It’s elderflower time. Here is a tried and tested recipe for elderflower champagne, a bubbly, lightly alcoholic beverage with the delicate aroma and flavour of muscat grapes.
Continue reading “Elderflower champagne”Elderflower champagne
A gallery of pictures from DKG.
Our brilliant resident photographer is back. Here is a gallery of pictures he took this week down among the park’s lush greenery.
Header picture: Buttercups in the Race and Sheep Field, by DKG.
World record of the week
Most Bottles Recycled by a Dog
Continue reading “World record of the week”Bird table
Feeding birds in the spring.
Birds time their breeding period to coincide with the maximum availability of their natural foods: for example, winter moth caterpillars in the case of blue tits and earthworms for blackbirds and song thrushes. But cold or wet weather during the spring can cause severe shortages of insect food, and if the weather is exceptionally dry and the soil hardened, as it was last year, earthworms will be unavailable to ground feeding birds.
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Red campion (Silene dioica)
The park’s red campion grows up through tall vegetation at the edges of the fields and beneath the hedges. If you find it, take photographs and send them to us, please.
Froghopper
Red-and-black froghopper
This is a red-and-black froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata) photographed in the park yesterday by Ian Bushell. There are ten different species of froghopper in the UK and while the red-and-black froghopper is not the most common, it is widespread.
Continue reading “Froghopper”Another world record
Longest butterfly migration
We now know the painted lady (Vanessa cardui) makes the longest migration of any butterfly: 9,000 miles from tropical Africa to the Arctic Circle, almost double the journey made by the previous record holder, the famed monarch butterfly.
It can take six successive generations of painted ladies to complete this epic journey, flying up to 1,500ft high and reaching speeds of 30mph. The butterflies that return to Africa at the end of the year are several generations removed from those that set out.
This astonishing and beautiful butterfly, spotted in the park for the first time last year, will begin arriving in Britain this month. Keep a look out for it.
Pictures (CC0) from pixabay.com
Cockchafer
Cockchafers, more familiarly known as May bugs, are one of those things that go bang in the night.
Continue reading “Cockchafer”Bugle
Bugle (Ajuga reptans) photographed this week in the park’s copses.
Continue reading “Bugle”Checking the park
by Ian Bushell
I took the chance this afternoon to drive to the park and park on that bit of verge by the entrance. There were three cones across the entrance at 1pm but only two when I left at 2:30! Somebody is still breaking the rules.
Continue reading “Checking the park”Oak flowers
These are the flowers of an oak tree. Oaks are monoecious; they have male flowers and female flowers on the same tree.
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Germander speedwell (Veronica Chamaedrys) in the hedge in Brunts Field.
Pictures by Suzanne Humphries
Rüppell’s griffon vulture
No, of course we haven’t seen vultures circling over the park; that would be silly. But…..
Continue readingRecord holders
The record breaking swifts are back from their winter feeding grounds.
Continue reading “Record holders”Garden Birdwatch
British Trust for Ornithology
Since 1995 the British Trust for Ornithology has collected important research data from citizen scientists via their Garden Birdwatch survey.
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“Shed not a clout till may be out…”
It’s not an instruction to keep your coat on until June; it’s telling you that you can take your cardigan off once the may is in blossom, which has been known to happen as early as April.
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Horse chestnut
The horse chestnut tree near the park’s main entrance gate is in flower.
Another new species
Bush vetch
Last week, Ian Bushell found and photographed bush vetch (Vicia sepium) at Fiveways, near the picnic place. It is quite a common plant in the park but, for some unspecified reason, it had not previously been put on our species list.
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Three peaceful woodland paths for the park-deprived.
Go safely.
Walk in the park
By Ian Bushell
Up to the park early this morning with Pat. Glorious blue skies, dew on the cobwebs and birds singing.
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Bluebell gallery
Sixteen spot ladybird
The ladybirds are leaving hibernation.
Continue reading “Sixteen spot ladybird”Chiffchaff or willow warbler
DKG photographed a small grey green bird with a pale eyestripe and cream underparts. This is either a chiffchaff or a willow warbler and it’s very hard to tell the difference.
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The Battle of The Spanish Squill
By Ian Bushell
For the last couple of Sundays, I have been looking for Spanish squill among the bluebells. I have gone early and used the allotment entrance to the park.
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Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 