Double flowers and dragonflies

I have visited the High Woods several times during the current heatwave and it is much quieter than usual.  Perhaps people are going to the beach instead.  However, there is plenty to see.  The woodland edges are rich with flowers and delicate grasses (as below: common bent, Agrostis capillaris., tufted vetch, Vicia cracca, and marsh bird's-foot trefoil, Lotus pedunculatus).

Common blue damselflies are very numerous this year and there are some interesting dragonflies.

Most summers there are golden-ringed dragonflies, Cordulegaster boltonii, often around some of the smaller, acid streams, one of the places they breed.

Today I saw a species I have not seen in the Woods for nearly 20 years, though it is a common enough in England and Wales: the  black-tailed skimmer, Orthetrum cancellatum.

Surprisingly hard to see when settled among twigs and grass.

A floral curiosity is growing by the gate to the Old Wood Yard.  There are a couple of plants of double red campion, Silene dioica, again something I have not come across before.

Summer arrives

There is much to see in the woods at the moment in particular the summer butterflies that are starting to emerge.

Today on a walk my friend Dave Monk spotted a purple hairstreak butterfly sitting on birch leaves.

Its camouflage is good and it looks just like the ghost of a butterfly in the shadows, the lines on the underwings like the edges of leaves.

We managed to get it down and it sat obediently on Dave's hand before returning to the shelter of the trees.

Purple hairstreaks tend to stay up in the top of the canopy, but they sometimes come down to lower levels, particularly in hot weather.  The upperside is dark with blue/purple highlights.

Elsewhere one of the children on our walk spotted a mouse in the undergrowth.  Unusually it sat eyeing us for a while before scampering away.

Up in the Old Woodyard the corn sow thistles (Sonchus arvensis) are in flower now.  This is one of the few places in the High where they occur and the shaggy yellow flowers are larger and more showy than other British Sonchus.  Plants of this genus are said to have a particular affinity with pigs (hence 'sow thistle') and they are supposed to be effective if applied to wounds made by pigs: worth bearing in mind if attacked by a wild boar (very unlikely).  The bee is, I think, the white-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lucorum).

A spring walk

On Sunday we had a lovely sunny day, the first spring-like occasion seemingly for weeks.

I led a walk mostly around Coneyburrow and Twist Woods and we checked on the green hellebores, which were in full flower, somewhat later than usual.

One unusual discovery on our walk was that in various places along the rides plants of pendulous sedge (Carex pendula) had been pulled up and left lying on the ground.

I suspect this has been done by wild boar and that they were aiming for the roots which are edible and, though small, contain starchy material which is probably very welcome to the animals at this time of year when food can be scarce.

Another strange discovery was of the very large burr at the base of an ash tree with four cultivated daffodil flowers in a natural hole.  We wondered what this might be commemorating.

As a final confirmation that spring is at hand, we saw a fine male brimstone butterfly, like a flying flake of bright lemon paper along the ride by the car park - showing off to the visitors maybe.

Midwinter Day 2012

For once a sunny morning which we were able to enjoy in Brede High Woods where it was muddy and quiet.

It is a good time of year to reflect on the past season and what might be done next year.  It is also easier to see things like mosses.  The picture below is of white moss (Leucobryum glaucum), normally pale green and I think the white patches are where it is not too healthy.

We also had a look at some of the extensive sphagnum moss beds that have developed on the flatter woodland areas around some of the streams.  Unusual and precious ecosystems with their own special wildlife.

And, finally, a midwinter moss-covered oak.

First bat records

A small party of bat enthusiasts led by Dave Barker braved the wind and rain yesterday evening in an effort to see and hear some bats, animals for which there had been no earlier formal records from Brede High Woods.

Despite the cold, wet and lateness of the season, six species were on the wing foraging for insects.  These included soprano pipistrelles, common pipistrelles, brown long-eareds, a noctule, a Myotis species and possibly a whiskered bat.

This is very encouraging news that further emphasises the importance of Brede High Woods for wildlife.  In addition to being of interest in their own right, bats need a healthy supply of insects and places to roost and hibernate.  They also have many insect associates living in their roosts (but not necessarily anywhere else).

With the success of this first bat walk, there are likely to be others, hopefully in better weather, so watch the events lists for the woods if you are interested in leaning more about these fascinating little mammals.

Yellow jumping spiders

Crystal Ray, who frequently visits Brede High Woods, took these photos of yellow jumping spiders (Evarcha falcata) by the 'Soldier's Seat' on Brede High Heath on 20th August this year.

Although widespread in the southern half of Britain, this species is rare in East Sussex so it is a welcome addition to the Brede High Woods records.

The picture above is of a male and this and the one below of a female:

This species is mainly a woodland spider which occurs in the foliage of trees as well as on lower vegetation such as heather and gorse in woodland clearings.  Brede High Heath would seem to be ideal as it is a place where heath and woodland meet.

An interesting aspect of this spider's behaviour is its sleeping position (yes spiders do sleep).  It hangs on a short thread with all eight legs pressed into its body. This occurs whenever it darkness falls and the spider will adopt this position when in captivity at any time of day if it is put into a dark place.  The reason for this 'suspension' is assumed to be a way of avoiding predators.

The specific name falcata means a sickle-shaped sword and is, presumably, a reference to the spider's jaws.

Fishy wasp?

At Soldier's Seat on Brede High Heath (grid ref TQ780207) there is a sunlit patch of bare earth worn by all the people, their children and their dogs who rest a while there.

Yesterday I photographed this small solitary wasp scooting about just above the surface.

It is an ornate-tailed digger wasp, Cerceris rybyensis, an identity confirmed by my entomologist friend Steven Falk.

This species is predatory on the small mining bees that build their nests in this area of bare soil.  The wasp catches and stings the bees and buries them in a nest tunnel as food for its larvae.

If you get a chance sit on the seat on a warm sunny day and watch all the action.  It is a good illustration of the importance of bare ground as a habitat as most of the active species cannot complete their development in places where the vegetation forms even the thinnest layer.

'Ryby', incidentally, is the Polish word for 'fish', so the scientific name means 'of the fish'.  Seems a bit improbable, but I cannot find anywhere called 'Ryby', though it can be someone's name.  Perhaps someone can suggest a better reason for the specific name.