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Hemlock Water Dropwort in all its glory!
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I spent most of the day at Ballachurry on Tuesday, 15th June! In the morning I took advantage of the fine weather to do my usual recording visit of the week. Once everything was carefully noted and photographed I dived into the undergrowth to retrieve a barrow and went round the paths cutting back the Hemlock Water Dropwort which had collapsed across them as well as snipping back those ever intrusive brambles. On the boardwalk bridge the Dropwort was forcing pedestrians onto the very part of the bridge which is itself currently marked with tape pending repairs. I had actually been round the reserve only a week ago doing this job in anticipation of a group visit, which was subsequently cancelled because of the Southern foggy weather. I could not believe how much everything had grown back in just one week! Then it was back home for a hasty lunch before returning again in the afternoon.
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U3A Herbs Group
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In the afternoon it was my pleasure to welcome the Herbs Group from U3A for a tour of the Reserve. This was the visit which had had to be cancelled the previous week. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll round the Reserve for a couple of hours and, as well as identifying and discussing the potential uses past and present of the plants and flowers we encountered, we also noted the birds, butterflies and other invertebrates which were going about their business regardless of human visitors. We were also delighted to see two frogs which crossed the broken bridge ahead of us and dived into the stream the other side! One obligingly posed for photos before doing so.
What follows is a combination of everything I noted during both the morning and afternoon visits:
Birds:
SC209693 Willow Warbler, Wren & Blackbird all heard but not seen
SC209694 Sedge Warbler; 2 adult Moorhen + 4 chicks; Robin heard but not seen; 2 x Mallard.
SC208694 family of Great Tits ( 4) ; Woodpigeon, Willow Warbler both heard but not seen; Hooded Crow in adjacent fir tree.
SC209695 Wren heard but not seen; Dunnock
Butterflies, Moths & Caterpillars:
SC209693 Depressaria daucella caterpillars in Hemlock Water Dropwort
SC208694 Depressaria daucella caterpillars in Hemlock Water Dropwort
SC210694 Orange tip Caterpillars x 2 in Garlic Mustard; Small White
SC209694 3 x Speckled Wood; unidentified white flying ; Small Heath
SC208694 Common Blue ( male); Small Tortoiseshell; Speckled Wood; unidentified white flying; Small Copper.
SC208695 Speckled Wood; unidentified white flying; Carpet Moth; Small White
SC209695 Speckled Wood
SC210694 Speckled Wood
SC210694 Nettle-Tap Moth
SC208694 signs of Orchard Ermine moth webs on Blackthorn
Ladybirds:
SC210694 parisitised 7-spot Ladybird still in situ but Dinocampus Coccinellae cocoon no longer visible. Ladybird probably now dead; 1 other active 7-spot Ladybird nearby.
Other:
SC209695 Gorse Shieldbug
SC208695 Rhingia campestris hoverfly
SC209695 several unidentified flies on bench
SC208694 2 Frogs crossed the boardwalk and dived into the stream the other side
SC210694 Rust Fungus ( Puccinia urticaria) on nettles + unidentified aphids
SC210694 Wild roses in bloom here and elsewhere on the reserve
SC210694 unidentified Crane Fly
SC210694 at least 8 Yellow Rattle plants in Noticeboard meadow
SC210694 Cuckoo Spit froghoppers nymphs here and throughout reserve ( Philaenus spumarius)
SC208694 Mason wasp ( probably Ancistrocerus species) on bridge
SC208694 Noon Fly;
SC208694 Xylota segnis Hoverfly
SC208695 Eristalis pertinaxHoverfly
SC208694 sloes starting to form on the Blackthorn
SC209693 Honey Bees in Hemlock Water Dropwort
SC209693 Bee or bee mimic?
SC209694 dandelion family flowers in bloom - to be identified
SC210694 unidentified aphids on nettles
SC210694 Dung Fly parasitised by Entomophthora muscae fungus
SC210694 spider behind opening frame of noticeboard window. Usual earwigs and wood lice missing!
SC210694 Dolichopus species fly
SC209693 Eristalis tenax Hoverfly
SC208695 Solitary Bee, possibly Andrena species
SC208694 Flesh fly, Sarcophaga species
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Adult Moorhen
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and the other parent
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chick begging for food
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chicks walk on the lily pads....
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trying not to get their feet wet!
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beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
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Mallards - is female a hybrid ?
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Hooded Crow
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path through the damp meadow
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male Common Blue enjoying the warmth of the wood chip
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then it flew into the meadow
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Small Heath
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Small White
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Large White
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another Small White
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Speckled Wood
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and another keeping warm on the wood chip
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Small Tortoiseshell
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Small Copper - just fits in a buttercup!
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Carpet Moth
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web of Orchard Ermine Caterpillars in the Blackthorn
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Nettle- tap moth
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caterpillar of Orange Tip butterfly
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and another slightly younger one
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bridge through to the willows
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Noon Fly basking in the sunshine
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Mason Wasp, probably Ancistrocerus species.
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the willow grove
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crossing back over into the damp meadow area
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looking across the meadow to the hide
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the boardwalk through the Dropwort
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this area was thoroughly weeded on June 5th - ten days later it needs doing again!
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looking back through the Dropwort
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one of two frogs on the boardwalk
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Depressaria daucella moth caterpillar
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and another - they favour Hemlock Water Dropwort and Hogweed
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Dolichopus species fly
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Eristalis tenax Hoverfly
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Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly
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Rhingia campestris Hoverfly
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Solitary bee, possibly Andrena species
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Xylota segnis Hoverfly
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Flesh fly - Sarcophaga species
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Honey bees in the Dropwort flowers
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| Cranefly |
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Cuckoo Spit Froghopper nymph in spittal
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dandelion family - to be identified
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spot the Gorse Shieldbug
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Hide almost obscured from view by the frothy sea of Dropwort flowers
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beautiful but deadly!
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excellent for wildlife but very poisonous for humans
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Rust Fungus gall on nettles ( Puccinia urticata)
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path through the Hazels, near the road
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Sloes on the Blackthorn still growing
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Wild rose near the gate
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Yellow Rattle near the noticeboard
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Honey bee in the Dropwort
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aphids on the nettles
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This Dung Fly that has been parasitised by Entomophthora muscae fungus
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dead ladybird now parasitic wasp has left its body😢
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this 7-spot appears healthy
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unidentified spider inside Noticeboard
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sadly the mature ash tree now appears to have Ash Dieback
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looking across the entrance meadow towards Ginnie's bench
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pond looking right from hide
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pond looking left from hide
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a rare picture of Mrs. Blogger with the Herb Group
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Definitely a fresh air day!
With thanks to Steve Crellin for fly IDs
Please click on photos to enlarge them ( with thanks to Herbs Group for letting me use their photo)
