Our first Green Hairstreak Butterfly of 2020

Although the Crossness Nature Reserve and the Erith Southern Marsh are currently closed, the Footpath that runs from the Reserve to Bazalgette Road alongside the Crossness Sewage Works, is still Open.

Sadly, our hopes of seeing lots of Butterflies &c. were dashed when we saw that the Council' Strimmers had arrived before us and wrought their standard destruction viz.

Although our first instinct was to turn around we decided that having Bicycled down there we should walk along the Footpath viz. most Clouds have Silver Linings.

There were a few white Butterflies about: the majority, apart from a couple of Green-Veined White Butterflies and a handful of Orange-Tip Butterflies remaining alas, unidentified.

Bearing in mind the current Extraordinary Situation, we don't take the Butterfly Net with us: thinking it might attract adverse comment. And from what we have read during the past few weeks it is our perception that a British' Stasi would have no shortage of Applicants!

But we did see four Green Hairstreak Butterflies: including this Character:

Footnote: after leaving the Footpath and walking along The Ridgeway we noticed below us what appears to be a Disused Track, which looks quite promising for Bees, Bugs, Butterflies, Wild Flowers &c. and well worth a visit next time we are down there. Also: hopefully Safe from the Depredations of the Council' Strimmers?

Wild Flower' Species seen beside the Ridgeway included:

Bristly Oxtongue
Common Bramble (with a few flowers)
Common Vetch
Cow Parsley
Cut-Leaved Crane's-Bill
Docks (unidentified)
Forget-me-Not
Hawk's-Beard
Hedgerow Crane's-Bill
Hoary Cress
Hogweed
Oxeye Daisy
Ribwort Plantain
Sow-Thistle
White Campion
White Dead-Nettle
and Wintercress

Our first Train for at least a Month

Southeastern Train No. 465153, heads towards Abbey Wood, away from Belvedere:

It seems to comprise just two Carriages. And both probably empty.

Our first Tachina fera Type-Fly for 2020

Seen in the Garden (at Home) viz.

Our first Ships for a While

[i] Chemical Tanker, Caroline Theresa, moored in the River Thames at Thunderer Jetty, Dagenham viz.

[ii] Vegetable/Edible Oils Tanker, Star Bonaire, manoeuvres in the River Thames away from Erith Oil Outer viz.

We Bicycle down to the River (Thames)

Needing a Change of Scene, we decided to Bicycle down to the River: arriving in the Erith area and returning Home via Norman Road North in the Belvedere area and then back up the Hill through Lesnes Abbey Woods.

Birds seen beside/on the River included Canada Geese, Gadwalls, Mallards, Oystercatchers (four of 'em) and Shelducks:

Wild Flower ' &c. Species seen included

Alexanders
Bush Vetch viz.

Common Fumitory
Common Knapweed
Common Vetch
Cornsalad
Cowslip
English Scurvy-Grass viz.

Germander Speedwell
Ground Ivy
Hawk's-Beard viz.

Hedgerow Crane's-Bill
Lesser Celandine
Lords-and-Ladies
Oxford Ragwort
Red Clover
Sea Beet  
Sea Milkwort
Slender Thistle viz.

Spanish Stonecrop
White Comfrey
White Dead-Nettle
White Ramping-Fumitory
Yellow Archangel
and Yellow Vetchling  (alas, not yet flowering)

No Bee-Flies but a couple of Crane Flies including this Guy:

Our Second Lesnes' Butterfly Transect Walk

We only went the wrong way once this time: and it didn't involve going up an additional Hill.

Butterflies seen:

two Brimstone Butterflies
two Comma Butterflies
two Holly Blue Butterflies
two Orange-Tip Butterflies
one Peacock Butterfly viz.

one Small White Butterfly
eight Speckled Wood Butterflies
and fourteen Unidentified white Butterflies (as mentioned previously, we can't really take the Net with us: at least as things stand at present)

Wild Flowers seen included: Bluebells, Bush Vetch, Garlic Mustard, Germander Speedwell, Greater Stitchwort, Ground-Ivy, Lesser Celandine, Lords-and-Ladies, Wild Garlic, Wood Anemone, Wood Sorrel and Yellow Archangel viz.

Plus five more Bee-Fly Records:

We were actually more interested in finding Bee-Flies than Butterflies!

Footnote: after all the Steep Hills, it would be nice not to have to walk Home!

Always something Different: Thank Goodness

We are tending, with the occasional exceptions, to go to the same places now. But thankfully: there is invariably something different to see.

Today: back to Bostall Heath (the Royal Borough of Greenwich).

And another couple of (Dark-Edged) Bee-Flies: the Sightings have been submitted to iRecord (four Bee-Flies were seen but only two formally identified).

The probable Highlight was seeing our first Crane-Flies of 2020:

Wild Flower' Species seen during the Outing included:

Balkan Spurge (on Bostall Heath)
Bluebell (on Bostall Heath) 
Bulbous Buttercup (on Bostall Heath)
Common Mouse-Ear (on Bostall Heath)
Common Vetch (on Bostall Heath)
Coral Spurge (on Bostall Heath)
Cow Parsley (on Bostall Heath)
(unidentified) Dock (on Bostall Heath) viz.

Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill
(unidentified) Fleabane viz.

Four-Leaved Allseed viz.

Garlic Mustard (on Bostall Heath)
Green Alkanet (on Bostall Heath) viz.

Hawk's-Beard (on Bostall Heath)
Hedge Mustard (on Bostall Heath)
Honesty (on Bostall Heath)
Ivy-Leaved Toadflax
Jersey Cudweed (see also Fleabane)
Lesser Swine-Cress
Mouse-Ear Hawkweed (on Bostall Heath)
Perennial Wall Rocket viz.

Red Dead-Nettle (on Bostall Heath) viz.

Ribwort Plantain (on Bostall Heath)
Sheep's Sorrel (on Bostall Heath) viz.

Shining Crane's-Bill
Spotted Medick
Wall Speedwell
Wild Garlic (on Bostall Heath)
and Wood Sage (on Bostall Heath)

Of Cuckoo Flowers and Others

We needed to pop into Bexleyheath and whilst walking there and back, noticed quite a few Wild Flowers: unsurprisingly, we slowed down during the walk back Home!

We also added another Bee-Fly to the list submitted to iRecord and spotted five Speckled Wood Butterflies and a Holly Blue Butterfly in Russell Park:

Wild Flower' &c. Species seen included:

Aubretia (self-seeded on a Public Pavement) viz.

Buck's-Horn Plantain
Bulbous Buttercup
California Poppy (self-seeded on a Public Pavement) viz.

Cock's-Foot

Common Fumitory viz.

Common Mouse-Ear
Common Ragwort
Common Sorrel viz.

Cornsalad viz.

Cuckoo Flower (super-amazed to find four Plants in the 'local Monad' growing on an area recently 'improved' or 'destroyed' by the local Council) viz.

Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill
Jersey Cudweed
Field Madder
Field Wood-Rush
Four-Leaved Allseed
Greater Celandine
Green Alkanet
Hawk's-Beard
Henbit Dead-Nettle
Hoary Cress
Ivy-Leaved Speedwell
Ivy-Leaved Toadflax
Lesser Celandine
Lesser Swine-Cress
Meadow Foxtail viz.

Mugwort
Oxford Ragwort
Pellitory-of-the-Wall
Red Dead-Nettle 
Ribwort Plantain viz.

Rue-Leaved Saxifrage
Small-Flowered Crane's-Bill
Sticky Mouse-Ear
Wood Avens
and Yarrow

Back to Lesnes Abbey Woods to check on the Wood Sedge

We had been hoping to establish whether a Sedge growing in Lesnes Abbey Woods was either Wood Sedge or Thin-Spiked Wood Sage (see also, Of Sedges in Lesnes Abbey Woods, 15 April). Nothing doing alas: we are told the determining factor is down to the width of the leaves (apparently, Thin-Spiked Wood Sage, is a bigger Plant with wider leaves):

Wild Flower' Species seen in Lesnes Abbey Woods included:

Bluebell
Brooklime
Bush Vetch
Common Water Star-Wort
Cow Parsley
Garlic Mustard
Germander Speedwell
Greater Stitchwort
Lesser Celandine
Lords-and-Ladies
Pendulous Sedge viz.

Wild Garlic
Wood Anemone
Wood Sorrel viz.

Yellow Archangel
and Yellow Pimpernel viz.

Wild Flower' Species, seen growing on Pavements, in Roadside Gutters &c., whilst walking to and from the Woods included:

Annual Wall-Rocket viz.

Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill
Four-Leaved Allseed
Henbit Dead-Nettle viz.

Ivy-Leaved Toadflax
Jersey Cudweed
Purple-Leaved Procumbent Yellow-Sorrel
Red Dead-Nettle
Round-Leaved Crane's-Bill
Shining Crane's-Bill
Spotted Medick
Sticky Mouse-Ear
and Wall Speedwell viz.

We make a Delivery and then take our 'Daily Exercise'

Needing to make a local' delivery, we decided to take another look for Wild Flowers growing on Pavements, in Roadside Gutters, on Rough Ground &c., before drifting over to Bostall Heath in search of Bee Flies &c.

Wild Flower' Species seen growing on Pavements, in Roadside Gutters &c. included:

California Poppy
Cornsalad
Creeping Cinquefoil (in the Grounds of St Andrew's Parish Church)
Dandelion
Daisy (in the Grounds of St Andrew's Parish Church)
Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill (in the Grounds of St Andrew's Parish Church) viz.

Four-Leaved Allseed viz.

Green Alkanet
Groundsel
Henbit Dead-Nettle
Herb Robert
Ivy-Leaved Speedwell
Ivy-Leaved Toadflax
Jersey Cudweed viz.

Lesser Trefoil
Lesser Swine-Cress
Pearlwort
Pellitory-of-the-Wall
Petty Spurge
Pineappleweed
Red Dead-Nettle (in the Grounds of St Andrew's Parish Church)
Round-Leaved Crane's-Bill
Rue-Leaved Saxifrage
Shepherd's-Purse
Shining Crane's-Bill
Spotted Medick (in the Grounds of St Andrew's Parish Church) viz.

Thale Cress (flowered out)
and Wall Speedwell

Wild Flower' Species seen growing on Bostall Heath included:

Balkan Spurge viz.

Bluebell
Broom
Bush Vetch viz.

Caper Spurge
Cock's-Foot
Common Mallow 
Common Ragwort
Coral Spurge
Cow Parsley
Dock viz.

Garlic Mustard
Hawk's-Beard viz.

Mugwort
Red Dead-Nettle (with a visiting Hairy-Footed Flower-Bee) viz.

Ribwort Plantain viz.

Sheep's Sorrel
Sowbread
and Wood Sage

Oh: and we spotted just a single Bee-Fly, nine Dock Bugs viz.

and a few Butterflies, including nine Speckled Wood Butterflies.