight with us and also decorators around a whole troupe of weasels moving into the wall. I am pretty sure some were being carried so they must have been kits. It was weasaltastic for us to watch but to the bank voles it was simply the great weasel apocalypse. Never mind I am sure they will appear again once the coast is clear. I set up my camera and just managed to get one shot with animals in it but was gratified to find that the photo contained two weasels rather than one.

The complex Tormentils

I have an increasing amount of Tormentil in the fields but it is not all straightforward Tormentil (Potentilla erecta). I have identified Trailing Tormentil as well (Potentilla anglica). The latter has four or five petals (rather than four) with leaves shortly stalked above and longer stalked below (rather than almost unstalked) and larger flowers. More complexity comes in with a triple hybrid known as Hybrid Cinquefoil which is quite similar to Trailing Tormentil. If I can spot that and also Creeping Cinquefoil then I will have the whole set. The first picture above is P. erecta and the second P. anglica.

The handsome Bullfinch

Surely one of the most attractive British birds. And also a gentleman as he is often seen accompanying his mate as he was on this occasion, sort of hanging around waiting, like me when on a shopping trip, as she looked for something to eat. This was the first time I managed to get my camera out and grab a photo of a bird, that I remember in numbers from my childhood but which seem uncommon today.

Spring Sedge - spreading well

I first found Spring Sedge (Carex caryophyllea) last year but only two or three spikes in each of the West Field and the East Field. This year there are dozens of examples in the West Field so this delightful sedge is doing well.

Swallow returns

A swallow arrived exactly a week ago. I have delayed posting hoping I could get a current photo but having failed to do so I decided to use a photo of a young swallow from last year to mark the event. It turned up and perched for some minutes on top of the TV aerial facing in several directions as if surveying its summer home again. Since then I have seen a swallow hunting over the fields. Of course I may be being anthropomorphic - there is no firm evidence that this is one of the swallows from last year.