Bedford Purlieus, Barnack Hills and Holes and Castor Hanglands 14.5.14

A beautiful spring day and we (my expert friend Roger) were off to North Hunts for two types of rare Orchid and anything else we could see. The Fly Orchid was a first for me and is now pretty much my favourite Orchid, and very interesting to witness a wasp visiting a flower. They are so small and could be happily growing somewhere unobserved by passers by. The Bird's Nest Orchid was next and is a very hard plant to find, unless you know someone who can show you, they really blend into the background and grow in shady areas of woodland. They lack Chlorophyll hence the weird colour, and get energy from a parasitic relationship with a fungus. We also saw Lily-of-the-Valley and Herb Paris. 

At Barnack the Man Orchids were just beginning to open, and there were some lovely Pasque Flowers about too. Roger was kind enough to lend me his Macro lens for a few shots of the Man Orchids which only increases my desire to get one. 

At Castor Hanglands the expected Marsh Orchids were not showing yet. There were a couple of Common Twayblades, and in the pond my first sighting of Palmate Newts which was great. 

Fly Orchids Ophrys insectifera

Bird's Nest Orchids Neottia nidus-avis

Herb Paris Paris quadrifolia

Man Orchid Orchis anthropophora

Pasque Flower Pulsatilla vulgaris

Green Hairstreak Callophrys rubi

 Palmate Newt Lissotriton helveticus

Beechwoods 9.5.14

A short trip in the evening to get good light for the White Helleborine, a flower in the Orchid family roughly at the northern end of its range here in Cambridgeshire. Its a beautiful flower but rarely opens fully out, and likes shady areas of calcareous Woodland.

White Helleborine Cephalanthera damasonium

Beechwoods, south of Cambridge

Foxley Wood, Wiveton Down, New Buckenham Common 4.5.14

A lovely day was had in Norfolk with my parents. We started at Foxley Wood which had the best Bluebell display I've ever seen, it was really a fantastic sight. Also lots of Early Purple Orchids just off the paths, and some pinkish Wood Anemone still in flower. It gradually warmed into a beautiful and fairly still spring day, ideal for Butterflies. Next was Wiveton Down for Wall butterflies, a species I've only seen once before as it has declined much in recent years. But there we plenty here and quite active due to the warmth. Also seen were Green Hairstreak, in the gorse bushes and stoney paths. Finally an evening bike ride to New Buckenham common for Green-winged Orchids, of which there are many. 

Species seen - 

Foxley Wood
Orange-tip
Small White

Wiveton Down
Wall
Green hairstreak
Holly Blue
Brimstone
Small White
Large White
Green-veined White
Small Tortoiseshell
Peacock
Comma 
Speckled Wood

New Buckenham Common
Green-winged Orchid (two white ones also)
Micropterix calthella Moth

Foxley Wood Bluebells

 Pink Bluebell

 Longhorn Moth

 View from the top of Wiveton Down

 Wall

 Green Hairstreak

 Green-winged Orchid

 Interesting colour variant

 Albino Green-winged Orchid

Micropterix calthella Moth

Hayley Wood 26.4.14

The best example of ancient woodland close to Cambridge, Hayley Wood is a lovely place and always has something to see. Its a really good example of coppiced Woodland going back centuries, and was studied by Oliver Rackham. It has lots of Oxlips which are very rare in this part of the Country, and a fine showing of Early Purple Orchids too. I had a search for Bird's Nest Orchid but perhaps a little early.

Species seen - 

Orange-tip (m & f)
Speckled Wood
Peacock
Andrena minutula Mining Bee
Soldier Beetles Cantharis nigricans and Cantharis dicipiens
Froghopper in Cuckoo Spit
Early Purple Orchid
Oxlip
White and Pink Bluebells

Orange-tip m

Speckled Wood

Early Purple Orchid

Oxlip

White Bluebell

Ditch by the Woodbank

Brampton Wood 14.4.14

Walking around in springtime heaven at Brampton Wood. The Woodland floor is carpeted with blues, whites and yellows and deep fresh greens. Butterflies hurrying to find a mate, bees and flies go about their business, the sun shines and hides in equal measure, chiff-chaffs frame the scene with their timeless chant...

Species seen - 

Comma
Brimstone
Orange-tip
Peacock
Unidentified Beetle

Beetle on Wood Anemone

Greater Stitchwort

Orange-tip m

Bluebell

Comma

Brimstone m

Fordham Woods 9.4.2014

I had a lovely couple of hours at Fordham Woods today, its really a fantastic wood and perhaps one of the most underrated in the area. It is wet to a unique degree, having a marsh like area of woodland and the river Snail running through it too, and on this bright spring day there was a cacophony of bird song, a tranquil patchwork of shade amongst the bright green of the new nettle growth, and water beetles zooming around in the shimmering clear river. 

There are Marsh Marigolds in the wet part of the wood, just emerged Cuckoo flowers being visited by Orange-tip butterflies and Bee flies in the drier wood, and many a butterfly aerial battle along the river bank. I also saw, a personal first, the impossibly alive blue of a Kingfisher at the edge of the wood, something I'll never forget. 

I saw 8 species of Butterfly, which is hopefully a sign the good summer last year can be built upon this summer. 

Butterfly species seen - 

Brimstone (males and females) c.30
Orange-tip (males and females) c.20
Peacock c.15
Comma c.10
Small Tortoiseshell 1
Holly Blue 1
Speckled Wood 1
Red Admiral 1

Sloe Bug

Bee Fly

Orange-tip m

Eupeodes corollae Hoverfly

Peacock

Cuckoo Flower

Orange-tip f

Cavenham Heath 29.3.14

A visit to Cavenham Heath was rewarded with fine weather and lots of insect activity which was really good to see. There were several bird watchers at the heath but not having a massive 600mm lens I didn't bother trying to see what they were looking at, everything there is so far away! 

My walk around the southern woods was really nice, saw my first Speckled Woods of the year, and there were good numbers of Brimstone and a few Peacocks too. Also the verge at the side of the road was quite productive, seeing two caterpillars cross the road (not sure on species - please comment if you know), a rove beetle and a Common Wasp Bee. 

The Woods on the eastern side weren't as active but the Slime Mould was an interesting sight. 

St Mark's Fly m or Bibio lanigerus

Cereal Leaf Beetle Oulema melanopus

Rove Beetle Tachyporus solutus

Caterpillar (any help?)

Common Wasp Bee Nomada ruficornis

Slime Mould on Birch Stump

Common Wasp Queen