Fledgling
“Unexpected fledgling in the dragonfly area. Please wait.” So there I was this afternoon at the old wharf at Cleeve Prior Mill, rummaging about for Odonata by one of the fishing pegs on the river bank, when there was a … Continued
First of the year
In the middle of a busy day, I sneaked an hour up at the Community Orchard in Cleeve Prior, where there was no dragon activity at any of the ponds, but the strips of long grass and wild flowers between … Continued
Meadow Brown
I’ve reduced the half-dozen books I used to have on British butterflies to just three: Butterflies of the West Midlands, which has good local information including walks and likely sites for spotting various species; Peter Eeles’ excellent Life Cycles of … Continued
In the pink
We’d been told to expect wet weather for much of the day, and I’d planned my time accordingly, but in the event we didn’t get much rain till this evening, when the garden got the kind of soaking that meant … Continued
Humblebumblebee
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “humble-bee” predates the use of the word “bumblebee” – the former having first appeared in print in 1450, and the latter in 1530 – but they were then used almost interchangeably until … Continued
Citizen science
Well, this is exciting. To me, at any rate: I get quite fizzy whenever I’m able to add a new species to my life list, and this is one I never expected to encounter in the Shire. It’s a Four-banded … Continued