Yesterday was a working at home day and given the thrashing trees,
scudding clouds and periodic squalls it was a day well chosen to be indoors.
Today on the other had was the lull between the two incoming systems and with
blue skies I decided to head out for a short circuit of Crabbles Bottom Orchard
and Great Crabbles Wood.
The wind had not abated but it was not cold and I had hopes
of finding some insect life in some of the warmer spots. The wood itself is undergoing some much
needed coppicing and a very neatly stacked woodpile greeted me upon arrival – I
do like a pile of logs.
I followed the inside path looking for early signs of
spring. There were very few Celandines even in leaf but the Bluebells were
doing a sterling effort to get going.
New Dog’s Mercury and Lords and Ladies were showing with the latter
pushing through the leaf litter like a green rolled tongue (if you are capable
of doing that!) before unfurling to spearhead glory – some with spots and some
without.
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| Bluebells |
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| Lords and Ladies |
The same can be said for the Early Purple Orchids up by the
Pit with plenty of rosettes with and without dark adornments. Some where already racing away but it seems
that grazing has already happened on several so lets hope they come to fruition.
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| Early Purple Orchid |
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| Early Purple Orchid |
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| Butcher's Broom |
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| Not quite sure on this tiny conical snail... |
Up in the wood I found several large shopping bags stuffed
full of the glorious ‘tumbleweed’ Moss that forms patches across the site. I suspect that someone was either collecting
it for garden baskets or for selling as such so I accidentally emptied them all
out across the woodland floor before stashing the six bags for collection on my
way back.
The wood was quiet with little birdlife but the Bullfinches
were vocal but invisible as ever but I did find some flies with by first Hover
of the year with the expected Eristalis tenax – a female. A few other flies
were basking and I reckon that most that I got a good look at were Phaonia.
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| Phaonia sp |
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| Eristalis tenax |
Spurge Laurel clumps were in flower and only a single Cherry Plum added a splash of spring white to the proceedings. Many other trees were budding and the Brambles were riddled with the mines of Stigmella aurella along with just a single Coptotriche marginea while most Hollies had Phytomyza ilicis mines on them.
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| Spindle |
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| Cherry Plum |
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| Cherry Plum |
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| Wayfaring Tree |
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| Hazel |
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| Spurge Laurel |
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| Spurge Laurel |
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| Stigmella aurella |
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| Coptotriche marginea |
King Alfred’s Cakes and Jelly Ears adorned decaying tree limbs
where I stopped for a coffee just outside the wood at the bottom of Bowesden
Lane.
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| King Alfred’s Cakes |
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| Jelly Ears |
I was unsure where to go at this point but fancied having a
look for Firecrests in the Holly that screen the huge front gardens as you walk
up the lane. It took me all of a minute
to find a singing bird as her followed his mate back and forth across the road giving
wondrous views.
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| Firecrest |
Cyclamens and naturalised Crocuses littered the verge as I
continued up to Peartree Lane and the gleaming yellow council salt bin was
attracting sunbathers with three male Eristalis tenax, two Calliphora vicina
(no ginger beards) and another small fly that I think may be a smaller Calliphora.
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| Cyclamens |
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| Crocuses |
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| Sweet Violets |
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| Eristalis tenax |
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| Calliphora vicina |
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| Calliphora? - wing veins look same as above but fly half size |
A Buzzard circled overhead but the wind was getting up again
and I could hear nothing so I cut back into the wood via the next footpath. I
felt pretty safe in amongst the trees with the tall Chestnuts swaying in unison,
clattering and creaking as the gusts found their way through the branches and I
followed a path down towards the main path I had come in on, remembering to collect
the moss burglar’s bags on my way.
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| Buzzard |
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| I found this naturalised Hellebore last spring and it is doing even better this year |
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