Quick Wildflower Audit ... and Frog

 

1. Poppy, possibly 'sown' by the birds (is it perhaps a cultivated specimen?)

We had a plumber working away on a leaking valve this morning so I thought it might be a good moment to do a quick wildflower audit in our wild garden to gain a snapshot of what is showing up as we approach the longest day of the year. It has been a particularly chilly spring so far in my part of Suffolk. To be fair, the temperatures have risen in the last couple of days, but the north-east wind continues to make its presence felt. 

I may put in some effort to check names etc. in due course, but the purpose of this audit was really just to take a quick photo as a record of what I saw (with added input from David). If I can name the species, I will. I always struggle to identify yellow 'dandelion-like' flowers, including sow thistle, hawkweed and cat's ear ... do let me know if you recognise an unnamed plant. It may be that two of these yellow plant pics are actually of the same species ...

 

2.

3. Ribwort Plantain

4. Daisy

5.

6. Dandelion (with Thick-legged Flower Beetle)

7. Herb Robert

8. Small-flowered Cranesbill

9. Knapweed (first flower opened today)

10. Oxeye daisy

11.

12. Goosegrass

13. ?Chickweed

14. Lesser Trefoil

15. Buttercup

16. Pink Valerian

17. (?Wood) Forget-me-not

18. Wood Avens

19. Nettle

20. Violet (flowers have died)

21.

22.

23. Willowherb

24. Purple Oxalis (garden escape?)

 

The photos that follow show how 'wild' a medium-sized suburban garden (ours) can look when it is largely left to nature.

Hummingbird Hawk-moths frequented this patch last year

Long grass micro-meadow

The hedgehog continues to visit most nights, and the frog reappeared in the mini-pond two days ago. Butterfly numbers have largely been down on last year, but we have had record garden sightings of Holly Blue.

 

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Update 2024

25. Red Valerian

26. Bramble

27. Ivy

Amphibian Joy

 

We had both had our suspicions that a frog was living in our mini-pond. I thought I saw small dark head in the middle of the (rather overgrown) oxygenating pondweed last Saturday and David saw something 'flip' the following day. 

We had a colossal thunderstorm with downpour this morning after a long-awaited hour or so of relatively warm sunshine. We took a quick look around the garden this afternoon, just ten minutes ago, and lo and behold, there was the frog! We are so thrilled and excited, the more so since I have been on the look-out for frogspawn for weeks, and have failed to see the slightest sign. 

Two days ago we had three Starlings splashing in our adjoining mini-pond and making quite a to-do. It's lovely to have them but I hope the frog can cope with their capers. 

Watch this space ... and do consider adding a mini-pond if you have an empty corner.

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Postscript: the Fairy Longhorn moths are back ... Imagine having those antennae!

 

 

Frog!

 

We have two mini-ponds in our garden at present, situated in partial shade under some large ivy leaves. Some weeks ago we stocked these tiny watering holes with oxygenating plants and pondweed in the hope that a frog might take up residence.

I walked over to the pond this morning, and I am still not sure who was more surprised to see who, for there in the middle (at that point) were two magnificent amphibian eyes looking up at me. 

The frog was still there eight hours later, so I am hoping there may be more sightings tomorrow.

 

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Previous post: click here to take a look at my review of Susan Richardson's magnificent wildlife book, Where the Seals Sing. 

 

Various Sightings and Suffolk Wildlife Trust Nature Summit

I had seen records of the Garden Tiger on the web so I knew the adult moth was on the wing, but I had not expected to encounter this larva on the path at Dunwich Heath last weekend. It hardly seemed real, even when we looked closely. The white hairs seemed so long! 

I was particularly pleased to find it as I have poem in my chapbook (The Holy Place, co-authored with John Dotson) about the metamorphosis of a Tiger moth. 



Not hairs this time, but spines! We went outside two nights ago and were thrilled to hear a munching noise under the Silver Birch tree, and, yes, there was a hedgehog making its way along the back of the fence. We didn't want to disturb it, and in any case, it was not easy to see: the photo above was taken in the dark, hence the 'cropped' appearance! 

Neither hair nor spines this time, but the beautiful scales that make up the wings of the Wall butterfly. I have only seen this species once before. This butterfly was at Suffolk Wildlife Trust's Carlton Marsh reserve near Lowestoft on Saturday.

We also saw our second Common Frog of 2019 on the reserve...

... and I say second because a few days before, we had found our first in our own back garden. It was a first not only of the year but for my home patch species list. Perhaps it likes our all-too-tiny pond!

I mentioned Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT). We are members of the Trust, and I am excited to report that we are off to the SWT Nature Summit later this week. It should be a really interesting evening.

More From the RSPB Flatford Wildlife Garden

This was my first 2017 sighting of a (male) Banded Demoiselle.

It was perching above the small pond, while down below...

...two Common Frogs were putting in an appearance.

I am not sure whether this Mayfly was alive or dead. The creature on the left of the leaf is a Ladybird larva: there were several on the willow fronds.

Flatford