Butterflies

The Big Butterfly Count - till 10 August

Butterfly numbers in the UK generally have declined over the last 40-50 years through changing land-management practices, and their numbers are an indication of the health of our countryside. The worst year on record was 2012, but their numbers rallied last summer due to good weather, and it is hoped that they will improve again this year.  

Between now and 10 August, the charity Butterfly Conservation is organising a Big Butterfly Count for members of the public to count the numbers of 21 common species they spot over a 15-minute period.  For information see here.

Butterfly-spotting on Aylesbeare Common nature reserve

You might also be interested in this Devon Wildlife Trust event on Aylesbeare Common on Sunday morning 3 August, looking not just at butterflies, but also at dragonflies and birds.

Help wanted

On our recent walk we saw Meadow Browns, Peacock, and Red Admiral butterflies, but do not have enough experience to identify any others.  If you are knowledgeable about butterflies and would like to contribute to this blog, especially now at the height of their season, please do get in touch.  

July 2014 Field path from Toby Lane towards Woodbury

This month we look at the public footpath towards Woodbury that begins on Toby Lane, opposite Toby Cottage.  Throughout this walk there are stunning long views to the Haldon Hills in the west (on the opposite side of the Exe estuary), across Exeter, and to the Raddon Hills in the north-west.  The way crosses six fields - presently under cultivation with meadow grass, maize and wheat - before reaching White Cross Road opposite the Parsonage in Woodbury.  It also passes through and alongside a series of hedges, ditches and field margins that are relatively rich in a variety of wildlife habitats, and form important wildlife corridors.  The way is full of bird- and insect-life - from swallows (they love the telephone wires!) and gold-finches, to bees, crickets, hover-flies and butterflies.  

Field path entrance opposite Toby Cottage (above),
opening onto views of Haldon Hills in the distance (below)

Relatively rich habitat of trees, hedge, ditch and field margin.

In general, footpaths have been created by generations of ordinary people going about their business, and still for us today they provide a vital link to the land, albeit more usually for leisure.  Historically, footpaths connected farms, churches, schools and settlements in times before carriages and vehicles: farm labourers may have walked many miles to work each day, and children may have walked long distances to school.  

Such public rights of way became legalised by the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949.  They were based on parish surveys by Parish Councils, and several rounds of public and landowner consultation produced a final Definitive Map. This record is kept under review by the County Council, and can be modified where evidence suggests that new or modified routes would fulfil a current need.

This particular footpath appears on a map of the late nineteenth century but is possibly much older, connecting the handful of farms that used to exist here, in the area between Toby Lane and Canonwalls Farm, with the church and businesses in Woodbury, perhaps including the tithe barn which used to exist at the site of the Parsonage.  Perhaps it was used by people on foot to avoid Deepway and White Cross Road, which would have been churned up by wheeled traffic and livestock.

At this time of year, the vibrancy earlier in the season gives way to the characteristic dark greens and auburn hues of high summer. Fewer new wild flowers appear in July, and mostly they are in open areas and in woodland margins.  This year, however, many plants have flowered and begun to seed up to a month early.  The verges of Toby Lane have a distinctly late summer feel already.

The wide verges of Toby Lane are coloured by an abundance of seed-heads.

At the entrance to the field path and in one of the ditches several fields away, one unusual plant is found flowering in profusion. Its appears to be a member of the water-cress family, possibly Narrow-fruited Water-cress or a hybrid.

Narrow-fruited Water-cress [?]

Here there is also a magnificent stand of Great Willowherb, which is found in abundance in damp places, such as the ditches beside lanes and fields, and can be seen throughout this walk.  It spreads rapidly by underground stems, so that it often forms large clumps, to the exclusion of other plants.  It is distinguished from its cousin Rosebay Willowherb by larger, more spaced out individual flowers.

Great Willowherb

At the time of writing, the first field is un-cut, and provides a relatively rich experience of grasses and plants in both flower and seed, and the sight and sounds of insects.  The mixed flora includes Buttercups (Creeping- and Field-), White Clover, and Creeping Thistle.

Creeping Buttercup

White Clover is one of the wild flowers most rich in pollen and nectar, and is hugely important for insects, as well as for fixing nitrogen in the soil.  It occurs widely in grassy areas.

White Clover

Creeping Thistle is considered a pest by farmers and gardeners because of its rapid spread - by seed and by fragments of rhyzome.  However, a stand of the plant in flower is an invaluable source of nectar for many insects.  If you are brave enough to put your nose to it, you will find that the flower smells of honey.

Creeping Thistle

Hedgerow flowers along the path include (as well as Great Willowherb) Common or Hedge Bedstraw, Tufted Vetch, Bramble, Meadowsweet, and Hedge Bindweed.

Common, or Hedge, Bedstraw

Tufted Vetch and Bramble

Bramble

Meadowsweet

Hedge Bindweed

One plant that is unfamiliar to us and was not recorded in the Woodbury Wildflower Survey (completed in 2011), is Many-seeded Goosefoot.  It apparently occurs locally throughout England south of a line between the Humber and the Severn.  At 1m tall it is a striking plant that grows on light, nutrient-rich waste ground and disturbed cultivated land.  We found many specimens growing along the edge of the fifth field where there is a wide field margin.

Many-seeded Goosefoot

Throughout this walk, it is hard to remain unaware of the distinction between the cultivated land and the rest.  Modern agricultural practice is extremely monocultural, and often leaves wide areas of bare soil which can quickly become degraded by erosion and flooding.  By contrast, the hedges, ditches and margins are more species-rich, although much has been lost in the last century due to modern farming methods and land management.  

Monoculture of rye grass beyond the field margin

Bare soil between maize plants.

At the corner of the sixth (and last) field, where the land dips down towards Woodbury, there is an area of degraded land which has been subject to flooding in the last few years, and no crop is growing in this hard, cracked soil.

However, it is a great lesson to realise how nature is reclaiming this ground and restructuring the soil through the emergence of a number of plants that thrive on waste ground, together with an abundance of insect life.  Growing here we found Field Bindweed, Scentless Mayweed, Common Speedwell, Sun spurge, Greater Plantain, and Scarlet Pimpernel.

Field Bindweed

Scentless Mayweed

Common Field-speedwell

Sun spurge

Young Greater Plantain

Scarlet Pimpernel

Seeds and fruits

Amongst the many seeds and fruits developing now are Sorrel (giving the fieldscape an auburn tinge), the many Umbellifers, Field and Dog Roses, Red Campion, Hedge Woundwort, and Lords and Ladies.

Sorrel

Cow Parsley and other umbellifers

Rose

Red Campion

Hedge Woundwort

Oil-seed Rape

The distinctive red berry-like fruit of Lords and Ladies is highly toxic for humans, but loved by birds.

Lords and Ladies

Birds

Bird moult

At this time of year it can feel as if the birds have simply disappeared: there is little birdsong, the garden and countryside can seem eerily quiet, and there may be few birds to see, and - when they do appear - they can look quite strange.  The breeding season is over, the young no longer need to be fed by the parents, and territory no longer needs to be fiercely maintained, so the birds can put their energy into the process of moulting.  Adult birds are shedding their worn out feathers and growing new, strong, warm feathers to see them through the winter.  Young birds are losing their first feathers and moulting into their adult coats.

Moulting is a drain on birds' resources.  When feathers are shed there may be heat loss, affecting insulation, and when flight feathers are lost, more energy may be needed for flight.  This is why many birds become inconspicuous for a time as they may be more vulnerable to predation.  Generally moult will not overlap with other processes which drain energy reserves, such as breeding or moulting.

[Information for this section is taken from an RSPB article about bird moult]

Dawn chorus

At midsummer, on June 21, Sally Elliott noted the following birds singing during the dawn chorus:

At 03.55am the Song Thrush began, followed (in order) by Swallows, Robin, Blackbird, Wren, Blackcap Warbler, Chaffinch, and finally Wood Pigeon at 04.38am.

However, such is the reduction in birdsong at this time of year that just over two weeks later, on July 9, only the Song Thrush could be heard, beginning at 4.30am.

Familiar and well-loved though the Song Thrush is as a garden bird, its numbers are declining seriously, especially on farmland - and it is in fact now on the 'Red List', meaning it has the highest conservation priority.  The Song Thrush's habit of repeating song phrases distinguishes it from other singing blackbirds.  You can listen to it and read more here.  It is similar in appearance to the Mistle Thrush, but is smaller and browner, with smaller spotting.

Song thrush (above) compared with Mistle thrush (below)

East Devon Heath week

Just letting you know about East Devon Heath week, which will celebrate our local heathland heritage, from 27 July to 1 August. Close to home is the Family Festival Day on Sunday 27th at Woodbury Castle, 11.00am-3.30pm.  Elsewhere during the week there is a variety of walks and activities, including a chance to go behind the scenes at Blackhill Quarry near Woodbury to hear more about plans to recreate heathland habitats once the quarrying has ceased.  Full information is available here.

The RSPB also regularly organises walks on Aylesbeare Common nature reserve - see here for details - as does the Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust through the Friends of the Commons.

Parkhayes Plantation: rare sighting of unusual species!

This occasional visitor to Woodbury Salterton was recently spotted on Parkhayes Plantation.  'Elf and Safety' appeared in the wildlife area during the scarecrow competition on 6 July.  Thanks to Patrick and Gill Bricknell for creating him, and to Abbey Clarke for the photo.  

'Elf and Safety' on the Parkhayes Plantation

Bumblebees

In the last 80 years bumblebee populations in the UK have crashed: two species have become nationally extinct and several others have declined dramatically.  Bumblebees are not only familiar and much-loved insects, but they are also essential for pollinating crops and wildflowers.  The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is one organisation set up to address these concerns, and images to aid identification of bumblebees can be found here on its website.

Thanks to Ben Jones for this very informative article on the varieties of bees we can expect to see in our surroundings.

Bees

Bees evolved from wasps about 100 million years ago to feed on flowering plants.  Today there are over 20,000 species - but in Woodbury Salterton you certainly won't see that many different species.  Unlike a lot of insects, bees use both sets of wings simultaneously to fly, which requires a lot of energy.

Bumblebees

The Bumblebee is the largest type of bee, with the earliest appearing in February.  It will usually nest in underground holes or grass tufts, making a nest of only a few dozen cells.  Workers can number anywhere between 20 to over 200, and they forage for nectar and pollen provided by flowering plants.  During the summer months, the queen bee will produce a pheromone that stops her worker bees from mating and laying eggs.  The queen stops producing this pheromone near the end of summer when the hive's food source (flowers) begins to run out.  Only fertile queen bees will survive the winter: worker or drone bees will die off as the nest enters a period of anarchy in the Autumn, when the queen loses control of the workers.

The first bumblebees to appear are the Early Bumblebee  or Bombus pratorum, which can be identified by the red tail and the two yellow stripes located (one) in front of and (one) behind the wings.  Queens of this species also have yellow stripes and are bigger than the worker bees.  Males of this species can be identified by their yellow heads, as well as similar markings to the Queen and Worker Bee.

A Queen Early Bumblebee (above) and different members of the species (below)

Another species that appears in February is the White-tailed Bumblebee or Bombus Lucorum.  The male of this species also has a yellow head but, unlike the Early Bumblebee, has a white tail. 

White-tailed Bumblebee male (above), and members of the species (below)

This species should not be mistaken for the Buff tailed Bumblebee or Bombus terrestris.  The queen of this species is the only truly buff tailed bee, as well as being one of the largest Bumblebee queens.  Her species is one of the most commonly seen in Britain, appearing around the beginning of summer. Worker Bees of both species are completely identical, although the white tailed Bumblebee will have a thicker yellow rear band.

Queen Buff-tailed bumble bee (above) and members of species (below)

The Brown tailed Bee species: these are unlikely to be seen in the local area but can be identified by the brown hairs covering their bodies.  The most commonly seen species is the Common Carder Bee or Bombus Pascorum, which has a Brown body and black tail with no stripes.

Queen Common Carder bee

The Tree Bumblebee or Bombus Hypnorum:  In the South West we are also likely to see this newly arrived type of bumblebee, not native to the UK and therefore an invasive species.  Invasive species are not necessarily bad as they may just fill in gaps as pollinators left by native species (whether they are a benefit to Britain is yet to be determined).  So far this species has been spotted as far north as Glasgow and is thought to be spreading at a rate of 12,500 sq km per year (that's 4,500 sq miles).  It was first spotted in the UK in 2001.  It can also be found in the Arctic Circle, mainland Europe and Asia.

Records of Tree Bumblebee in the UK in 2014

The Tree Bumblebee has an orange head and a white tail.  They predominately favour woodland clearings, meaning that gardens make an excellent habitat.

Tree bumblebee

Queens will nest in bird boxes or tree hollows although they are known for their entrepreneurial spirit: some have even been found nesting in tumble drier vent pipes.  If this does happen, make sure someone with bee-keeping skills removes the nest. Any information on these nests should also be passed to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

Tree bumblebee nest in tumble drier vent pipe

As the name suggests, Tree Bumblebees prefer nesting above ground.  Nests can number up to 400 bees, and male bees will often display outside the nest for the new queens.  

Workers will be in and out of the nest into dusk, operating far later than native species.  They will also cover the outside of the nest in yellow poo and are more resistant to certain types of parasites than native bees.

It is unlikely that you will detect a nest until it is about to collapse, which will be when the number of bees has peaked.  At this time drone bees are likely to hover outside the nest in what is known as nest surveillance, which is preparation for mating and part of the Tree bumblebees life-cycle.  When new Queens fly out of the nest, pairs of bees will fall to the ground and stay linked together for a considerable amount of time.

Tree bumblebee nest surveillance flight

If a nest is spotted, the best thing to do is leave it alone and notify BWARS (Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society) online.  The bees are likely to leave within the next few months, although like some other bee species new queens may set up new nests in September.

Nests in bird boxes are especially vulnerable to any vibrations. Bees may suddenly fly out if disturbed, and sting people in the vicinity.  The stings won't be too dangerous as there not barbed.

Thanks to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust website for the images and much of the information,

and to resident Ben Jones for pulling them together for this article.