Quaking Grass

I first found the delightful Quaking Grass (Briza media) in 2014 and I was hoping that it would spread or that I would find more pockets of it but here we are two years later and I can still only find a couple of spikes of it in exactly the same place where it was two years ago and indeed last year. In the background is the group of Hygrocybe ingrata that I reported on last post.

Hygrocybe ingrata - rare waxcap in June!

This waxcap (that has no English name) occurred last year here at The Beeches - in October. I believe that was the first record for Monmouthshire at the time. It is here again in June (well actually 1st of July but it is a few days old judging by its appearance). I have seen another waxcap here a few days ago H. citrinovirens - the Citrine Waxcap so it must be the strange weather we are having that is bringing them out early.

New species at the bird feeders

Two new species in fact - first Grey Squirrels who have found the feeders after more than two years and are a daily nuisance starting at dawn. They are a pain for us but worse for the birds was the Sparrowhawk that visited this afternoon and took one of the young Blue Tits. I know that the Sparrowhawk has its own family to feed but I feel a bit bad providing a breakfast bar for Sparrowhawks (see picture above). I think now that it's summer the birds will have to manage on their own for a bit until the Squirrels and Sparrowhawk look elsewhere.

Marsh Bedstraw

I have just one spot where I found Marsh Bedstraw about three years ago. I am always amazed at how a very little management makes such a great difference to flowers. Give them the opportunity and they will spread. A few plants three years ago is now a big bed of this delicate Bedstraw, so much nicer than the gross, blowsey Cleavers (aka Goose Grass).

Banded demoiselle

I spotted this rather fetching damselfly whilst walking in a field close to the Wye. The photo is a bit ropey )just snapped on the phone) but the insect was stunning. It's a new Odonatid for me.

Orchid milestone

Today I found my hundredth 2016 orchid here at The Beeches. Ninety nine of them are Common Spotted Orchids and one is a Broad-leaved Helleborine. A great result for wildlife management as is shown by the graph above. Starting in 2011 with 14 orchids and only 11 in 2012 we have therefore achieved a nine-fold increase in six years. The managemnt in fact consists only of two things - cutting for hay after the orchids have flowered and protecting the orcids from predation by rabbits. Now that we have reached 100 I think I may not bother any more with the rabbit protection.

Pond action

There was lots of Dragonfly action in the pond recently with multiple mating pairs of Azure Damselflies (photo above) and a couple of Broad-Bodied Chasers as well. Even more exciting was the newt that made a brief appearance. I wasn't expecting a newt to find this small pool some distance from any other standing water. I thought frogs were much more likely but no sign of them this year.