Green-winged Orchids

Seems to be a great year for Green-winged orchids! Peak flowering time is May, the green "wings" are green-veined sepals on either side of the mauve petals. I visited a meadow last week and counted nearly 100 spikes, I have never seen so many at this site!

Green-winged Orchids

March Hares

A walk in search of hares today proved successful. Brown hares appear to have a stronghold in Hampshire despite a severe national decline. They're easiest to spot at this time of year, before the grasses and crops grow too tall. On a walk along the Clarendon way this afternoon, we spotted three, standing out against the green shoots of crops just coming through. One was hunkered down against the wind and staying very still; the other two were more active running and chasing each other in and out of the hedgerow, a marvelous sight!

Brown Hare

Autumn Beeches in the New Forest

Picked the best day of the weekend for a walk in the New Forest at Bramshaw. The leaves have turned shades of copper, yellow and brown and looked stunning in the autumn sunshine. We walked a five mile route recommended on the walk and cycle website:

Walk and Cycle Penn Common and Bramshaw Wood

It was a bit hard going at times through the muddy bits but nothing impassable. Finished off with a lovely lamb dinner at The Lamb pub, Nomansland.

Autumn Beeches in Bramshaw Wood

Southern Damselfly

Today I chanced a trip to a well known spot for Southern Damselfly in the New Forest, hoping to see one there for the first time. The breeze was getting up and as it is the end of their season (late May to August) I wasn't hopeful but luck was with me and as the sun came out, I spotted a total of four males  They were hovering low and resting on the bog myrtle and grasses. Once your eye is trained in on their slow up and down flight and what I can only describe as "stubby" appearance, they are distinguishable from the other blue damselflies such as the Azure and Common Blue. The key diagnostic feature is the mercury mark on the 2nd abdominal segment, just visible on my photo below:

Southern Damselfly on Bog Myrtle

Orchids

Today I went to Martin Down, a fantasic chalk grassland site and National Nature Reserve on the Hampshire borders. Despite the showers there was enough sunshine to see a few butterflies including marbled whites and dark green frits.  Yellowhammers and skylarks were also frequent, filling the air with liquid warbling song. The main event is of course the displays of orchids, which include common spotted, pyramidal, fragant, and frog, the picture below is of two frog orchids of different shades, a red-brown and lighter green.

Frog Orchids - Martin Down

Natterjacks

The natterjack toad is a rare and protected species in England, found only at a few sites in the south, so it was a real treat to hear them calling on a trip to a sandy heathland, last night. The toads rest in burrows in the day, then as the sun sets, move to preferred spawning ponds, where the males then call to attract the females. Their call is exceptionally loud, a fantastic rounded, chirping sound and only a few males can make a very impressive chorus.

natterjack toad with distinctive yellow eye

Bluebells

Not a great year for bluebells, dry and hot followed by heavy downpours. However, Hampshire has some of the best woods for seeing them and magnificent carpets can be found in some of our larger beech woodlands. The combination of new green beech leaves and lilac blue is a special spring sight; a natural magic unique to England.

Bluebell Wood

Blackthorn blossom

A walk through ancient hedgerows and farmland in the sunshine on Monday gave great views of the blackthorn, now in flower. Blackthorn is a thorny shrub from the rose family. It bursts into life in March and April, when sprays of bright white flowers appear en masse, Blackthorn has flowers before the leaves open out, unlike hawthorn, which has leaves and then flowers together, a key distinguishing feature in Spring-time.

Blackthorn Blossom

Great Crested Newts

By late February and into April, newts are becoming active and begin breeding in our ponds. I went on an organised survey with licensed professionals in search of the rather spectacular great crested newt. Luckily the temperature and conditions were just right and using torchlight we were lucky enough to see several male and female great crested newts, getting a clear view of their crests and distinctive tail flashes. They really are fantastic creatures, beautifully patterned and a good sign of a healthy pond.

Wild Daffodils

As Spring approaches our woodland flowers take advantage of the available sunlight, before the leaves form on the trees and darken the canopy. One of the first plants to flower are wild daffodils creating swathes of early colour, which can still be found in ancient woodlands, like the ones below. Smaller than cultivated  varieties, usually 20 to 25cm high, native wild daffodils have large, single, yellow flowers, pale outer petals and a darker yellow cylindrical trumpet.

Great Crested Grebe Courtship

A sunny March morning today and a visit to my local lakes to observe Great Crested Grebes performing courtship displays. I observed two pairs, one pair were simply following and turning away, then following and turning away but this pair were a bit further on in the charm stakes, performing an elegant display of heard turning and crest ruffling.

Goldcrests

A crisp but sunny winter day today. I was pleased I managed to get out for a walk at lunchtime. I enjoyed the fresh air and listening to all the birds calling and starting to sing out as they defend territories and pair up. On my short walk I saw treecreeper, nuthatch, long-tailed tit, robin, great tits, blue tits and best of all goldcrest. Through the tall trees I got a good view of a female goldcrest; I listened for a good five minutes to her call, amazed at how so much sound can come from such a tiny bird. You can hear a clip of goldcrest calling on the RSPB website:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/goldcrest/index.aspx

Salmon on the River Test

Brilliant wildlife encounter yesterday, two adult salmon on the River Test. They were dark pinky red, which is their spawing colour and were enormous! They were heading downstream and at this later time of year had probably spawned. The largest one must have been two feet long, with a huge wide jaw, it was very impressive. I managed to take a video clip of it swimming under the bridge where I was stood, photos are hard to take through water but I hope I caught it well enough on video.

Autumn Leaves

The trees are turning a glorious golden yellow. I've went to the New Forest today to see the autumn colours at the ancient woodlands at Bramshaw. The oaks are turning yellow and the beeches are well on their way to rich brown.

Garden Spiders

Early Autumn is the best time for observing Garden Spiders, their webs appearing stretched between whatever takes their fancy, in this case my garden fence. The intricate patterns on their backs are worth a closer look. The female spider lays eggs at this time of year and protects them until she dies, later in the Autumn. The spiderlings will hatch out in May of the following year. 

New Forest Beech Pollard

I went on a trip to the New Forest today and came across an ancient beech pollard. This beech must be over 300 years old as pollarding of beech and oak was made illegal in the New Forest in 1698, following the ‘Act for the Increase and Preservation of Timber in the New Forest’, which aimed to preserve timber for shipbuilding. Pollarding produces multiple stems at head height, out of the reach of livestock and deer and prior to the Act, beech, oak and holly were often cut in this way by commoners.  Pollarded specimens like the one below, can be considered with a degree of certainty to predate the Act and therefore have the status of being some of the oldest trees in the Forest.

Ancient Beech Pollard, New Forest

Fly Agaric

The end of September is a good time to go in search of the fungus, Fly Agaric.  Fly Agaric is the toadstool of folklore and its bright red colour and white spots make it very distinctive. The fruiting bodies can be seen in the summer months but the best time to find them is from the end of September to mid October. Fly Agaric is poisonous and likely to cause severe stomach upset if eaten.  It is often found in pine woodlands at the base of trees because it has a nutritional association with tree roots, especially birch.

Here is a nice example I found this weekend. This a round young cap, in a couple of days it will open up to form a flat cap.

Fly Agaric

Hedgerow Berries

Today I went in search of ancient hedgerows near Winchester and I was not disappointed. Ancient hedgerows may be defined as those which were in existence from the 18^th century. They are species rich, typically having more than five woody species per 30m of their length. They are important in terms of biodiversity as well as being of cultural, historical and landscape importance. September is a great time to appreciate hedgerows as many of the trees and shrubs are laden with berries. Today I saw all my favourites including bright red hawthorn berries, the deep purple sloes of blackthorn as well as pink spindle and shiny black elder bunches. I saw wayfaring tree, privet, spindle, wild apple, rose hips, buckthorn and also field maple, yew and whitebeam trees, a very satisfying trip.

Ancient Hedgerow

Heather in September

August to September is the best time to see heather out in bloom. There are three common heather species, Cross-leaved heath, Bell heather and Ling, all of which can be found on the open heaths of the New Forest. This weekend I went to Beaulieu Heath in the Forest, which was covered in purple heather from all three species.

New Forest Ling

Gentians in August

Late July to early September is the time to see gentians, one of the rarest, the Marsh Gentian, can be seen in Hampshire in a few locations, most famously the New Forest but also Bartley Heath in North Hampshire. Marsh Gentians can be hard to find as their flowering can be sporadic but if you look in wet heathlands amongst the Ling you might be lucky. This weekend I searched for them at Bartley Heath and was rewarded with a fantastic display!

The Marsh Gentian is 10-15 cm tall, it is upright and the flower is a bright blue colour.

Marsh Gentian