Saturday 31 August 2019

Our first Ivy Bee of the year: visiting Ivy flowering beside the Upper Bedon Stream


There were also lots of assumed Honey Bees and Hoverflies including Eristalis tenaxMyathropa florea and a single Volucella zonaria.

Wild Flowers seen (beside the Upper Bedon Stream, on Public Pavements &c.) before/after a visit to the Chiropodist, included:

Black Horehound
Common Mallow
Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill 
Dwarf Mallow
Four-Leaved Allseed viz.


Ivy 
Ivy-Leaved Toadflax
Jersey Cudweed viz.


Redshank
Ribwort Plantain
Spotted Spurge viz.


and Yarrow

Monday 26 August 2019

A Grasshopper in the Front Garden (at Home)

An assumed Common Field Grasshopper viz.


Since all the nearby Front Gardens are paved over, the Grasshoppers (there are a few)won't (hopefully anyway) be going anywhere else!

Wednesday 21 August 2019

Butterflies, Moths and a Dragonfly in the Garden (at Home)

Nice to see quite a few still about, including:

Gatekeeper (x2) viz.


Holly Blue (x2)
Small Tortoiseshell 
Small White (x3)
and Speckled Wood (x3)

plus Mint Moths (at least 10 of 'em) viz.


Also a Dragonfly (a Southern Hawker perhaps?), resting on the Climbing Hydrangea viz.


Sunday 18 August 2019

Does the Crown Vetch growing beside Norman Road North know the End is Nigh?

An odd Question perhaps but there really isn't much left now.

It's almost as if it knows that Construction Work on two Data Centres will probably commence shortly and that the area where it (viz. the Crown Vetch) grows, will be 'tidied up'!

And anyway, Crown Vetch, being a Wild Flower, is of course, a 'Weed'.

We brought three Plants Home and they have been potted and watered: hopefully one or more will make it through to next year. Although we aren't actually allowed to dig Wild Flowers up if the Flowerrs are facing imminent future destruction such niceties must to be our mind, be over-ridden.


Some Wild Flowers seen in the Norman Road Field (adjacent to the Crossness Nature Reserve)

Wild Flowers seen included:

Bird's-Foot Trefoil
Burdock
Celery-Leaved Buttercup
Common Bramble
Common Fleabane
Common Orache
Common Ragwort viz.


Common Sorrel
Creeping Cinquefoil
Creeping Thistle viz.



Dandelion
Field Bindweed
Great Plantain
Marsh Cudweed (seemingly thriving) viz.


Mugwort
Red Bartsia viz.


Red Clover
Ribwort Plantain
Scentless Mayweed viz.


Spear Thistle
Teasel viz.


White Clover viz.


and White Deadnettle

To Bostall Heath (and Back)

Wild Flowers seen (on Bostall Heath, in the Grounds of St Andrews, Bostall Heath, on Public Pavements, in Private Gardens &c.) included:

Agrimony
Annual Meadow Grass
Annual Mercury
Balkan Spurge
Black Bindweed viz.


Black Medick
Black Horehound
Bristly Oxtongue
Broad-Leaved Everlasting-Pea
Buck's-Horn Plantain
Buddleia
Caper Spurge
Cleavers
Common Bramble
Common Field-Speedwell viz.


Common Knotweed
Common Mallow
Common Ragwort
Common Sow-Thistle
Coral Spurge
Creeping Cinquefoil
Creeping Thistle viz.


Dandelion
Daisy
Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill
Dwarf Mallow viz.


Field Bindweed
Four-Leaved Allseed
Gorse
Great Willowherb
Greater Plantain
Green Alkanet
Groundsel
Hare's-Foot Clover
Honesty
Jersey Cudweed
Mouse-Ear Hawkweed
Mugwort
Oxford Ragwort
Pellitory-of-the-Wall
Purple-Leaved Procumbent Yellow-Sorrel
Redshank
Red Clover
Ribwort Plantain
Rosebay Willowherb
Round-Leaved Crane's-Bill
Sheep's-Sorrel
Shepherd's-Purse
Spear Thistle
Spotted Medick
Sweet Violet
White Clover viz.


Wood Sage
and Yarrow

Also: male and female Common Blue Butterflies on Bostall Heath viz.



Friday 16 August 2019

A local Appointment

We walked there and back: Wild Flowers seen (beside a local Stream, on Public Pavements, in Private Gardens, on Walls &c.) included:

Annual Meadow Grass
Annual Mercury
Black Horehound
Black Medick
Bramble
Bristly Oxtongue
Buck's-Horn Plantain
Cat's-Ear
Cock's-Foot
Common Chickweed
Common Knotweed 
Common Purslane
Common Ragwort
Common Sow-Thistle
Creeping Bellflower
Creeping Cinquefoil
Creeping Thistle
Daisy
Dandelion
Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill
Dwarf Mallow
Fat Hen
Field Bindweed
Four-Leaved Allseed viz.


Greater Celandine
Greater Plantain
Green Alkanet
Groundsel
Hart's-Tongue Fern
Hedge Bindweed
Herb Robert
Ivy Broomrape (flowered out but hopefully safe from the Council's Strimmers although there can be no guarantee)
Ivy-Leaved Toadflax
Jersey Cudweed
Lobelia (self-seeded)
Mouse-Ear Hawkweed
Nettle
Oxford Ragwort
Pellitory-of-the-Wall
Petty Spurge
Purple-Leaved Procumbent Yellow-Sorrel
Prickly Sow-Thistle
Ribwort Plantain
Shepherd's-Purse
Spear Thistle
Spotted Medick
Spotted Spurge viz.


White Bryony viz.


White Campion
White Clover
White Deadnettle
Yarrow
and Yellow Corydalis

Thursday 15 August 2019

We find some more Jersey Cudweed

We have bit of a thing about Jersey Cudweed and are always pleased to see some, especially in new places.

And Yippee: we found a single Plant (yesterday) opposite the Main Entrance to Guy's Hospital (the London Bridge area in the London Borough of Southwark, Grid Reference: TQ3280), and approaching ten Plants in Greenhithe High Street (Kent, Grid Reference: TQ5875), today viz.



Tuesday 13 August 2019

Butterflies &c. in the Garden (at Home)

Nice to see there are still Butterflies &c. in the Garden (at Home) including these Guys:





Sunday 11 August 2019

It's surely Time to Restrict the Thames Path to Bicyclists Only (or more properly, not allow Bicyclists on the Thames Path?)

We say so reluctantly but it is surely time that the Thames Path is restricted to Bicyclists only. Getting in the way of so many today (as is invariably the case) was a reminder of how unfair it is to expect them to have to slow down when approaching and passing people: especially when many are in such a hurry. Two, coming from behind without seemingly slowing down, brushed against us.

It is exceptionally tedious having to apologise all the time for getting in their way.

Unless alternatively, Bicyclists are not allowed on the Thames Path? Some Bicyclists are of course, Courteous and Polite: sadly, as is the way with things, the Selfish ones ruin it for everybody.

But at least the two people on Motor Bikes slowed down when approaching us and thanked us for keeping to the side of the Path.

That apart, a few Painted Lady Butterflies were out and about on the Buddleias flowering beside the Thames Path viz.



And an Amaranth plant was growing beside the Thames Path close to the Erith Docks viz.


A small party of Linnets viz.


were swooshing and whooshing.

A couple of Ringed Plovers, including this Little Guy:


were also present (in their usual spot). We are assuming the others are away raising families. Hopefully they will be back soon.

And with Autumn approaching, we are looking at Lichens (and Mosses) again viz.


Footnote: Tug, MTS Victory, was among the Tugs &c. moored in the Thames off Erith viz.


And General Cargo Vessels, Danica Hav and Prosna, were moored at Erith Oil Inner and Erith Oil Outer, respectively viz.


Thursday 8 August 2019

A Fork-Tailed Flower Bee (Anthophora furcata) in the Garden (at Home)

We don't know whether the Bee (a Solitary Bee and generally common) visiting the Lamb's-Ear is the same Bee as the one resting on the Leaf: but are inclined to think so: