26 May 2017

We went to Apedale on Friday morning – which is unusual for us. We went early because it was a very hot day. We walked through the Watermills Wood to stay cool, and there was loads more bird noise than usual.

We spotted two orange tipped butterflies.

And lots of Speedwell (Latin name: Veronica)

We walked up to the old mine ventilation chimney base, and checked to see if the bees’ nest is there again this year. It was!

It is high up at the top of the chimney, and the entrance to the nest is in an opening between two black bricks.

We spotted some pretty cow parsley.

And climbed in an oak tree.

We walked down by the stream, which is very low because it has been so dry recently. The water looks orange because of iron ore in the area.

The hawthorn blossom looked like waterfalls or long beards, it is so thick!

The buttercups looked beautiful in this field.

 

 

23 May 2017

We visited Apedale in the afternoon, it was sunny and warm.

The rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum) is still in flower. This is an invasive plant in woodland, and is a problem because it’s evergreen and nothing can grow underneath it, which prevents woodland regeneration.

We think this is yellow asparagus pea (Tetragonolobus maritimus)

We saw a buzzard. Just so you know, a blizzard is not the insides of a buzzard.

Meadow orchid just coming into flower

View over Newcastle towards Penkhull

We spotted a drinker moth caterpillar having a sunbathe

Garden bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)

 

This insect looks a lot like a bee, but it’s actually a type of hoverfly – the Pellucid fly (Volucella pellucens) – one of the largest flies in Britain.  

 

Alder leaf beetles making more alder leaf beetles.

 

 

A Burnet moth caterpillar (we’re not sure what number of spots the moth will have).

 

Sadly we didn’t encounter any dogs – perhaps it was a bit too hot for them, so soon after midday.

 

 

19 May 2017

We went to Apedale after lunch, and the weather was dry, warm and bright, but quite cloudy.

We saw lots of wildflowers:

Herb Robert: Geranium robertianum

Apparently if you rub the leaves of this plant it gives off an unpleasant smell – we will try that next time.

Jack-by-the-Hedge or Garlic Mustard: Alliaria petiolata

This plant gives off the smell of garlic when rubbed. Ideal for fighting off vampires, or maybe making a mustard plaster. It is a medicinal plant and it is food for the caterpillars of the orange tip butterfly.

Ivy-leaved toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis) – also called Kenilworth ivy, coliseum ivy, Oxford ivy, mother of thousands, pennywort, wandering sailor, and is a flowering plant native to Mediterranean Europe and widely naturalised elsewhere.

Richard Mabey, in his ‘Flora Britannica’, says that ivy-leaved toadflax was introduced to Britain from southern Europe in the seventeenth century, and that its seeds were said to have been brought to Oxford with some marble sculptures, giving it the name ‘Oxford Weed’. It was very popular in walled gardens, so it seems appropriate that we saw it growing on a wall.

Forget-me-nots and wild strawberries

Ribwort – narrow leaved plantain: Plantago lanceolata

Horsetails – the living fossil

By the nature pond there were reeds, bulrushes and yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus).

Danny took a picture of the overgrown path – the weather has been great for growing!

The willow trees were setting seed and there were loads of seeds in the air – it looked a bit like snow.

Red campion, willow herb and horsetails.

A gall (oak apple) on a young oak tree. Created by a gall wasp.

The oak tree which is great for climbing.

Entrance to a rabbit warren.

Dandelion clocks

Walking

The steep slope

The nature pond – this area is sealed off to protect newts.

An animal track that goes through the fence.

Grass growing out of a bench

The view over to Wolstanton and then Werrington in the far distance.

Tommy remembers meeting dogs named Amber (a Labrador-type dog), Lucy (a black Labrador) and Jake (a very fluffy collie-type dog) – we meet these pooches a lot!

13 May 2017

We visited in the afternoon, and the weather was quite cloudy, but warm when the sun came out. There was a threat of rain in the air – we took our waterproofs!

The highlight of our visit today was hearing the calls of Greater Spotted Woodpecker chicks. We spotted their nest in a hole in a hollow tree:

We also saw one of the parent birds, but it was too far away to take a photograph. We waited very quietly for a while, but the parent was too shy to come to the nest. It was really exciting to see the little nest entrance and to hear the birds calling.

We also heard a cuckoo again today. We wish we were better at recognising more bird calls.

We saw lots of wildflowers:

Tufted vetch (Vicia cracca)

Ragged robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi)

Cuckoo flower or Lady’s Smock or Milkmaids (Cardamine pratensis)

The hawthorn (or May blossom) was also looking very beautiful.

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

There were loads of nettles (Urtica dioica)- this is a nettle leaf that is being used by a butterfly caterpillar for protection. Butterflies which use nettles in this way are Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Red Admiral, Comma and Painted Lady.

The bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) is growing really quickly – it will be over our heads soon!

There is an area that is full of fruit trees – there are lots of apple and pear trees which are just finishing their blossom-time.

We also saw a steam train on the Apedale Valley Light Railway – it was their Gala today.

We didn’t really meet any dogs today – but we saw a beautiful greyhound-ish dog with its owner who was pushing a bike.

9 May 2017

We visited in the afternoon, and the weather was sunny and warm in the sun, with a cool breeze.

We spotted a Small White butterfly, an Orange Tip butterfly and a Speckled Wood. Mum took a picture of this moth, but we are not sure what kind it is. It is possibly a Carpet Moth of some kind butterfly, which is of course, the underside of an Orange Tip butterfly wings:

We heard a cuckoo for the first time this year – this was very exciting because it is a sign of spring and because cuckoos are very rare. We always enjoy watching cuckoos on Springwatch. We remember Cuckoozilla!

We also saw a jay, and heard a Blackcap – it was making a sound like 2 pebbles bashing together.

The bluebells are still going strong and look lovely.

There is also lots of red campion in flower. Red campion is also known as red catchfly and the Latin name for it is Silene dioica.

The ground is very dry. The pools where we sometimes see newts (near the main nature pond) are almost completely dry, although there is lots of mud. We think that this might affect the newts… but hopefully not.

We met some other dogs, including, Bella, Matt and Pippa, who were all large black dogs (possibly Labradors or Retrievers), and Lucy, who was a little grey dog with wiry fur.