To the City of London

Up to Town to look around the City of London for Wild Flowers &c.

Starting in the Garden of St Mary Aldermanbury we then made our way across to the Barber-Surgeons' Garden via St Alphage Garden: finishing up at All Hallows-by-the-Wall (sadly: as more and more Building Work is carried out the City is becoming increasingly sterile and devoid of Plant Life).

An unexpected Sighting was of a Pied Wagtail on a grassed area beside London Wall, close to Moorgate viz.

[i] Wild Flowers seen in the Garden of St Mary Aldermanbury included:

Black Nightshade
Black Spleenwort
Common Chickweed
Groundsel
Maidenhair Spleenwort
Mexican Fleabane (Self-Seeded)
Orange Hawkweed viz.

Pellitory-of-the-Wall
Pink-Headed Persicaria viz.

and Petty Spurge

We also noticed a couple of Hoverflies (including E. balteatus) and an assumed Honey Bee viz.

[ii] Wild Flowers seen on the section of Roman Wall in St Alphage Garden viz.

included Pelllitory-of-the-Wall.

[ii] Wild Flowers seen in the Barber-Surgeons' Garden included:

Hart's-Tongue Fern
Maidenhair Spleenwort viz.

Oxford Ragwort
Purple Toadflax viz.

and Wall Rue

and finally [iv] Wild Flowers on a Wall beside All Hallows-on-the-Wall (London Wall) included Rusty-Back Fern viz.

Also Black Spleenwort and Wall Rue.

And then back Home via London Bridge and some Train pictures viz.

Butterflies ~ 2019

Butterfly Species seen during 2019:

Brimstone
Brown Argus
Clouded Yellow
Comma
Common Blue
Essex Skipper
Gatekeeper
Glanville Fritillary
Green Hairstreak
Green-Veined White
Holly Blue
Large Skipper
Large White
Marbled White
Meadow Brown
Orange-Tip
Painted Lady
Peacock
Red Admiral
Ringlet
Small Copper
Small Heath
Small Skipper
Small Tortoiseshell
Small White 
Speckled Wood

All seen locally with the exception of the Glanville Fritillary which seen at Hutchinson's Bank (New Addington).

A Brief Moment of Sunshine

A generally Dreary Day but noticing the Sun Shining we popped into the Garden (at Home).

There were five assumed Green Shield Bugs on a Verbascum Plant including this Little Guy:

and a few assumed Honey Bees (no Ivy Bees seemingly or Hoverflies) were visiting the Ivy growing in the Garden (although it's not really flowering yet) viz.

Sadly, the Sun didn't Shine for long!

It can't be easy being a Little Critter alone in the World

It can't be easy being a Little Critter alone in the World! Life must be short for many: more often than not, cut short...

Ivy Bees [I] beside the Upper Bedon Stream, [ii] in the vicinity of the Holly Hill Open Space and [iii] in Lesnes Abbey Park

A Bright and Sunny Day.  We went in search of Ivy Bees and found some.

[i] beside the Upper Bedon Stream viz.

[ii] in the vicinity of the Holly Hill Open Space viz.

and [iii] in Lesnes Abbey Park viz.

The Sightings have been submitted to iRecord and Confirmed as OK.

Wow: there were at least Six Small Copper Butterflies on the Holly Hill Open Space

Wow: after being surprised by seeing a Brown Argus Butterfly and a Common Blue Butterfly sharing a Common Ragwort Plant beside the Upper Bedon Stream viz.

(plus two Speckled Wood Butterflies) we were super-pleased to see at least six Small Copper Butterflies on the Holly Hill Open Space (including this Guy):

Also: a Large White Butterfly viz.

Ivy Bees on Bostall Heath (the Royal Borough of Greenwich) and beside the Upper Bedon Stream

During the Morning, before it Rained, we saw some Ivy Bees beside the Upper Bedon Stream. Then: during the Afternoon before it Rained again, we saw more Ivy Bees on Bostall Heath viz.

The Holly Hill' Sightings have been submitted to iRecord and Confirmed as OK.

Some Wild Flowers beside Standard Road (Upper Belvedere)

After walking beside the Upper Bedon Stream in search of Ivy Bees &c. we decided to walk up to All Saints' Belvedere, to look for Ivy Bees &c. in the Church Grounds. Finding ourselves in Standard Road, which runs between Nuxley Road and Grosvenor Road, we noticed a number of Wild Flowers including:

Black Horehound
Common Mallow 
Greater Celandine
Groundsel
Ivy-Leaved Toadflax
Mugwort
Oxford Ragwort
Pellitory-of-the-Wall viz.

and Sweet Violet

Before we reached All Saints' Belvedere, it started to Rain and with some Heavy Rain &c. forecast, we turned for Home.

To Bostall Heath (the Royal Borough of Greenwich) and Back

No Rain (and some Sunshine) so we decided to go for a Walk. We wandered over to Bostall Heath and then back Home.

Wild Flowers seen included:

Agrimony viz.

Balkan Spurge
Black Bindweed
Black Horehound
Black Medick
Buck's-Horn Plantain
Buddleia
Cleavers
Common Bramble
Common Chickweed
Common Field-Speedwell viz.

Common Fumitory
Common Knotgrass
Common Mallow
Common Ragwort viz.

Coral Spurge viz.

Creeping Cinquefoil
Creeping Thistle
Daisy
Dandelion
Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill
Dwarf Mallow
Fat Hen
Forget-me-Not viz.

Fleabane (probably Guernsey Fleabane)
Four-Leaved Allseed
Groundsel
Hare's-Foot Clover
Herb Robert
Ivy-Leaved Toadflax viz.

Jersey Cudweed
Lavender (Self-Seeded and growing in a Roadside Gutter)
Lesser Swinecress
Michaelmas Daisy (Self-Seeded) viz.

Mugwort
Nipplewort
Petty Spurge
Red Clover
Red Dead-Nettle
Redshank
Ribwort Plantain
Sow-Thistle
Sweet Alyssum
Timothy
Yarrow
and Yellow Corydalis (Self-Seeded)

Of Holes in the Ground and Ivy Bees

En-route to the Upper Bedon Stream after having our Hair cut (in Upper Belvedere) we noticed both Holes in the Ground and Bees milling around.

They seemed too dark to be Ivy Bees but we are told that Ivy Bees can appear a little darker when damp: so Ivy Bees they are viz.

 The Sightings have been submitted to iRecord and Confirmed as OK.

Out early to have our Hair cut

Out early to have our Hair cut in Upper Belvedere. And afterwards, a gentle Stroll beside the Upper Bedon Stream.

Wild Flowers seen before and after having our hair cut included:

AnnualMercury
Black Bindweed
Black Horehound
Bristly Oxtongue
Buck's-Horn Plantain
Cleavers
Cock's-Foot
Common Bramble viz.

Common Chickweed
Common Field-Speedwell viz.

Common Knotgrass
Common Mallow
Common Ragwort viz.

Creeping Thistle viz.

Dandelion viz.

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

Four-Leaved Allseed
Greater Celandine
Greater Plantain
Groundsel
Hare's-Foot Clover
Hart's-Tongue Fern
Hedge Mustard
Ivy Broomrape
Ivy-Leaved Toadflax
Jersey Cudweed
Pellitory-of-the-Wall
Red Valerian 
Reflex Stonecrop
Ribwort Plantain
Shepherd's-Purse
Sow-Thistle
Sweet Alyssum (Self-Seeded)
Trailing Bellflower (Self-Seeded)
Yarrow
and Yellow Corydalis (Self-Seeded)

We travel up to Norfolk to visit the Titchwell Marsh Nature Reserve

We went up to the Titchwell Reserve with the Bexley Branch of the RSPB. A journey of three hours plus, each way. The Group as a whole identified eighty-two Bird' Species: we managed thirty plus Species!

Bird Species identified by us:

Avocet
Black-Headed Gull
Black-Tailed Godwit
Blue Tit
Coot
Cormorant
Curlew viz.

Dunlin viz.

Golden Plover
Goldfinch
Great Tit
Green Sandpiper
Grey Heron
Grey Plover viz.

Greylag Goose viz.
Herring Gull
Lapwing
Meadow Pipit
Moorhen
Little Egret
Little Ringed Plover viz.

Mallard
Meadow Pipit
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Oystercatcher
Pied Wagtail viz.

Redshank viz.

Ruff viz.

Shelduck
Spoonbill
Turnstone
Wheatear
Wigeon
and Wood Pigeon

Next stop, Cley (Norfolk again): during early-October.