Orchids at Ranscombe Farm

Man Orchid, Aceras anthropophorum.  Ranscombe Farm County Park, 25 May 2012.

On May 25th I was at Ranscombe Farm on a trip led by Sue Buckingham, one of her summer wildflower lessons in the field.  It's chalk country not far from the River Medway. 

We saw many interesting and beautiful plants, some of them tiny and some less so.  I will cover some of the agricultural "weeds" next time, and here I will put the rarest of the plants we saw.

The Man Orchid isn't at all spectacular, and in fact it can be quite hard to pick out among grass and other wildflowers, even when it's in full bloom. The specimen below on the left is just about as big and obvious as they get.

Once you have your eye in, you can pick them out, but it would be very easy for an unknowing person to trample them.  I saw an interesting butterfly, a Green Hairstreak, flitting over the patch these were growing in and it was tricky to follow it while at the same time being careful of what I trod on.

Close up, it's quite unusual. It gets its name from the flowers, which dangle something that looks as though it has arms and legs. They can be seen clearly in the top photo.

The Lady Orchid, on the right, is much more flamboyant and really stands out, growing among sparse vegetation deep among the trees.  We saw 21 flowering spikes in one small area.

Lady Orchid, Orchis purpurea.  Ranscombe Farm County Park, 25 May 2012.

Here are the flowers in close-up.  These are supposed to look like a woman in a fancy dress, but to me they are clearly pantaloons.

As well as these two orchids, we saw White Helleborines; some growing near the Man Orchids, and some near the Ladies.

White Helleborine, Cephalanthera damasonium.  Ranscombe Farm County Park, 25 May 2012.

I like these the best of the three.  The complex interior of the flower, with its appearance of a spilled egg yolk, was only visible on those few of the flowers that were fully open.

These orchid are regarded as an endangered species, so I was surprised to see that  they are not listed among the plants that are given special protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.  However, the Act gives all wildflowers protection against being picked, uprooted or destroyed, so that is a start.

Broad-leaved Dock

Seeds of Broad-leaved Dock, Rumex obtusifolius.  Nashenden Down Nature Reserve, 14 April 2012.

These amazing seeds are among the many sights that can only be seen by looking closely, sometimes with a lens.  They were on the dead flower-stems of a Dock plant, which showed this year's leaves at its base but had not yet put up this year's flowers.  These are typical of the Broad-leaved Dock, with spiked edges and large warts.  (The seeds are a good way to tell Docks apart.)  The whole plant looked like this:

Broad-leaved Dock, Rumex obtusifolius.  Nashenden Down Nature Reserve, 14 April 2012.

As its name suggests, the leaves are broad, and they have heart-shaped (cordate) bases, another feature of this particular Dock.

Riverside Invertebrates In May

Mayfly, Ephemera vulgata.  Riverside near Leigh on 19 May 2012.

Along the Medway we saw lots of interesting insects, though as all the others in the party were botanists there were only a few I could get them interested in.  This was one, because it is such an iconic river creature; a Brown Mayfly, the short-lived adult of a common European species often imitated as a dry fly by fishermen.  I caught one in my hand as it flew past (not this one!)

This is pretty, but there was a much more spectacular species flying in the riverside meadows.

Banded Demoiselle, Calopteryx splendens.  Male.  In a riverside meadow near Leigh on 19 May 2012.

When these shiny damselflies flutter past they certainly catch the eye.  They confused me at first; they are as showy as dragonflies, yet they hold their wings like the damselflies they are.  The females are just as shiny, but a different colour, and they don't have the cloudy band in their wings.

Banded Demoiselle, Calopteryx splendens.  Female.  In a riverside meadow near Leigh on 19 May 2012

There were also some Large Red Damselflies around, pretty creatures that if the shiny Demoiselles weren't there I would think were the best things I would see.

Large Red Damselfly, Pyrrhosoma nymphula.  Male.  In a riverside meadow near Leigh on 19 May 2012.

Damselflies hunt other insects.  But less macho creatures can also be handsome.

Dung Fly, Scathophaga species.  Riverside near Leigh on 19 May 2012.

Like this Dung Fly.  Still, probably my favourite creature from this trip appeared at lunchtime on a fleece worn by one of the group.

Weevil, Curculio species.  In a meadow near Leigh on 19 May 2012.

This is probably a nut weevil and I think it is quite amazing that it can manipulate those antennae that are attached halfway along its curving snout.  But they move back and forth quite easily, and can be folded back and hinged to be parallel with the snout.

There were also various other beetles and lots of spiders and flies .. but I will end this post with what we saw as we got back to the village green where our cars were parked.  This is so very traditional as to be a cliche, yet it was a pleasure to see.

Cricket on Leigh village green, 19 May 2012.

All photos were taken with my EOS 60D and EF 100mm macro lens.

Wildflowers Near Leigh - Green

Leigh village green, 19 May 2012.

This is more of that well-kept village green at Leigh.

As well as the flowers in my previous post, there were several interesting plants that had not yet come into bloom.  Here are three to avoid.

Hemlock Water-dropwort,  Oenanthe crocata.  By the Medway near Leigh, 19 May 2012.

This was probably the most startling, because it looks so innocuous.  The Hemlock Water-dropwort is said to be the most poisonous British plant.  It is sometimes mistaken for celery or another edible species; the stems, leaves and bulbous roots are all appetising to some unlucky foragers. This plant was new to me, and I did my best to memorise it. 

Hemlock,  Conium maculatum.  By the Medway near Leigh, 19 May 2012.

Then there were specimens of the actual Hemlock as well.  It is a larger plant altogether.  This one is still young.  Hemlock is easier to recognise and avoid; it has purple blotches on its stems and when it flowers it gives off a strong and distinctive smell.

There are plants of three distinctly different scales here, all in the same Umbellifer family.  The small white-flowered umbels belong to Cow Parsley, currently flowering profusely by paths and roadsides.  It won't get any larger than this. The next up is the Hemlock, which will grow another few feet and might double in size, and to the right you can see a single leaf of a baby Giant Hogweed, the largest herbaceous plant in Britain, which can get up to 5 metres.  It would be interesting to come back here in a couple of months!

Giant Hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum.  Near Leigh on 19 May 2012.

Giant Hogweed is also to be avoided.  Its sap can sensitise the skin to sunlight, resulting in painful blisters.  Some Umbellifers are nice, giving us vegetables and herbs, but this selection is the very opposite.

Some of the grasses are showing up well.

Meadow Foxtail, Alopecurus pratensis.  Near Leigh, 19 May 2012.

Something had been eating the tops of many of these flower-heads.  There were shortened grass leaves, too.  The many droppings in the area suggested geese to one of the group, which is a fair guess as they are grazing birds.

I'll finish with a view of the river.

The River Medway near Leigh on 19 May 2012.

Wildflowers Near Leigh

Leigh village green, 19 May 2012.

We parked around the edge of this tidy village green and walked towards the river.  The weather was mild, becoming hot and sunny later on.  This was another Orpington Field Club outing, and the intention was to see something of the water-loving plants that grow by the Medway.  It was a good day; I saw several plants and insects for the first time.

Celery-leaved Buttercup,  Ranunculus sceleratus.  Near Leigh, 19 May 2012.

This was the one I found most interesting.  Yet another species of buttercup, recognisable as such because of that ring of buttery yellow petals, but with fleshy stems and hairless leaves, probably because it lives with its roots in water.  It was in a shallow pond where we took our lunch break.

The same pond was almost full of this plant:

Brooklime, Veronica beccabunga.  Near Leigh, 19 May 2012.

Not new to me, but very pretty, just starting to flower.  It's another Speedwell, which I have seen many of this year.  According to my wildflower teacher Sue Buckingham, its Latin name is memorable because it bungs up the beck.  But look how similar this is in general appearance to the buttercup.  Hairless, with fleshy leaves and stems.  This form must be suited to the shallow-water niche.

This one was also growing in wet ground, but not actually in a pond:

Large Bitter-cress, Cardamine amara.  Near Leigh, 19 May 2012.

It was new to me.  It's related to Hairy and Wavy Bitter-cress, which are common garden invaders, and also the Cuckoo-flower which grows in woods and hedgerows.  It has rounder leaflets than the common types, and one should also look for six violet anthers.

Winter-cress, Barbarea vulgaris.  Near Leigh, 19 May 2012.

Another one I hadn't seen before.  This plant was growing right on the edge of the river bank; I could have removed that twig before taking the photo, but only at some risk.

Growing some way out of reach was this flower.

Dame's-violet, Hesperis matronalis.  Near Leigh, 19 May 2012.

I refer to the two pale inflorescences, not the blue Russian Comfrey to the right or the deep pink Red Campion on the far left.  You can see how full of vigorous wildflowers this area is. 

Dame's-violet is a wild flower that used to be brought into gardens because of its flowers and its pleasant scent, which was strongest in the evening. 

I will finish with two common and familiar flowers.

Elder flowers, Sambucus nigra.  Near Leigh on 19 May 2012.

The beautiful creamy flower-heads of the Elder bush, which make delicious wine.  This grows quickly and easily in so-called waste ground and there is even one poking over my garden fence.

White Dead-nettle, Lamium album.  Near Leigh on 19 May 2012.

This also grows everywhere, but I couldn't resist taking a closeup to show how hairy the flowers are.

It's called a dead-nettle because it doesn't sting, even though the leaves look so similar to the Stinging Nettle.  They grow in the same places, often mixed in the same clumps, so it's useful to be able to tell them apart, which I learned to do at about age 4.

West Wickham Common Moths, May

Shears, Hada plebeja.  Noctuid.  Moth trap on West Wickham Common,  17 May 2012.

West Wickham Common is owned by the City of London and is one of a small number of excellent commons around the city which they own and manage.  I have come across the local rangers many times when they have led walks or events; two of the commons are within easy walking distance of my house.

West Wickham Common is 15 minutes away, and as well as volunteering to walk regular butterfly transects there I have persuaded the rangers to let me set moth traps, starting in May, with support from Luke, the local ranger.  They had traps in storage, and one is regularly used on Farthing Downs by Gill Peachey, a volunteer of long standing who has taught me a lot about trapping and identifying moths.

So we have begun.  The only source of power on West Wickham Common is the ranger's house, which limits where the trap can be set, but it is close to the woods and in theory we should get some interesting moths.  But the current run of cold and wet weather has badly affected the moth population.  I put out my own garden trap on the same night and got no moths at all, though I did catch a Cockchafer, a spider which is probably a Clubiona species, an Ichneumon Wasp and a Vine Weevil.  Which is all quite interesting, so it wasn't a dead loss.

And in the West Wickham Common trap there were only three moths.  This was the prettiest:

Shears, Hada plebeja.  Noctuid.  Moth trap on West Wickham Common,  17 May 2012.

This is the same specimen as the top photo.  It was new to me and I identified it later, from my photos.  Moth identification is something of an art.  You have to learn which features are important.  In this case, it is a mark right in the centre of each forewing, just inside a light oval mark, that can be construed to look like the blades of a pair of shears.  This is quite obvious to more experienced lepidopterists, apparently!

The other two were micromoths, which were identified by the experts on the ever-useful iSpot site.

Brown House-moth, Hofmannophila pseudospretella. West Wickham Common, 17 May 2012.

Yes, this house moth is the sort of moth that will lay eggs on woollen clothes.

Eudonia angustea. Moth trap on West Wickham Common, 17 May 2012.

These more flighty creatures were photographed still on the egg boxes they had settled on during the night.  Unlike the Noctuidae, they tend to walk or fly away when they are disturbed.  Noctuids like the Shears settle again readily, and sometimes play dead.

We were packing the trap away when I spotted another moth in the grass.  It's not unusual for moths to settle near the trap rather than in it.  Luckily, this one is easily seen!

Brimstone Moth, Opisthograptis luteolata. Moth trap on West Wickham Common, 17 May 2012.

So, a total of 4 moths this month.  I hope we will do a lot better in June.

Joyden's Wood Invertebrates

Wood Ants, Formica species.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

I saw several interesting invertebrates in Joyden's Wood, including two hoverflies, a bug and a ladybird that I had not seen before.  Wood ants were swarming in several places, and the presence of winged forms on the nests showed that this was the day of a mating flight.

A Wood Ant nest with winged adults. Formica species.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

It wasn't far from this nest that I saw some squash bugs; first one, then a little later, several more.

Dock Bug, Coreus marginatus.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

They were all on the margins of a small area of heath in the middle of the wood.  This species is sometimes called the Dock Bug or Dock Leaf Bug, but this one was crawling around some dead Wood Sage and the others were on Stinging Nettles.  Few insects have read the books.

I managed to get a quick photo of this Cranefly:

Cranefly, Limonia phragmitidis.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

Which I could not identify, so I asked on iSpot.   I did a little better with these three Hoverflies, getting one right and coming close with the other two.  iSpot is a very useful site.

Myathropa florea.  Hoverfly.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

Myathropa florea, with its honey-coloured fuzz, is one of my favourites.

Epistrophe species.  Hoverfly.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

I thought this was a Syrphus, but I was corrected.  Those yellow half-bands near the front of the abdomen are broad at the base; on a Syrphus they would close off into a shape rather like a golf club.  So this turned out to be new to me.

Brachypalpoides lentus.  Hoverfly.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

I knew I hadn't seen this one before, and I had no idea what it was, so I made a stab using my Hoverfly book.  I got the genus, but I was corrected on the species by the expert. 

I do like Hoverflies.  They are colourful and varied, and there are plenty of them around to photograph.  At this time of year, there are also plenty of these:

St. Mark's Fly, Bibio marci.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

They fly around with legs dangling, often in swarms, and are not much liked, though I think they look quite imposing with their spikey legs and hairy eyes.

During our lunch break I saw lots of Wolf Spiders running across the ground, perhaps keeping out of the way of the ants.

Wolf Spider, Pardosa species.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

They are usually very difficult to photograph because they are always on the move; they find prey by running it down, and I can hardly focus on one before it is gone.   But this one stood still long enough for me to get close enough to capture its smart markings in detail.

This millipede was dug out from a rotting stump by one of the group.

Millipede, Schizophyllum sabulosum?  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

I photographed it on her insect book.  The identification is tentative.

There were many Seven-spot Ladybirds around, nearly all on the nettles that bordered the path.  So I was pleased to see something different as we neared the end of the walk.

14-Spot Ladybird, Propylea quattuordecimpunctata.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

These were also on nettles.  I came away with quite a few stings from rearranging the leaves for a clear shot!  Several Ladybirds have Latin names that reference the number of spots, and you can often see the names written using figures, as for example Psyllobora 22-punctata, the 22-spot ladybird.  But they should properly be written out in full.  That one is really P. vigintiduopunctata, and this one is as shown in the caption. 

Finally, I was very pleased to flush out a moth near one of the ponds.  It's not a regular day flier, but this species is easily disturbed.  After a couple of short hops it settled down for long enough to be photographed.

Common Carpet, Epirrhoe alternata ssp. alternata.  Geometer.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

I have seen so few moths in my trap so far this year that spotting this was a real pleasure, especially such a well marked specimen of a rather pretty species.

Joyden's Wood - Green

Bluebells, Hyacinthoides non-scriptum, and Lily-of-the-valley, Convallaria majus.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

Here are some photos from the trip to Joyden's Wood with a green and leafy emphasis.

Parts of the wood were full of Lily-of-the-valley, just coming into flower.  Bluebells are at their height or just past, and in places we could see both growing and flowering together.

Heath Wood-rush, Luzula multiflora.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

We saw several species of Wood-rush, a group I am not at all good at.  I thought this was a Field Wood-rush, but it turns out to be a Heath Wood-rush.  The flowers below belong to the related Southern Wood-rush.

Southern Wood-rush, Luzula forsteri.   Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

These fresh and tender leaves belong to the scarce Wild Service Tree.

New leaves of a Wild Service Tree, Sorbus torminalis.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

Just by one of the paths, this sapling has been cordoned off to let it grow in peace.  The parent tree is not far away.  This species has an interesting history.  Its berries must be bletted before being eaten; that is, allowed to go soft with decay.  They were once used to flavour beer, and have also been used as a cure for colic.

Shining Crane's-bill, Geranium lucidum.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

Several of these plants were growing among robust stinging nettles at the side of the path.  Paths through woods are excellent places to find interesting plants; they can harbour woodland and grassland species, and the inhabitants get more light and water than they would under the trees.

Most Geranium species are pretty hairy, but these glistening leaves only have a few scattered hairs.  The name Crane's-bill refers to the shape of the fruit, which will mostly be along later; you can see one just starting to develop about 2/3 down and just left of centre.

Sanicle, Sanicula europaea.  Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

The dark and glossy leaves of the low-growing Sanicle have a shiny undersurface, which does not appear in this photo. 

Last for today is the first photo I took on this trip.  This is the underside of a Dock leaf, showing marks and holes that suggest it has been attacked by something.

A leaf of Broad-leaved Dock, Rumex obtusifolius, with marks of insect attack. Joyden's Wood, 12 May 2012.

Coincidentally, later on I found several specimens of a squash bug that attacks Docks.  That is a possible explanation for these markings, though they were some way away from this plant.