Although we haven’t yet found a nest, there are always European hornets working somewhere in the reserve. Here is an astonishing video of hornets in flight.
Video by nature photographer, Lothar Lenz, published by Caters Clips.
Hornets
Drought
How do our frogs survive as the reserve’s ponds and streams dry up in the drought?
Continue readingWasp time
There are six species of social wasp that are native to Britain and this is a good time of year to identify them.
Continue reading “Wasp time”
How to tell a grasshopper from a cricket
- The most visible difference between a grasshopper and a cricket is that crickets tend to have very long antennae while grasshoppers’ antennae are short.
Pond dipping
with Ian Bushell
While we were getting the dam ready for the contractor and in between digging holes, clearing vegetation and trimming hedges, I had a bit of pond dip in the pool below the dam.
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Hedgehogs were named for their noisy foraging. They root through hedges and undergrowth with their snouts, turning over the soil, looking for insects, worms, centipedes, bird eggs, snails, baby mice, frogs, all the while making loud piggy noises: snorts, squeals, and grunts.
All images: (CC0) from pixabay.com
Green nettle weevil
Another new identification for the reserve; a green nettle weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus) reported in May this year by Charles Land.
Continue readingS41 mammals
While we are on the subject of protected species…
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Water vole protection
Water voles are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Are we doing enough to ensure the protection of the reserve’s water voles?
Continue readingLarge white
The record breaking painted lady is not the only British butterfly that migrates over long distances.
Continue reading “Large white”Goldfinch
A goldfinch photographed last week in the reserve by Cheryl Cronnie.
Images: Cheryl Cronnie; recording: Jack Berteau via xeno-canto.com
Carduelis carduelis
UK breeding population:1.2 million pairs
UK conservation status: Green.
Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
Painted Lady
A pristine painted lady, fresh from the chrysalis, feeding on bramble flowers in the reserve yesterday.
Continue readingGolden-bloomed longhorn beetle
Occasionally, we delve into our species lists for a closer look at some of the reserve’s more unobtrusive and less fluffy residents. Today it’s the turn of the golden-bloomed longhorn beetle (Agapanthia villosoviridescens), first identified and photographed by our wildlife photographer, Simon Knight, in the summer of 2020.
Continue reading “Golden-bloomed longhorn beetle”
Greenfinch
A greenfinch photographed in the reserve on Friday by Cheryl Cronnie.
It’s hot!
Here are some ways in which you can help your garden’s wildlife through the heatwave.
Continue reading “It’s hot!”
Bimbling
By Ian Bushell
As it was a lovely afternoon and I wanted pictures of the bags of ragwort we had pulled in Lambrok Meadow, I thought I would have a bimble round the reserve.
Continue readingBIG BUTTERFLY COUNT
Have you joined the BIG BUTTERFLY COUNT yet?
Marbled white, peacock and common blue, all photographed in the reserve
Continue reading “BIG BUTTERFLY COUNT”
The Slug Appreciation Society
Slugs are no longer to be classed as garden pests by the Royal Horticultural Society.
Continue readingSquirrel
A grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) photographed in the reserve by Cheryl Cronnie.
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How to tell a dragonfly from a damselfly
Dragonflies and damselflies are closely related cousins in the Odonata family but it isn’t difficult to tell them apart.
Continue readingFun fact
Did you know that the weasel (mustela nivalis) is the world’s smallest predatory carnivore? No, neither did we.
Click this link to read about Simon Knight’s 2021 encounter with a hunting weasel.
header image: weasel by Peter Trimming (CC BY 2.0) flickr.com
Butterfly transect
Ian Bushell conducted a butterfly transect in the reserve on Thursday. Butterfly transects are the way in which we measure changes in the population of the reserve’s butterflies from year to year.
Continue reading “Butterfly transect”Roe doe
A beautiful little roe doe spotted in the reserve and photographed by Ian Bushell, who messaged:
A real bonus! At the top of Village Green set-aside, near the seat, I suddenly realised this young Roe deer doe was nestled down in the long grass. I had intended continuing on the butterfly transect but I did not want to disturb her so I just took these pics and retreated carefully away.
Roe deer are regular early-morning visitors to the the reserve.
Tree bumblebee
This fluffy bee is Bombas hypnorum, a tree bumblebee, photographed yesterday in the reserve by Clive Knight.
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Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 