nature notes II

[Udayana]

As it was such a nice day yesterday we took ourselves off to Selsey Bill for a walk and sit on the beach. We got up to Pagham RSPB sanctuary and plonked ourselves down with sandwiches and coffee and listened to the birds and the gentle sea. It was a lovely day. It got even better as a skylark decided to do its ascending thing. Breathtakingly beautiful.

One of those rare, precious moments.

Sounds great, might give it a try given suitable weather next week

[ekim]

As it was such a nice day yesterday we took ourselves off to Selsey Bill for a walk and sit on the beach. We got up to Pagham RSPB sanctuary and plonked ourselves down with sandwiches and coffee and listened to the birds and the gentle sea. It was a lovely day. It got even better as a skylark decided to do its ascending thing. Breathtakingly beautiful.

One of those rare, precious moments.

How is Bill these days?  Is he keeping well?

[Steve H]

Two photos of the magnificent spear thistle, Cirsium vulgare, in my back garden, 2.08 metres tall and still growing: spear thistles re only supposed to grow to 1.5 metres maximum! It has just opened its first flower. I will save seeds and see if I can start a strain of giant thistles. I risked life and limb for the second photo - I had to stand on a wobbly chair.

[Steve H]

Sowbread, Cyclamen hederifolium, self-seeded in my herb bed. Non-native, but widely naturalised, Flowers in the autumn (or late summer, as now), before the leaves appear. I will transfer it to the base of one of my apple trees in the late autumn.

[ekim]

They seem to spread quite well.  There are many growing along road verges.  Here is a photo I took today in a local woodland where they are growing through the ground ivy.

[Dicky Underpants]

Where are all the crocuses? There seems to be a slight rearrangement of the usual winter sequence Snowdrops - Crocuses - Daffodils here in Bristol. Plenty of snowdrops for two weeks now, and soon after the first daffodils. The only sign I see of the crocuses is a few leaves coming through.

[Steve H]

Apple buds finally starting to break on my 'Brownlees' Russet' tree, raised in Hemel Hempstead (where I live) by a Mr Brownlees, and introduced in 1848. Apple blossom is a bit late this year, because of the crap weather in early Spring, which is no bad thing, as it means that the blossom is less likely to be zapped by a late frost. I'm expecting a heavy harvest this year, as my biennial-bearing trees (all of them except 'Brownlees' Russet') have an "on" year this year. Loadsa luvverly cider!

[Steve H]

They seem to spread quite well.  There are many growing along road verges.  Here is a photo I took today in a local woodland where they are growing through the ground ivy.

Beautiful!

[Enki]

Seems this is a good year for red admiral butterflies, despite the rain. They are here in numbers. They are regular at the moment in my garden when the sun shines in between rain showers. Some butterflies, often migrants like the painted lady or the red admiral, have years when they are especially abundant.

[Nearly Sane]

Seems this is a good year for red admiral butterflies, despite the rain. They are here in numbers. They are regular at the moment in my garden when the sun shines in between rain showers. Some butterflies, often migrants like the painted lady or the red admiral, have years when they are especially abundant.

Yep


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66395590

[Steve H]

I've seen a few red admirals on my Buddleja davidii, alias "butterfly bush", because it attracts them.

[Dicky Underpants]

The changing weather of the late summer and autumn has brought out an eruption of nice edible fungi around Bristol. Plenty of horse mushrooms (Agaricus arvensis), a number of Parasols (possibly Macrolepiota gracilenta, rather than the bigger procera), and a line of early Trooping Funnels (Clitocybe geotropa - renamed by some as Infundibulicybe geotropa).

[Steve H]

Yesterday was a lovely early-Spring day which started dull but became hazily sunny by mid-morning, with no breeze and almost warm. I did some gardening - mulched my roses with garden compost, and did some remedial pruning of my apple trees. It may not be quite Spring yet, even on the agricultural and common-sense definition which gives each season three calendar months, so that Spring starts on the first of March but it feels early-Spring-like, with narcissi 'Tete-a-tete' up in the front garden, a few of them open, green shoots on my roses, and fruit-buds fattening on the apple trees.

[Steve H]

It seems to be an excellent year for dandelions, for some reason - there are huge swathes of them on every patch of unmown grass, of which there are a lot, thanks to the council's wise policy of not mowing until late in the year, to give wild flowers and bees a chance to flourish.

[Roses]

It seems to be an excellent year for dandelions, for some reason - there are huge swathes of them on every patch of unmown grass, of which there are a lot, thanks to the council's wise policy of not mowing until late in the year, to give wild flowers and bees a chance to flourish.

Tell me about it! My husband insists I remove every dandelion, which puts in an appearance in our garden.

[Steve H]

Tell me about it! My husband insists I remove every dandelion, which puts in an appearance in our garden.

Rebel! Wild flowers are both attractive and good for bees and other insects.

[ekim]

.... not to mention ..... https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/162202/dandelion-wine/

[Enki]

I used to like Chris Packham. I have always found him knowledgeable and enthusiastic about nature. However, recently, I'm quite perturbed at what seems to me to be his growing arrogance and tendency to self importance. As a person who is fascinated by all things natural and committed to preserving our natural heritage, I feel that he runs the risk of turning some people off from the very things he supports. What has led me to say this is epitomised by his latest offering(by courtesy of the Radio Times, no less) where he seems to delight in the montage which depicts him as a modern St Francis of Assisi, with open arms, surrounded by selected endangered birds(even though some of the bird species shown are in fact either doing very well or their status hasn't changed particularly.) I have to assume that it's tongue in cheek, but he already has made enemies of too many people, and I think he was ill advised on this one.

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/chris-packham-radio-times-earth-day-special-issue-introduction/

[Steve H]

I used to like Chris Packham. I have always found him knowledgeable and enthusiastic about nature. However, recently, I'm quite perturbed at what seems to me to be his growing arrogance and tendency to self importance. As a person who is fascinated by all things natural and committed to preserving our natural heritage, I feel that he runs the risk of turning some people off from the very things he supports. What has led me to say this is epitomised by his latest offering(by courtesy of the Radio Times, no less) where he seems to delight in the montage which depicts him as a modern St Francis of Assisi, with open arms, surrounded by selected endangered birds(even though some of the bird species shown are in fact either doing very well or their status hasn't changed particularly.) I have to assume that it's tongue in cheek, but he already has made enemies of too many people, and I think he was ill advised on this one.

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/chris-packham-radio-times-earth-day-special-issue-introduction/

Give him abit of slack - he's on the spectrum.