White Bryony on the Upper College Farm and Andrena florea Bees

It is suggested that the Andrena florea Bee, described as being confined to Southern England, is supposedly rare but we are inclined to think more likely under-recorded, since wherever we see White Bryony (the Bee's sole source of pollen), we invariably see the Bee.

And so it was when we visited the Upper College Farm viz.

The sightings have been submitted to iRecord.

A day of alternate Rain and Sunshine

We decided to pop down to the Grounds of St John the Baptist, Erith, to see whether the Bee Orchids had survived the Council' strimming. As expected: they hadn't. 

We then walked down Church Manorway to the Footpath linking it to the Thames Path: where we walked a few hundred yards upstream before turning round and walking back along the Thames Path to Corinthian Manorway.

Before heading along Church Manorway we walked along the Lower Road to look at the Wild Clary: where we also saw two Common Blue Butterflies viz.

In the small pool beside Church Manorway we saw a (female) Pochard viz.

We think Reed Warblers were present too. We had always hoped to see Tufted Ducks there: but super-pleased to see the Pochard. We wonder if a male is present: ducklings too? 

Wild Flower' species seen included (in general order of sighting): 

White Campion

Wild Clary

Bird's-Foot Trefoil

Wild Mignonette

Perennial Wall-Rocket

Hoary Mustard

Common Mallow

Oxford Ragwort

Common Ragwort

Meadow Buttercup

Common Bramble

Bristly Oxtongue

Green Alkanet

Creeping Cinquefoil

Red Poppy 

Yarrow

Tufted Vetch

Common Knapweed

Lady's Bedstraw

Ribwort Plantain

Common Vetch

Creeping Thistle

Hedgerow Crane's-Bill

Red Campion

White Dead-Nettle

Cow Parsley

Hogweed

Sea Beet

Hoary Cress

Narrow-Leaved Ragwort

White Stonecrop

Hemlock Water Dropwort

Sea Arrowgrass

Sea Plantain

English Scurvygrass

Sea Couch Grass

Sea Aster

Sea Purslane

Sea Milkwort

Prickly Lettuce

Lesser Sea-Spurrey

White Bryony

Black Nightshade

Golden Samphire

Buddleia 

and Bladder Campion

As mentioned, a day of alternate Rain and Sunshine. And some impressive Clouds viz. 

Parmelina pastillifera on the Sea Wall beside the Thames (north side) just downstream of Blackfriars Railway Bridge

First seen a few months ago we finally caught up with it again. Not common in the South-East apparently. But under-recorded perhaps?

We had been anxious about identification but John Skinner, Lichen' Recorder for the London Natural History Society, sent us a specimen. 

Among lots of dark smudges we were able to find some of the shiny bun-shaped isidia. There were also some light-coloured shiny bun-shaped isidia which we assume darken over time. The lobes are brownish at the margins and black underneath. 

The record will be submitted to the British Lichen Society

The Clovers are coming out to play on Bostall Heath (the RB of Greenwich)

And where there are Clovers there will hopefully be Bees. As was the case with the White Clover although nothing seen on the Red Clover:

Wild Flower species seen flowering during a brief visit included:

Bush Vetch

Common Bramble ~ our first flowers of the year

Common Vetch 

Dandelion

Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill

Green Alkanet

Hawk's-Beard (Beaked?)

Herb Robert

Lesser Trefoil viz.

Red Clover

Ribwort Plantain

and White Clover

And we spotted what might, or might not be, a Red-Headed Cardinal Beetle viz.

To the East Wickham Open Space with vague hopes of a Small Heath Butterfly or two. Nothing doing but our first Brown Argus, Common Blue and Small Copper Butterflies of the year so not a wasted visit.

Wild Flower species seen included:

Bird's-Foot Trefoil

Cock's-Foot

Common Chickweed

Common Knapweed

Common Mallow

Common Mouse-Ear
Common Ragwort

Common Vetch

Cow Parsley

Creeping Buttercup

Creeping Thistle

Dandelion

Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill

Germander Speedwell

Goat's-Beard

Greater Plantain

Hairy Tare

Hoary Plantain

Hogweed
Lesser Trefoil

Meadow Buttercup

Meadow Foxtail

Mouse-Ear Hawkweed

Red Clover

Ribwort Plantian

Smooth Tare

Spotted Medick

Teasel

Wall Barley

White Clover

and Yarrow

The Andrena florea Bees are back: Yippee

A few years ago we decided not to pull out the White Bryony in the Garden (at Home): and we saw our first Andrena florea Bees. We have seen them every year since. They collect pollen from White Bryony and White Bryony alone.

The sighting has been submitted to iRecord: the first record we have submitted for a while now. We are still submitting Butterfly and Hoverfly records but not via iRecord. It was becoming too onerous.

Lichens that may be found growing in Churchyards &c. of City of London' Churches

We are working on a Project to hopefully identify some of the Lichens that may be found growing in Churchyards &c. of City of London' Churches. Including possibly on the Churches themselves? 

We seem to remember seeing some in the small churchyard of St Olave Hart Street: and will be revisiting to see what we can find. See below for the Seething Lane Entrance to the Churchyard:

It occurs to us that we might think about another Project viz. some Lichens of the Canary Wharf area! There have to be some in that Concrete Jungle? Don't there? But we can think about that after finalising the City' Churches Project.

Wild Flowers and Lichens on the Erith Pier

We popped down to Erith to see the Offshore Support Vessel, 'Pegasus': newly arrived and scheduled to be broken up. She was moored beside Tugs, 'Lord Waverley' and 'Buzz': both awaiting similar fates:

Wild Flower species seen included:

Annual Meadow-Grass

Bittercress

Bittersweet

Black Medick viz.

Bristly Oxtongue

Buddleia

Daisy

Dandelion

Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill

Groundsel

Herb Robert

Jersey Cudweed

Narrow-Leaved Ragwort

Oxford Ragwort

Pearlwort

Round-Leaved Crane's-Bill

Shepherd's-Purse

Sow-Thistle

Spear Thistle

Wall Speedwell
and Wood Avens

Lichen species seen included:

Caloplaca saxicola

Lecanora dispersa

Lecanora muralis

Phaeophyscia orbicularis

Xanthoria calcicola

and Xanthoria parietina

On the Sea Wall just downstream of the Pier, we spotted probable Verrucaria ochrostoma viz.

Sweet Woodruffe on Hutchinson's Bank (the LB of Croydon)

We have just realised that the Plant we saw on Hutchinson's Bank (last week) and were unable to identify, is Sweet Woodruffe. We must look out for it again when we return to look for the Glanville Fritilleries.

But we did see Toothwort (on Hutchinson's Bank) for the first time ever!

Our Bee-Fly Sightings during 2022

12 March 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly beside the Footpath running between Bazalgette Way and the Crossness Nature Reserve...

15 March 2022: three Dark-Edged Bee-Flies beside the Footpath running between Bazalgette Way and the Crossness Nature Reserve...

17 March 2022: four Dark-Edged Bee-Flies on the East Wickham Open Space...

18 March 2022: two Dark-Edged Bee-Flies beside the Upper Bedon Stream...

19 March 2022: eleven Dark-Edged Bee-Flies on the Crossness Nature Reserve and Surrounding area...

20 March 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly in the Plumstead Cemetery (the RB of Greenwich)...

21 March 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly beside the Upper Bedon Stream...

25 March 2022: seventeen Dark-Edged Bee-Flies on the Crossness Nature Reserve and Surrounding area (including the Erith Southern Marsh)...

25 March 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly beside the Upper Bedon Stream...

26 March 2022: seventeen Dark-Edged Bee-Flies on the Crossness Nature Reserve and Surrounding area...

2 April 2022: five Dark-Edged Bee-Flies on the Crossness Nature Reserve and Surrounding area...

9 April 2022: two (possibly three) Dark-Edged Bee-Flies in Scadbury Park (the LB of Bromley)...

10 April 2022: twenty-two Dark-Edged Bee-Flies on the Crossness Nature Reserve and Surrounding area...

12 April 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly in the New Woolwich Cemetery (the RB of Greenwich)... 

12 April 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly on the East Wickham Open Space...

15 April 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly in the Garden (at Home)....

16 April 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly in the Cemetery of Our Lady of the Angels, Erith...

16 April 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly in Lesnes Abbey Park...

16 April 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly on Bostall Heath (the RB of Greenwich)...

17 April 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly in the Garden (at Home)...

18 April 2022: twenty Dark-Edged Bee-Flies on the Crossness Nature Reserve and Surrounding area...

20 April 2022: two Dark-Edged Bee-Flies in the Garden (at Home)...

22 April 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly in the Garden (at Home)...

24 April 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly in the Garden (at Home)...

24 April 2022: four Dark-Edged Bee-Flies in Petts Wood (the LB of Bromley)...

26 April 2022: three Dark-Edged Bee-Flies on Bostall Heath (the RB of Greenwich)...

1 May 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly on Bostall Heath (the RB of Greenwich)...

5 May 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly on Chapel Bank (the LB of Croydon)

9 May 2022: one Dark-Edged Bee-Fly on Bostall Heath (the RB of Greenwich)...