tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12810520592216987752024-03-06T00:45:41.903+00:00Bill's BirdingNatural history etcBilly Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.comBlogger528125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-57360847393191381902017-12-10T21:27:00.001+00:002017-12-10T21:28:13.751+00:00Wistman's Wood in winterLast weekend I teamed up with budding botanist Alex Mills for a brief stomp around Dartmoor. We dumped the car by the side of the road at Two Bridges and headed off north across the moor towards Wistman's Wood, weighed down with backpacks full of camping gear and bryophyte field guides. The sun was beaming down through the oaks but it did little to subdue the freeze. Noses were running and fingers were numbing, but it didn't stop us thoroughly enjoying a few hours of daylight searching out the primitive plants that thrive in a really unique and enchanting upland habitat.<br />
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Alex won find of the day with Tunbridge Filmy-fern, thriving in sizeable numbers amongst various cracks and crevices high up on the slopes.<br />
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Spot the botanist</div>
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<b>Tunbridge Filmy-fern</b></div>
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In truth, it was hard to look in any direction and not pick out something interesting to stare at. Every tree was plastered from <strike>head to toe</strike> twig to trunk with bryophytes and lichens that challenged my already extremely challenged knowledge of them. Between us we did recognise a handful of the more conspicuous species.<br />
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<i><b>Scapania gracilis</b></i> (Western Earwort)</div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Rhytidiadelphus loreus </i>(Little Shaggy-moss)</div>
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<b style="font-style: italic;">Plagiothecium undulatum </b>(Waved Silk-moss)</div>
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<b style="font-style: italic;">Thuidium tamariscinum </b>(Common Tamarisk-moss)</div>
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<b style="font-style: italic;">Racomitrium lanuginosum </b>(Woolly Fringe-moss)</div>
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We pitched up for the night on Longaford Tor; Alex had bought along his trusty Vango Banshee but I'd decided earlier that day to bite the bullet and go with a lighter (and more exposed!) bivvy bag in order to save enough room to bring along the <i>Mosses and Liverworts of Britain & Ireland</i>. In the end it was a gamble that paid off. The frost was already setting over a spectacularly super-moonlit landscape as we scoffed down a wholesome supper consisting of a mix of baked beans & hummus, but that was about as cold as it was going to get. The clouds rolled in and temperatures rose a bit. Cracked open a couple of beers and took in the moorland vista. Not a bad way to spend a Friday night.<br />
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Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-53208669153743479232017-12-01T00:34:00.003+00:002017-12-01T00:34:40.808+00:00Nothing does autumn like a beechThere's a quiet, tucked away patch of beech woodland on Esher Common and this was the scene there early last week. The turning of the beech leaves is something I look forward to every autumn. It'd take a lot to convince me that there's a more beautiful species of tree out there.<br />
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<br />Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-44261881809645436142017-10-24T20:34:00.000+01:002017-10-24T22:05:47.990+01:00One of those nightsMoth trapping has been desperately poor in the garden this autumn. A bright LED streetlight illuminates the garden for half the night which is something I can cope with during high summer when there's enough moths to go around, but I'm sure it has an effect of drawing moths away in the quieter months. Last week I was about ready to pack away the trap for the year after yet another catch of just Lesser Yellow Underwing and <i>Tachystola acroxantha</i>, but the appearance of the garden's second Merveille du Jour managed to persuade me otherwise.<br />
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I'm very glad it did because this morning, following a night of perfect weather conditions, I woke to a trap full of moths. Underneath the egg boxes were Red-green Carpet, Feathered Thorn, Black Rustic and Red-line Quaker; classic autumnal moths that don't show up in the garden half as often as I'd like them to. It was exciting. Felt like I could stumble across something unusual at any moment.<br />
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Perched on top one of the egg boxes was a tiny but quite strongly marked moth with two distinctively huge white strigulae (a fancy word for stripes) along its dorsum (another fancy word for the moth's back). I recognised it instantly, but only because I'd recently been drooling over pictures of the one that Bob Arnfield caught in his Putney garden <a href="https://twitter.com/migrantmothuk/status/780067203605491716"><b>last year</b></a>. It's <i><b>Cydia interscindana</b></i>, a tortrix that feeds on the Mediterranean plant <i>Juniperus oxycedrus</i>. Bob's one from last year was the 1st UK record, and I believe he's caught another this autumn too. The species' natural distribution covers much of the Mediterranean, but like many insects it has almost certainly been given a helping hand northwards with the cultivation of its foodplant.<br />
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As far as I know we're the only two people who have caught one at the moment, but it seems likely that there's a low key population flying around the London suburbs.<br />
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Also new for the garden but slightly overshadowed was this Vestal, one of two caught last night.<br />
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<br />Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-17625692328606393272017-09-27T13:35:00.002+01:002017-09-27T13:35:48.188+01:00Grey PhalaropeThings have been a little slow burning since my summer contract with the Lulworth rangers came to an end two weeks ago and I moved out of the caravan at Durdle Door that's been home for the past four months. Saying goodbye to a great bunch of people (and a great part of the world) is always a kick in the teeth, and the challenge now will be to find the next gig - preferably as good as the one I've just left!<br />
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On Saturday I was back down on the south coast, dropping my brother off in Southampton for his second year at university. After fulfilling said brotherly duties I twitched the juvenile Grey Phalarope that had made landfall in a small ditch near the picturesque village of Keyhaven. It went about its business in the typical manner you'd expect from a displaced young Phalarope, frantically bobbing around and feeding on aquatic invertebrates without batting an eyelid at the families, dog walkers, cyclists and birders out enjoying a beautiful evening alongside the saltmarsh.<br />
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Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-32991834037271519392017-08-30T16:37:00.003+01:002017-08-30T16:37:39.883+01:00I got lostA few weekends ago I nipped over to Aberystwyth to catch up with some old school friends. I got horribly lost on my home and ended up first at the Dyfi Osprey Project...<br />
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Then on the Minffordd Path heading up into the spectacular Cadair Idris mountain range. Nightmare!<br />
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Llyn Cau</div>
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<b>Twin-spot Carpet </b></div>
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<b>Fox Moth</b></div>
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<b>Parsley Fern</b></div>
Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-45427670237920402662017-08-16T17:24:00.001+01:002017-08-17T10:12:45.943+01:00A night on the moorsLulworth Cove is a popular tourist hotspot all year round but during the August summer holidays it becomes a whole new level of manic. The car park, over flow car park and back up overflow car park are filled by midday at the moment and the coast path to Durdle Door attains the kind of people traffic you'd expect along the Southbank in the run up to Christmas.<br />
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Walk anywhere off the beaten track (or up a steep hill) and you pretty quickly shrug off the majority of tourists, but the other weekend I opted for a complete change of scenery and took my tent down to Dartmoor for the night. I've been waiting for a chance to return ever since visiting for the first time back in June. The landscapes are entrancing and it's only an hour or so's drive from my base camp at Lulworth.<br />
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I parked up at Two Bridges, a secluded hamlet deep in the wilds of the Moor, and waved goodbye to the car. With tent, sleeping bag, tomato soup, tea bags, a stove and a pair of binoculars all crammed into my rucksack I set off off down a track and then onto a well-trodden path towards Wistman's Wood.<br />
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The sun was wavering just above Beardown Tor to the west as I reached the wood, gradually dipping below the hillside. I watched the shade line slowly creep up through the woods towards me and the dappled rays of sunlight on the moss-cladded oaks and boulders. I'd heard good things about Wistman's Wood, but this was magical beyond words. As much as I wanted to be able to say I'd kipped in such a bewitching spot, I've also heard creepy stories of pagan rituals and ghosts that encouraged the superstitious side of me to resist pitching the tent quite yet!<br />
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From the top end of Wistman's Wood I headed north-west up onto the moors. There was a Grasshopper Warbler singing somewhere amongst the tussocks of sedges and rushes, and a herd of testosterone-filled Dartmoor ponies were busy chasing each other around the hillside.<br />
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I set up the tent on a rocky outcrop which turned out to be Lydford Tor, so called because the ancient track that runs alongside it was used by 13th century residents of local farmsteads as a route by which to carry their dead across the moor for burial at Lydford church. Luckily I had no such processions pass by me during the night as far as I'm aware and I woke up at 5am to a positively freezing, misty and completely silent moorland landscape.<br />
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Amazingly there was an owl hunting in the distant gloom. It was too dark to make out any detail, but the size and flight pattern perfectly matched an <i>Asio</i> species. Short-eared Owls are strictly winter visitors in the south-west so one hunting over Dartmoor in the middle of summer would be unheard of. Long-eared Owl on the other hand does breed on the Moor in very small numbers, although it is strictly nocturnal and rarely seen.<br />
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Without decent views or a photo, the owl sighting will have to remain a mystery. An apt way to end an eerie, magical and atmospheric night on Dartmoor.<br />
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<br />Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-33328095614312984082017-07-13T17:49:00.002+01:002017-07-13T17:49:25.918+01:00Cliff top light show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Head up to Durdle Door after dark and you not only lose the crowds of tourists, but you also have a chance of witnessing a magical light show. At this time of year, female glow worms light up like mini beacons along the cliff tops, shining to attract the gaze of males. They had to work extra hard last weekend to compete against the full moon.</div>
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<br />Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-2001508947209970772017-07-08T14:15:00.003+01:002017-07-08T14:15:47.003+01:00Ivy BroomrapeLast Sunday I walked what is fast becoming my favourite part of the south coast, the ten mile stretch between Kimmeridge and Swanage. It has everything you could want from a coastline - dizzyingly high cliffs, secluded beaches, breathtaking sea vistas, fossils, seabird colonies, rare plants and Purbeck ice cream.<br />
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One of the weirdest things to be found along this stretch of the coast is <b>Ivy Broomrape</b>, a parasitic plant that gains all its nutrients from the root stock of its host Ivy since it has no chlorophyll with which to absorb its own sunlight. I stumbled across this flower by chance in a dingy overgrown corner of Winspit Quarry after I took a wrong turn along the SW coast path and ended up at the entrance to an old mine!<br />
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<b> Ivy Broomrape</b></div>
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Winspit Quarry</div>
<br />Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-51256515057064615532017-07-01T13:41:00.001+01:002017-07-01T13:42:56.873+01:00Black-a-tor CopseA while back I booked the dates between 22nd and 26th June off work with a rough plan to head up into a remote part of north-west Scotland called the Fisherfield Forest. I'd drawn up a hiking route through the mountains, scouted out a few potential wild camping spots and charged up the batteries ready to run a moth trap in a place where no moth trap has been run before.<br />
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Last weekend began to approach and, inevitably, the weather forecast became progressively worse. Sunny spells turned to heavy cloud which turned to light rain, and to top it off gale force winds were being predicted. Not ideal! In the end I decided it best to postpone my northward travels until a nicer weather window, and instead I used the time off to head south-west and set foot on Dartmoor for the time.<br />
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I left the car in the tiny hamlet of Meldon on the north-west side of Dartmoor and skirted around the outside of the reservoir, following the West Okement River upstream and onto higher ground.<br />
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Just as it seemed like I'd advanced above the tree-line, up ahead loomed the outline of Black-a-tor Copse, a small patch of woodland nestled high on the slopes of Black Tor. I got closer and it began to take shape. Gnarled and tangled old oaks were growing up through moss-clad boulders, and nothing was stirring. I looked around it wasn't hard to get lost in the romantic thought that I'd been transported back in time 10,000 years to an untouched post-glacial landscape, as yet free from the effects of human disturbance.<br />
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There are three of these unique other-worldly woods spread across Dartmoor's high ground, each abound with stories of pagan rituals, ghosts and myths, which means I've still got two more to find...<br />
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A bed amongst the boulders</div>
Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-77792918455972261982017-06-20T22:31:00.000+01:002017-06-20T22:31:08.202+01:00World's sharpest mothOn Sunday evening I parked up at Whiteways Viewpoint and went for a long walk through the army ranges towards Mupe Bay. It was a super route that took in dreamy views towards Worbarrow Bay, remote empty beaches, steep clifftop strolls and rolling countryside vistas towards Poole Harbour. It also led me to stumble into the gorgeous <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cynaeda dentalis</i>, a rare moth of calcareous grassland and cliffs along the south coast that has an unusual arrangement of scales that actually make it look spiky and jagged. Perhaps, maybe, possibly a visual defence against predators, or am I just being silly?<br />
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<b><i> Cynaeda dentalis</i></b></div>
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<b>Pyramidal Orchid</b> above Worbarrow Bay</div>
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<b> Bee Orchid</b> growing on the Flower's Barrow, an Iron Age hill fort on the high ridge above Worbarrow Bay</div>
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<b> Field Mushrooms </b>were growing in odd clumps along the cliff tops</div>
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Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-83247393601129069572017-06-15T23:11:00.001+01:002017-06-15T23:12:43.273+01:00Early Gentian countingThere was an air of excitement in the ranger's office this morning. It's been a busy week of early morning birds surveys, teaching and coasteering, but today Dom Price from the Species Recovery Trust was over at Durdle Door to survey <b>Early Gentian</b>, and we'd all left the date free in our diaries to head up there and help him count them.<br />
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In typical Lulworth fashion, no sooner had we pasted on the suncream than the sun disappeared and the sea fret drew in, but the thought of a day spent looking for a rare UK endemic plant on the slopes above a wondrous limestone arch was enough to extinguish any bad feelings about the weather (which got better again as the day went on!).<br />
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With the help of Dom's keen eye and a trusty handheld GPS, we found healthy populations of Early Gentian at several grid references where they've been seen before in similar surveys back in 2008 and 1998. These plants grow in only the very shortest turf where they don't have to compete with taller grasses, so to find them in the same spot over consecutive surveys is proof that the livestock grazing regime up there is working.<br />
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Quadrat sampling with a view </div>
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Red pegs were used to mark the locations of clumps of plants</div>
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Despite growing in very short turf, it's an inconspicuous plant</div>
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Interestingly, some of the largest clusters were growing immediately alongside the steps on the South West Coast Path where it leads down to the Cove, in an area that they haven't previously been recorded and that isn't often grazed. This busy route between Lulworth and Durdle Door is walked by thousands of tourists every summer, and the constant footfall has effectively done the same job as grazing cow - kept the grass short! Footpath erosion isn't usually something to rave about, but in this case it seems to be beneficial!<br />
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Ideal Early Gentian habitat alongside one of the busiest footpaths on the south coast</div>
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A couple of dazzling <b>Cistus Forester </b>joined in the fun</div>
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<b>Pyramidal Orchid</b></div>
Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-42909461701977740302017-06-13T19:39:00.001+01:002017-06-13T19:45:37.212+01:00Rhubard and custard by the sea<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the habitats I've been most eager to sink my teeth
into since arriving in Dorset are the undercliffs that have formed in various spots along the coast where soft rock has slumped below a sheer cliff face, creating a slope down to the sea. These are constantly changing landscapes dominated by erosion. Crumbling scree and rock falls constantly expose areas of bare ground which in turn opens up niches for pioneer plants and insects to colonise, including such mouth-watering rarities as Morris's Wainscot and Cliff Tiger Beetle.<br />
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The undercliffs that stretch between Lyme Regis and Axmouth are easily accessible and their potential to support some cracking wildlife has well documented, but they're a long drive away on the other side of Dorset. Much closer to home are the secluded, remote and wholly unstable undercliffs nestled deep within the army firing ranges near the abandoned village of Tyneham that can only be accessed at low tide - a much better option for an afternoon invert hunt!<br />
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A quick check of the tide times and I was off to Kimmeridge Bay, where I headed towards the undercliffs via a long walk along the fossil-filled rocky shoreline of Brandy Bay, dodging a constant shower of tumbling scree as I went. The jumble of undisturbed odds and ends along the strandline indicated that I'd strayed beyond the reaches of the average tourist, with small fossils, fish bones, wayward buoys, fridges, rubber ducks and even a rotting Harbour Porpoise interspersed amongst piles of plastic, old rope and driftwood.<br />
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"<i>Let's see how far I go</i>"... not very far</div>
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Sea junk</div>
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An adventurous fridge</div>
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Rock fall had exposed lots of small ammonite fossils imprinted in the shale</div>
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Does anyone know what animal this belongs to?</div>
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Up ahead the undercliffs beckoned so I snapped out of beachcombing mode and back into wildlife mode. <b>Yellow Horned-poppy</b> was growing on the shale where the undercliffs met the beach, and it was here I found <b style="font-style: italic;">Enoplops scapha</b>, a scarce bug of coastal habitats. A very hyperactive micro moth flying around the shingle nearby eventually settled on vegetation and I had my first rarity of the day, the stunning tortrix <i style="font-weight: bold;">Selania leplastriana</i>. What a moth!<br />
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<b>Yellow-horned Poppy</b></div>
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<b><i> Selania leplastriana</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Enoplops scapha</i></b></div>
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I left the beach and clambered up the slopes to reach a grassy area with some huge boulders that must have come down from the huge precipice of Gad Cliff at some point. <b style="font-style: italic;">Platytes cerussella </b>flushed with every few footsteps, and amongst the turf <b style="font-style: italic;">Macrotylus paykulli </b>was loitering around its foodplant Rest Harrow along with <i style="font-weight: bold;">Rhinocyllus conicus </i>on Spear Thistle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJoJ9k0cYGwR9_0sagFWSScnvClLhh_pOWyUX5oy7DDvF05WMnnEzb36h12SwNMfiZRYleWWDA706q6PAQGhDhKatUO_kCUHIdxJk7pIde3KvGdJE2y4Fp6qH9dVBvh_jfARuSP5q-xI/s1600/Platytes+cerussella+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="1600" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJoJ9k0cYGwR9_0sagFWSScnvClLhh_pOWyUX5oy7DDvF05WMnnEzb36h12SwNMfiZRYleWWDA706q6PAQGhDhKatUO_kCUHIdxJk7pIde3KvGdJE2y4Fp6qH9dVBvh_jfARuSP5q-xI/s640/Platytes+cerussella+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-style: italic;">Platytes cerussella</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVLtfPsnXhidMq45SgXXRm2oKwXTRfnTJHDoPlplkSzz8aDQZlkQAhPjX-JaMC_7ZE17IpCUySvG7xCrqPkgTiJ6D29wz-GMtBEfF-GRP7KLKu3WWmpKGxKHVr0op_dJ0b2TXvUHhAjE/s1600/bug+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="1600" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVLtfPsnXhidMq45SgXXRm2oKwXTRfnTJHDoPlplkSzz8aDQZlkQAhPjX-JaMC_7ZE17IpCUySvG7xCrqPkgTiJ6D29wz-GMtBEfF-GRP7KLKu3WWmpKGxKHVr0op_dJ0b2TXvUHhAjE/s640/bug+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-style: italic;">Macrotylus paykulli</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPeNLdLPE8icpGfHaQ0LTx5gxRq_2AhwX04hwngJcgjHxwmrDf-aSZROYjogeEFisJHoc0pCExC-k8_kgeok17ey8m8YqhQEsQTNwZgkmP50azA1Le-zWVxraANyt9GZN94kSXeVkLWk/s1600/Rhinocyllus+conicus+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1235" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPeNLdLPE8icpGfHaQ0LTx5gxRq_2AhwX04hwngJcgjHxwmrDf-aSZROYjogeEFisJHoc0pCExC-k8_kgeok17ey8m8YqhQEsQTNwZgkmP50azA1Le-zWVxraANyt9GZN94kSXeVkLWk/s640/Rhinocyllus+conicus+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Rhinocyllus conicus</i></b></div>
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Everything else suddenly became much less interesting when a striking pink moth shot flew my face and headed on up the slope. I leapt after it, but it was travelling fast and flying over rocky ground. I considering activating my mountain goat mode but quickly figured it would end in tears if I did. Luckily, the moth dropped down and settled on a grass stem not too far away and I was treated to up close views of <i style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Oncocera semirubella</i><span style="text-align: center;">, a georgeous sea cliff & chalk downland specialist that I've wanted to see for a long time.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoElqKzpmwyux0CHGEtDfPeco_iVdHhYQQpiBA_iAf4Y2GwYAAVti2DvjKl-NVor9_ofWU0TvJW0V3Wp0D1nVbZWbHuOu266PG4bFL2us2saV9Dd0loJC9btq5sSfK_DGJ3m_Xv3akTOg/s1600/Oncocera+semirubella+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="886" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoElqKzpmwyux0CHGEtDfPeco_iVdHhYQQpiBA_iAf4Y2GwYAAVti2DvjKl-NVor9_ofWU0TvJW0V3Wp0D1nVbZWbHuOu266PG4bFL2us2saV9Dd0loJC9btq5sSfK_DGJ3m_Xv3akTOg/s640/Oncocera+semirubella+%25282%2529.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinJE9OUIte3Oh4CTmEotKI9t5Nli9Yvi5001Sfyh2PacTlFghfri32B9x47ZUoyKMjHPt-3HQMbDlku7JO4qIJgIangPiTPOiKn4mg7d2H5w2dI4qiFv2lQYnEbxKxHETkb9HwRALgXM/s1600/Oncocera+semirubella1+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1126" data-original-width="1600" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinJE9OUIte3Oh4CTmEotKI9t5Nli9Yvi5001Sfyh2PacTlFghfri32B9x47ZUoyKMjHPt-3HQMbDlku7JO4qIJgIangPiTPOiKn4mg7d2H5w2dI4qiFv2lQYnEbxKxHETkb9HwRALgXM/s640/Oncocera+semirubella1+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Oncocera semirubella </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">in-situ</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Uncanny!</span></div>
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A fantastic couple of hours - I think a return visit is definitely on the cards later in the summer. Might even have to bring a moth trap.</div>
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Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-39989379580558664252017-06-11T21:50:00.002+01:002017-06-11T21:50:22.292+01:00Battered Bee Orchid<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DFIT0UY-aV22fXVteRtPIviHWO-th7-k_cdQPk35sRYMw_zNjcyjzXUd9a8SiaerHDoAMYP0Ns_nhEB1SoJeBvEeMLwDTFwzy6PtshwekzxP-R2yy3124bjHxCqSDmWsQwZ3Dsms3LU/s1600/Bee+Orchid+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="1600" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DFIT0UY-aV22fXVteRtPIviHWO-th7-k_cdQPk35sRYMw_zNjcyjzXUd9a8SiaerHDoAMYP0Ns_nhEB1SoJeBvEeMLwDTFwzy6PtshwekzxP-R2yy3124bjHxCqSDmWsQwZ3Dsms3LU/s640/Bee+Orchid+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Slowly but surely the gales and storms that have battered the Dorset coast (and my caravan!) for the best part of the week are starting to ease, much to the relief of the albeit slightly battered Bee Orchids now flowering above Durdle Door.Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-69267705668967441942017-06-05T21:47:00.000+01:002017-06-05T21:47:39.619+01:00What a transformation!Back on 28th April I noticed a bunch of folded birch leaves on some local heathland. I had a feeling that <b><i>Apotomis betuletana</i></b> was the culprit, but I didn't trust myself so decided to take one and try to rear it through to confirm. Within several days the original leaf had been completely munched through, revealing a small light green caterpillar, and it continued to demolish two more leaves before pupating on 10th May.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6BzJ_yibCCB6QbnGgXesZgF589jf6lUQB8yBqqL9u0G03v7984DGSmjT_6E1KAwcDPNDwG9AnyVvsElKswjWEsCiFtZ1MQaedc2O_EU06tsV8gSY6L2MjqjghQworNVCY_F2AbFJsg0/s1600/betuletana+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6BzJ_yibCCB6QbnGgXesZgF589jf6lUQB8yBqqL9u0G03v7984DGSmjT_6E1KAwcDPNDwG9AnyVvsElKswjWEsCiFtZ1MQaedc2O_EU06tsV8gSY6L2MjqjghQworNVCY_F2AbFJsg0/s640/betuletana+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Yesterday it emerged...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcN6Yfzaq1LudJ-_bLvx1ADDKbQBN4-rxdxVx7PpCOLFG6UrhetA-aaLDhmXrWrpvMejeXokJCCcG_rlL4otJsFgMO7JqUiCZOQ1_jVzgHtaUsjCssmzxPTplXHjk4T8dE-1fOCxMxgA/s1600/Apotomis+betuletana+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcN6Yfzaq1LudJ-_bLvx1ADDKbQBN4-rxdxVx7PpCOLFG6UrhetA-aaLDhmXrWrpvMejeXokJCCcG_rlL4otJsFgMO7JqUiCZOQ1_jVzgHtaUsjCssmzxPTplXHjk4T8dE-1fOCxMxgA/s640/Apotomis+betuletana+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Voilà ! <b><i>Apotomis betuletana</i></b></div>
Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-24220789530504275062017-06-04T21:29:00.001+01:002017-06-04T21:37:28.425+01:00Friday night is moth night<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since I've started full time work again it's dawned on me how knackering moth trapping actually is. At this time of year it usually means sorting the catch at 4:30am to beat the warming temperatures, hungry House Sparrows and restless moths, but that doesn't bode well for getting back to sleep and then waking up again an hour or so later for work. Props to those who manage to fit in work night moth trapping, but for me, for now, Friday night is moth night!<br />
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This time around there were 112 moths of 37 species to identify and release from a small battery-operated trap I popped up on Bindon Hill. <b>Common Swift</b> was the most numerous with 27 caught, but definitely the most noticeable were the 5 egg-laden female <b>Fox Moths </b>that turned up. <b>Yellow Belle</b>, <b>Cream-spot Tiger</b> and <b>Purple Clay</b> are always nice to come across, whilst <b>L-album Wainscot</b> and <b>Galium Carpet </b>were new species for me.<br />
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<b>L-album Wainscot</b></div>
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<b>Galium Carpet</b></div>
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<b>Fox Moth</b></div>
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<b>Purple Clay</b></div>
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The sun was already high in the sky by the time I'd packed up, and it was beaming down on a still completely deserted Lulworth Cove. Skylarks were having a singing contest above me and an angry female Stonechat was "tack"-ing away nearby. It was 7:30am and there was only one thing left to do... </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">... have a nap</span><br />
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Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-27502430563482918562017-06-03T10:34:00.001+01:002017-06-03T10:38:50.009+01:00Dorset Wildflower WeekStop press! It's <a href="http://www.derc.org.uk/local/DFGleaflet2017.pdf">Dorset Wildflower Week</a>. Back-to-back botany walks every day throughout the county, led by the county's top botanists. I hadn't seen it promoted anywhere on social media and it almost completely slipped under my radar had I not been curiously searching the internet for a Dorset Flora Group to tag along with on plant hunts during the summer.<br />
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Most of the events took place during the week but I did manage to nip over to Durlston County Park last Sunday to join Ted Pratt and eight other eager customers for an afternoon walk across a fantastic stretch of chalk grassland on the tip of the Purbeck peninsula.<br />
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Ted is a household name in the world of Dorset botany. He's authored several books on the county's flora and his knowledge of plants appeared on the day to be limitless. Recovering from a back operation meant he spent the first uphill section of the walk on a mobility scooter but that didn't stop him telling apart Lesser Trefoil and Black Medick from several metres away before going on to identify every grass in the vicinity without breaking a sweat. Once he was off the scooter and on flat ground we were shown how to tackle some of the trickier groups we're likely to encounter (buttercups, thistles, umbellifers and orchids etc) before hunting down a few of the local crowd-pleasers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgdiJa25tkUw7fq2asIIyiKecyWe25esfV3Mcyyixc3MQaaAT3LS0vKd1m92t87hQXaAPXtPu-54ssSBCWifDF_u6QfLvKZa0A03XiprHVsKiHuYI5cWgSWPi_8Feym8t8IU2QbhbchKK/s1600/Bee+Orchid+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1040" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgdiJa25tkUw7fq2asIIyiKecyWe25esfV3Mcyyixc3MQaaAT3LS0vKd1m92t87hQXaAPXtPu-54ssSBCWifDF_u6QfLvKZa0A03XiprHVsKiHuYI5cWgSWPi_8Feym8t8IU2QbhbchKK/s640/Bee+Orchid+%25282%2529.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<b>Bee Orchid</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34vlUETJ6_OXvCNcNGDgeQfo1TNLSQkUshba-PmqG8mbfFhBjx6SFOTTjdTwDjVfzjMKpnO9t7O4f4V0pa7CUHTNCZRrrbi1VS90yJD_rtAfUIG67Id96J30tHtJhJ35e2LWL21VrkcK4/s1600/Grass+Vetchling+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1299" data-original-width="1600" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34vlUETJ6_OXvCNcNGDgeQfo1TNLSQkUshba-PmqG8mbfFhBjx6SFOTTjdTwDjVfzjMKpnO9t7O4f4V0pa7CUHTNCZRrrbi1VS90yJD_rtAfUIG67Id96J30tHtJhJ35e2LWL21VrkcK4/s640/Grass+Vetchling+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Grass Vetchling</b></div>
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<b>Yellow Vetchling</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhE8o9gI4l7cUAPqRqxliPrteQ5JS_yrwWSGZbuHOATXiEU6wCOBMWA5wcG50pMpys3P5F59MYjrclldi0kIJkdM83_dj5akL7tT2mKUuY7qqpZK3OgASJKq5Ghbjv0VDRqve1J5HTyq5g/s1600/Dwarf+Spurge+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="1600" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhE8o9gI4l7cUAPqRqxliPrteQ5JS_yrwWSGZbuHOATXiEU6wCOBMWA5wcG50pMpys3P5F59MYjrclldi0kIJkdM83_dj5akL7tT2mKUuY7qqpZK3OgASJKq5Ghbjv0VDRqve1J5HTyq5g/s640/Dwarf+Spurge+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Dwarf Spurge</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyq-Rpo-m4y1fJ1KOR1LMm7Q9cKtX-N4KAusi2_EP7atKu3_c9cuV5VVjFfCRfVoLO5y58zF6HWZMb1WS3ZcKLpNhDbhgZ_0xNqd1ysk7rBg9xT6Yp8ZuRmUkY1c9lnwu57glL433PhIT/s1600/Rough+Clover+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1205" data-original-width="1600" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyq-Rpo-m4y1fJ1KOR1LMm7Q9cKtX-N4KAusi2_EP7atKu3_c9cuV5VVjFfCRfVoLO5y58zF6HWZMb1WS3ZcKLpNhDbhgZ_0xNqd1ysk7rBg9xT6Yp8ZuRmUkY1c9lnwu57glL433PhIT/s640/Rough+Clover+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Rough Clover</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnBoAVLmXUiUgtgAJQ5MkExfmXC5Yh7ungirT8yGguODzkNZoTB5I58HkcNfr9wCyDUYgZWqtY-EPLaogWhH6naR4gTTOwA66gWl7S02RkRPxs5wVHLIylL3RMcMQj8j6sSxl8cFB1jVS/s1600/Pale+Flax+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="1600" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnBoAVLmXUiUgtgAJQ5MkExfmXC5Yh7ungirT8yGguODzkNZoTB5I58HkcNfr9wCyDUYgZWqtY-EPLaogWhH6naR4gTTOwA66gWl7S02RkRPxs5wVHLIylL3RMcMQj8j6sSxl8cFB1jVS/s640/Pale+Flax+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Pale Flax</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplOFP4UKIZ10yoDwttyYWtf0R2Rjw-trdkuVbbdV5wvkH2vfQSNHKUhyCHkjVZ115wMKPgof3BsZSFfNQ8vWdIwCqHC2TcrsB6neu4YQVxj4kC0G-MBTnhmqMF3f1vwCpBgWrJcHA92EB/s1600/Twayblades+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1175" data-original-width="1600" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplOFP4UKIZ10yoDwttyYWtf0R2Rjw-trdkuVbbdV5wvkH2vfQSNHKUhyCHkjVZ115wMKPgof3BsZSFfNQ8vWdIwCqHC2TcrsB6neu4YQVxj4kC0G-MBTnhmqMF3f1vwCpBgWrJcHA92EB/s640/Twayblades+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Twayblades</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYioa1Agt8GBHtfFkM-SOIKYRVkXyXlPTa5EkHA3O2zFLLwUWhpgSMqtyMwWwbUQxJwTrC4qVL2KE-crwSZxUFaOHqfM_GvTApbIo733mAKHcWld9mVxBkuOOzQc8oPsAM0F7BB0Ceq1pS/s1600/Downy+Oat+grass1+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYioa1Agt8GBHtfFkM-SOIKYRVkXyXlPTa5EkHA3O2zFLLwUWhpgSMqtyMwWwbUQxJwTrC4qVL2KE-crwSZxUFaOHqfM_GvTApbIo733mAKHcWld9mVxBkuOOzQc8oPsAM0F7BB0Ceq1pS/s640/Downy+Oat+grass1+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxiY6xKqt5JQUdR9VjE7TvdUODCnekOlrYgEb02Ro0Ud2N3zBqSxA3PQPRtEWXIRl_xvEp3xovr62WL0vlr0K6npI_UL4AuACKEibmsvn06A2tqG3DeJfFmSrmbXaVCjxWN4RzUTY699e/s1600/Downy+Oak+grass+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxiY6xKqt5JQUdR9VjE7TvdUODCnekOlrYgEb02Ro0Ud2N3zBqSxA3PQPRtEWXIRl_xvEp3xovr62WL0vlr0K6npI_UL4AuACKEibmsvn06A2tqG3DeJfFmSrmbXaVCjxWN4RzUTY699e/s640/Downy+Oak+grass+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The 'oaty' inflorescence and hairy stem of <b>Downy Oat-grass</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mbaFkRIJzSSPqZ3xHxLrb_TLZ-sr9qR1kc2u-w2pyhQRwWn_EjiNKAO3vVOw7CiogzDENYjXheS-DTJG0N5RGqz-mVA0K5t-0G28ypw674NY5Yx_hozjROfSnOpzuLNrWlvSk7gMRrJI/s1600/Crested+hair+grass+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mbaFkRIJzSSPqZ3xHxLrb_TLZ-sr9qR1kc2u-w2pyhQRwWn_EjiNKAO3vVOw7CiogzDENYjXheS-DTJG0N5RGqz-mVA0K5t-0G28ypw674NY5Yx_hozjROfSnOpzuLNrWlvSk7gMRrJI/s640/Crested+hair+grass+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Crested Hair-grass</b></div>
Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-70287887542640167572017-05-31T20:56:00.000+01:002017-05-31T20:56:11.152+01:003 weevils, 1 figwortI was in Coombe Wood again this afternoon collecting more SANG-related data (all was explained a few posts back <a href="http://billsbirding.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/sang-in-making.html"><b>here</b>)</a>. On my way out I noticed some knackered Figwort with half-eaten leaves, and a lightbulb immediately lit up above my head followed by a serious thought process within my head. I'd seen this before. I know it. It's feeding damage by a weevil of some kind. <i>C </i>something. <i>Cio</i>?<i> Ciona</i>?<i> </i><i>Cionus </i>weevils! Got there in the end. Tristan Bantock found me these on Bookham Common a couple of years ago and I've been eagerly keeping an eye out for them ever since.<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RG02Gh7pLUNhyphenhyphenYnCga5TSmahbi2ul5U8ofSMbv6mE2iSV-n9ZoTb-UFVa_PLy9XQwKSvxiRQMIwSfniMe33fgRrDA4i8qEpFjMcRiB7ZcdK0WJ5qnlFeNIj03NM7pi_1AlkhuRgr8_k/s1600/Figwort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RG02Gh7pLUNhyphenhyphenYnCga5TSmahbi2ul5U8ofSMbv6mE2iSV-n9ZoTb-UFVa_PLy9XQwKSvxiRQMIwSfniMe33fgRrDA4i8qEpFjMcRiB7ZcdK0WJ5qnlFeNIj03NM7pi_1AlkhuRgr8_k/s640/Figwort.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Weevil damaged <b>Figwort</b></div>
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On closer inspection there were 3 species of this fantastic little genus<i> </i>loitering on a small clump of Figwort: <i><b>alauda, </b></i><b style="font-style: italic;">hortulanus </b>and<b style="font-style: italic;"> scrophulariae</b>. Conveniently they all have quite distinctive markings so identification isn't too much trouble. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMD6dH_JUlKV3D9bbCaia7IMpX3d_FNl0Nw7hQ2S3MLztD9dQ6rPtXFsgBEov88HII8CK16azSNkgtDBzFlBYJsDAK9E_DmEjjPzSTzQSNLuqXez0dixbDmWMVvQTovHmKv9BRMZ_YXFk/s1600/Cionus+hortulanus+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1252" data-original-width="1600" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMD6dH_JUlKV3D9bbCaia7IMpX3d_FNl0Nw7hQ2S3MLztD9dQ6rPtXFsgBEov88HII8CK16azSNkgtDBzFlBYJsDAK9E_DmEjjPzSTzQSNLuqXez0dixbDmWMVvQTovHmKv9BRMZ_YXFk/s640/Cionus+hortulanus+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><i> Cionus hortulanus</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXkcp9qL_Aac3EbvKu4NjBGrRvKsuGudE4-_Hw8tzOlpGlE4qEyuDSW1kDKcbGEnogYlN0pD1KFasUZzvr5Z2-hhAMVtk-tp1vSXX5k8gZ17ub03sRBQjmcsUXIBPcmJnzk6kCF7o6Qc/s1600/Cionus+scrophulariae+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="1600" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXkcp9qL_Aac3EbvKu4NjBGrRvKsuGudE4-_Hw8tzOlpGlE4qEyuDSW1kDKcbGEnogYlN0pD1KFasUZzvr5Z2-hhAMVtk-tp1vSXX5k8gZ17ub03sRBQjmcsUXIBPcmJnzk6kCF7o6Qc/s640/Cionus+scrophulariae+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Cionus </i></b><b style="font-style: italic;">scrophulariae</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KS35yPREE7nVfpgLQLmgkpsgfIk0mQquFK1JyLmB_-m3SkSVOJPPA4uBKVXorxb3vAIxwcz4OQFwVPmA42LCiYBS8Jh7veNUaqix_AY__WQWNRflSKqR7Ow9Ou9F8Wsp9PiG47EH0Q0/s1600/Cionus+alauda+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1304" data-original-width="1600" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KS35yPREE7nVfpgLQLmgkpsgfIk0mQquFK1JyLmB_-m3SkSVOJPPA4uBKVXorxb3vAIxwcz4OQFwVPmA42LCiYBS8Jh7veNUaqix_AY__WQWNRflSKqR7Ow9Ou9F8Wsp9PiG47EH0Q0/s640/Cionus+alauda+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Cionus </b><i><b>alauda</b></i></div>
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Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-60821846069692472402017-05-29T22:35:00.005+01:002017-05-29T22:35:53.398+01:00Butterflies are wimps'Moist' and 'misty' come to mind as appropriate adjectives to describe today. Lulworth was shrouded in low cloud for the best part of the bank holiday, putting a temporary halt to our butterfly surveying schedule. Then again butterflies are warm weather wimps aren't they? The dampness didn't stop other insects from taking to the wing on the slopes above the village.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lbmngAMZXemGRtwYKt8umMNxHFeB2uCUbV71iq21ZtgaEFOrvcHjH9MbR8VnTsfBhNdQ_8x2n8JgUEzEphTaEd6ylNaWfwi9jcoQRx3MzKpKFbjiT09Ekc7e99hPxjEyv7H7S-sqaRvV/s1600/Hypochalcia+ahenella+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="887" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lbmngAMZXemGRtwYKt8umMNxHFeB2uCUbV71iq21ZtgaEFOrvcHjH9MbR8VnTsfBhNdQ_8x2n8JgUEzEphTaEd6ylNaWfwi9jcoQRx3MzKpKFbjiT09Ekc7e99hPxjEyv7H7S-sqaRvV/s640/Hypochalcia+ahenella+%25282%2529.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>The chalk-loving crambid moth <b style="font-style: italic;">Hypochalcia ahenella</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOkiRyDC4atRdw7ME77DeUPtwlGP-v2UVLeOF0nDiHiC9efv0UkBijlr6xu9csv20qarTTCADIBPiMJpX5hww4GfNbqlXFa2_Kvhh5ieMXIzdAC_epFm-OLAQNPwlqiLWAcFPRhmMd5l1/s1600/Cauchas+fibulella+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1243" data-original-width="1600" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOkiRyDC4atRdw7ME77DeUPtwlGP-v2UVLeOF0nDiHiC9efv0UkBijlr6xu9csv20qarTTCADIBPiMJpX5hww4GfNbqlXFa2_Kvhh5ieMXIzdAC_epFm-OLAQNPwlqiLWAcFPRhmMd5l1/s640/Cauchas+fibulella+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Cauchas fibulella</i> </b>is easy to find around Germander Speedwell at the moment</div>
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<b>Garden Tiger </b>looking for somewhere to pupate</div>
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<b style="font-style: italic;">Leptogaster cylindrica</b>, a really funky new robberfly for me</div>
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<b> Stinking Iris </b>is now flowering in a few cliff top spots around Lulworth</div>
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<br />Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-60644218639054410052017-05-27T19:51:00.001+01:002017-05-27T19:51:45.979+01:00Portland Ribbon WavePut a moth trap out on the slopes last night expecting a calm, muggy and clear night. Instead I was woken up with a jolt at 3am by some of the most spectacular thunder, lighting and torrential rain I've ever experienced. It was unrelenting for half an hour, with the surrounding countryside completely illuminated every few seconds by overhead sheet lightning. The guttering on my caravan was overflowing and there was a temporary river flowing down the track towards me!<br />
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My caravan survived as did I, but I half expected to find the trap charred by a lightning bolt when the weather finally calmed down at dawn. Amazingly it was still standing and brimming with 107 moths of 40 species including some fine local cuisine in the form of a <b>Portland Ribbon Wave</b>. It's a moth very much associated with the Dorset coast, historically restricted to a tiny area of the UK on its namesake island but apparently spreading out along the south coast in more recent years.<br />
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<b>Portland Ribbon Wave</b></div>
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<b>Pretty Chalk Carpet </b>added colour to the catch</div>
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<b>Oedemera femoralis </b>was a new one on me. Apparently nocturnal so perhaps no surprise that it turned up in the moth trap</div>
Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-45630219103610747222017-05-26T23:52:00.002+01:002017-05-26T23:52:48.452+01:00SANG in the makingI've been up and out in the field at early o'clock all week carrying out bird surveys on one of our local semi-natural woodland sites called Coombe Wood. It's going to be turned into something called a SANG (a Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace), which means that it'll get a big makeover in anticipation of a large housing development project nearby; the idea behind this being that the SANG will have the effect of pulling in dog walkers from the new housing, thus reducing disturbance on the nearby Smooth Snake, Sand Lizard and Nightjar infested Winfrith Heath.<br />
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At the moment access to Coombe Wood is via a 4x4 vehicle track, and one of our jobs is to draw up a suitable new circular route for the public to use. Of course it isn't that simple though. The wildlife on Winfrith Heath may benefit from the new SANG designation of Coombe Wood, but this relatively undisturbed woodland has its own ecosystem that will take a hit. Bird surveying in the woods so far this spring has revealed Firecrest, Marsh Tit and Siskin breeding territories, and vegetation surveys are suggesting a similarly lush ground flora. It's the classic ecological conundrum that comes with urban development.<br />
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I've been building up a nice little list of invertebrates found whilst surveying in the woods. <b><i>Nemaphora degeerella</i></b>, <i><b>Alabonia geoffrella</b></i> and the bluebell tortrix <b><i>Hysterophora maculosana</i></b> are the commonest day flying moths at the moment, with a few each of <b>Small White Wave</b>, <b>Cream Wave</b> and <b><i>Nematopogon metaxella</i></b> disturbed from vegetation every now and again. I found my first dung beetle of the year, a stunning <i><b>Onthophagus coenobita</b></i>, by rummaging through some fresh horse doo-doo along the bridleway, and an equally superb <b>Two-banded Longhorn </b>beetle landed on me whilst we had our heads in a plant quadrat underneath a canopy of Corsican Pine. You know, as you do.<br />
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<b><i>Hysterophora maculosana</i></b></div>
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<b>T</b><b>wo-banded Longhorn</b></div>
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<b><i>Alabonia geoffrella</i></b></div>
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<b>Cream Wave</b></div>
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A lot of Coombe Wood looks like this - mature stands of hazel with herb-rich glades. Other parts are dominated by conifer plantations (full of Siskin and Firecrest territories) owned by the Forestry Commission.<br />
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<br />Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-36340402549390355142017-05-24T21:48:00.000+01:002017-05-24T22:12:53.899+01:00Lulworth SkippersToday it all hands on deck to complete the week's butterfly surveys while this superb run of weather lasts. Up on the Bindon Hill transect there was plenty of activity. <b>Wall</b>, <b>Green Hairstreak</b>, <b>Small</b> and <b>Adonis Blue</b> were all out in force, with smaller numbers of <b>Brown Argus</b>, a tatty <b>Painted Lady</b> and the star of the show a single <b>Lulworth Skipper</b>. I haven't seen one of these since a family holiday in Dorset back when I was just a wee little lad. I was very much new to world of lepidoptera at the time, and I still vividly remember my elation when one whizzed into view and landed on the slopes at Dancing Ledge. 12 year old Bill's Birding would have had a hard time believing you if you told him he'd be back a decade later getting paid to survey Lulworth Skippers.<br />
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<b> Lulworth Skipper</b></div>
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Lots of silky balls of crawling <b>Small Eggar </b>caterpillars are appearing in the blackthorn hedges around Lulworth. The adults of this nationally scarce moths are a spectacular sight; the caterpillars maybe not quite so much.<br />
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<b> Small Eggar </b>nest</div>
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It was another stunning day on the cliffs.<br />
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<br />Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-32942806688402710002017-05-23T21:15:00.000+01:002017-05-23T21:19:54.879+01:00In the Kingswood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sunday's wanderings led me though this gorgeous stretch of woodland tucked away on the secluded slopes of the Purbeck Hills. It was densely carpeted in Ramsons and there was a fresh garlic aroma in the air. Combined with the fact that there wasn't another soul in sight and this is definitely up there with the most alluring spots I've stumbled across in a long time. </div>
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<b>Early Purple Orchid</b></div>
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I can just imagine a medieval king escaping here to let off some steam after a hard day's work running Corfe Castle back in the day.<br />
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<br />Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-43648246248510074562017-05-22T22:58:00.000+01:002017-05-22T22:58:32.632+01:00Studland to GodlingstonIt was a real scorcher of a Sunday. I headed down to Studland Bay armed with a sweep net, binoculars and a pair of trunks on underneath my shorts just in case I felt keen enough for a dip.<br />
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Unsurprisingly, half of Dorset seemed to have the same idea, and with the beach being way too packed for my liking I scurried off into the surrounding heathland to see what I could turn up. It was much hotter here without a cooling sea breeze, and not a lot was happening. Several <b>Heath Tiger Beetles</b> were buzzing around, and it was nice to watch a pair of <b>Dartford Warbler</b> hunt insects amongst the gorse. In one of the waterlogged ditches it was a pleasant surprise to see <b>Royal Fern</b> growing. I remembered this one from back when I was working on <a href="http://billsbirding.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/back-from-hebrides.html">an organic croft</a> on Mull. Up there it flourished in the dykes surrounding the croft; sprouting up to easily 2 metres or more. This one's a tiddler in comparison, but still nice to find...</div>
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<b>Royal Fern</b></div>
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Opting for a change of scenery I consulted the OS map, scouted out a nicely labelled area of chalk downland and made for it. I was soon standing at the bottom of Godlingston Hill at the eastern end of the Purbeck Hills, a prominent backdrop to the Purbeck peninsula famously bisected by Corfe Castle. </div>
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It felt like I'd died and gone to heaven. The views were stunning and there were things everywhere. Most of those things were blue and shiny butterflies but there were a few moths mixed in too. <i><b>Dichrorampha petiverella</b></i> and <b style="font-style: italic;">Ancylis comptana </b>flushed with every other foot step and every now and then a <b>Wood Tiger</b> would whizz past. </div>
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<b><i>Dichrorampha petiverella</i></b></div>
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<b>Wood Tiger</b></div>
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<i><b>Longitarsus dorsalis</b></i></div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;"> Agromyza myosotidis/abiens </i>leafmine on <b>Hound's Tongue</b></div>
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A carpet of <b>Crosswort</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wOxQJTn6axnxTDG8W62m7gvhBBZ_-B7qIhAEOW3qhigBIXiQJ_Aavk4U-c-sMmZMytM8MO9B9YtuL0K3O2VNonE4XoRLO5qAutvJV7vaEp1tWQCOxq9KtFJbZGMB_5qIoe2ezQOUJyeS/s1600/Fairy+Flax+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wOxQJTn6axnxTDG8W62m7gvhBBZ_-B7qIhAEOW3qhigBIXiQJ_Aavk4U-c-sMmZMytM8MO9B9YtuL0K3O2VNonE4XoRLO5qAutvJV7vaEp1tWQCOxq9KtFJbZGMB_5qIoe2ezQOUJyeS/s640/Fairy+Flax+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Fairy Flax</b></div>
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Slowly but surely, as the evening wore on and woodland shadows began splaying across the valley, the <b>Adonis Blues</b> began to chill out. Having spent the majority of the afternoon chasing after them with my camera like a madman, the cooler temperature was making them much more lazy and approachable. They seemed way more concerned with catching the last warm rays of good stuff than worrying about me getting all up in their face, so I had a bit of fun with the wide angle lens...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uawxUOQyRnSn87odrGBuOe2NT2j68GHvub0FdiT6By87rW8c3ZVGPXifqhiVAawqCAk6rKgznSqrADbYeW5uFe3egA7Zti7x45LQ8qP7Ave_NE8zCqiSmAcY4Ejt7ZzUbDoxImteUCP5/s1600/Adonis+Blue2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uawxUOQyRnSn87odrGBuOe2NT2j68GHvub0FdiT6By87rW8c3ZVGPXifqhiVAawqCAk6rKgznSqrADbYeW5uFe3egA7Zti7x45LQ8qP7Ave_NE8zCqiSmAcY4Ejt7ZzUbDoxImteUCP5/s640/Adonis+Blue2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Adonis Blue</b></div>
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Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-46229935830643148402017-05-21T22:16:00.000+01:002017-05-21T22:52:09.031+01:00Life on the cliff edge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had plans to spent a lazy Saturday lounging about the caravan in my pants, but as the rain subsided after lunch and blue skies began to appear, the urge to get outside became too much. I snapped out of a Nick Drake induced daze, put some walking boots on (I wasn't just in pants at this point) and headed out to the abandoned village of Tyneham a little further east along the coast from Lulworth.<br />
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Unfortunately for the residents of Tyneham, their village stood slap bang in the middle of a large secluded valley that the MoD decided would be a superb location for a temporary military firing range during the Second World War. Villagers were displaced with the belief that they would be able to return after the end of the war, but this wasn't to be the case. The army placed a compulsory purchase order on a large part of the coastline between Lulworth and Kimmeridge after the war, and Tyneham remained abandoned; wild garlic growing in place of pavements and knarled blackthorn branches slumping over roof trusses.<br />
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A rather sombre story but it isn't all bad news. Ironically, turning the area into a massive firing range has helped preserve its natural history interest from human disturbance and development, and the coast path is still open to the public when military things aren't going on.<br />
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Up on the exposed cliff top there was a strong wind brewing. The kind of wind that makes most people not want to get too close to the edge. The urge to poke around in the undergrowth was just too much though...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRwsyZ5K_R-b-TFJj1OG5eSlGCP3jni-rxeE3USedw_75EmEbfryCLlps5UKNGC5F2DSj_bxPuiMKq6Sf4wagrug53mr58oimgxzb_gz63CXiVZuf03HZzdyRUjY5Ek64ADWw025BoGU0/s1600/hairy+spider+weevil+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRwsyZ5K_R-b-TFJj1OG5eSlGCP3jni-rxeE3USedw_75EmEbfryCLlps5UKNGC5F2DSj_bxPuiMKq6Sf4wagrug53mr58oimgxzb_gz63CXiVZuf03HZzdyRUjY5Ek64ADWw025BoGU0/s640/hairy+spider+weevil+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The hairy little weevil <i style="font-weight: bold;">Barypeithes pellucidus</i></div>
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<b><i>Helcystogramma rufescens </i></b>pupa rolled up in Tor-grass</div>
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<b>Knotted Hedge-parsley</b>, a scarce and tiny relative of Cow Parsley!</div>
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<b>Fern-grass</b></div>
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<b> Rest Harrow</b></div>
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<b> Intermediate Screw-moss </b>(<i>Syntrichia intermedia</i>) is common on exposed chalk here</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mPckQ804XOOdZRgX78l4BOIlICZrk_6hKies9w7LnAvBLR8Sif1rY5Z3el1Sn94fwa2miMy1BELECKP9JQAdeoJFY0mIbZy4cIQ0or15x3zgBs9mulFMcTbDdZdjzsLDBYw3QTsXFwVq/s1600/Worbarrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mPckQ804XOOdZRgX78l4BOIlICZrk_6hKies9w7LnAvBLR8Sif1rY5Z3el1Sn94fwa2miMy1BELECKP9JQAdeoJFY0mIbZy4cIQ0or15x3zgBs9mulFMcTbDdZdjzsLDBYw3QTsXFwVq/s640/Worbarrow.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Down in the slightly more sheltered Pondfield Cove there was further botanical interest...</div>
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<b> Golden Samphire</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsoaUjh8DbILTdiJ-UjZ-Mc-VYZs1sP64cd2cXAcmXQdiCkTwYz2JWOPUsxT5GiD7cexqHC4_it6aJhYJQYDkK6c3f73TslQkXPUQS5q22BTxvU89tFx_Ytqmy2tfb79DA_ALdfwm4sW6/s1600/English+Scurvy-grass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsoaUjh8DbILTdiJ-UjZ-Mc-VYZs1sP64cd2cXAcmXQdiCkTwYz2JWOPUsxT5GiD7cexqHC4_it6aJhYJQYDkK6c3f73TslQkXPUQS5q22BTxvU89tFx_Ytqmy2tfb79DA_ALdfwm4sW6/s640/English+Scurvy-grass.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>English Scurvy-grass</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboCQiV5o8usy5TMSNRVQ5XL7IB5B_dyArpTlWO4MwPYrrG7YI2R0F_jy-j03pC_LAKEqgkB_a4jbOj82xl9_BAh9nGJniSWgFZ8c8PXyMb8CBZoS2Jdyy6d9xZc6Dankzw_IldxzxEPoF/s1600/Rock+Samphire+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboCQiV5o8usy5TMSNRVQ5XL7IB5B_dyArpTlWO4MwPYrrG7YI2R0F_jy-j03pC_LAKEqgkB_a4jbOj82xl9_BAh9nGJniSWgFZ8c8PXyMb8CBZoS2Jdyy6d9xZc6Dankzw_IldxzxEPoF/s640/Rock+Samphire+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b> Rock Samphire</b></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">The secluded Worbarrow Bay looking stunning in the evening sun...</span><br />
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Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281052059221698775.post-17079545396003015192017-05-20T21:35:00.000+01:002017-05-20T21:35:54.289+01:00I twitched a plant and I liked it<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When I came to Lulworth I had in the back of my mind a bit of a personal ambition to become more familiar with flowering plants. Over the past year they've really begun to catch my interest, but apart from a basic knowledge of the common stuff that I've slowly gained through leaf-mining, kingdom Plantae remains a big and scary new world of tricky green things.</div>
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<b>Dancing Ledge</b></div>
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It certainly seems as though I've come to the right place. Only two weeks into the job and I've already seen over 50 species for the first time, across a range of habitats I've never knowingly botanised in before. Admittedly in most cases the hard work of identifying has been done by someone else during our survey work and I've simply strolled up and asked what it is, but I'm slowly teaching myself to become familiar with some of the chalk-loving species that inhabit my temporary back garden.<br />
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Last Wednesday I even rushed over to Dancing Ledge after work to twitch one of Dorset's rarest species, the stunning Early Spider Orchid. If the fact that I'm ready to get in my car and drive miles to twitch a plant doesn't show my outright dedication to learn more about them, then... erm... I don't know what does. <br />
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<b>Early Spider Orchid</b>, a spring-flowering species very much at the northern edge of its European range along the cliffs of the Jurassic coast</div>
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<span id="goog_420918223"></span><span id="goog_420918224"></span><br />Billy Dykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00840933193238325733noreply@blogger.com0