A host of golden daffodils….
Over the years the Friends have planted at least a couple of thousand native daffodil bulbs (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) around the edges of the reserve’s woodland. Back breaking work, rewarded at this time of year with the first golden flowers.
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Here are ten numbers to go with this week’s cold snap.
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There are only two species of iris native to the UK and we have them both growing in the reserve: Iris pseudacorus and Iris foetidissima.
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There are eight native species of corvid, of which we have six on the reserve’s species lists.
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A dandelion crammed with tiny bronze-black beetles.
Continue reading “Common pollen beetle”
Ashley Wicks, a regular visitor to the reserve, has sent us a picture of a very early red admiral.
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Cheryl Cronnie, a regular contributor, has sent in photographs of a buzzard (Buteo buteo) perched in one of the reserve’s veteran oaks.
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by Ian Bushell
We think we have identified THREE species of cherry trees in the reserve.
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There are three species of fern in the reserve belonging to the genus Dryopteris: a buckler fern and two species of male ferns, all very much alike. At the moment all three are busy unfurling long, bright green, finely divided leaves.
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At this time of year, our peacock butterflies are leaving their hibernation sites to feed among the reserve’s spring flowers: welcome flashes of colour in all this rain.
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In the header photograph, the blue tit’s eggs are lying in a cup shaped nest lined with soft feathers that are obviously intended to keep the eggs warm. But around the edge of the cup there are larger feathers; their purpose is not so clear.
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After yesterday’s video post, a reader asked what triggered the blue tit female (it is always the female blue tit that builds the nest) to stop collecting moss and to begin collecting what he called fluffy stuff. While failing entirely to find an answer to his question, I found a treasure trove of research into blue tit nests and the materials they use to build them.
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The car park wagtails are a pair of grey wagtails but we have pied wagtails too.
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Blue tit colours
The blue tit (Parus caeruleus) has been classified as sexually monochromatic, which means that male and female are the same colour. This classification is based, though, on human colour perception, not on blue tit colour perception.
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According to the RSPB, trichomonosis, an avian disease caused by a parasite called Trichomonas gallinae, has reduced the UK’s chaffinch population by 34% in the last decade.
Audio: Common Chaffinch by Krzysztof Deoniziak (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED) xeno-canto.org XC884915
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A message from an early-bird dog walker:
I spotted a Muntjac deer this morning, about 5 o’clock whilst walking my dog, who luckily is always kept on his lead. It was In the hedgerow that runs along the path from the carpark towards Studley, just one by itself only. Is this a species you are aware of?
I was very surprised to see it so close to a built up area which has quite considerable footfall. But for well over a year I haven’t haven’t seen the larger deer which frequented the park.
Before you drag the pressure washer out of its winter hibernation, let’s talk about the ecological importance of the moss growing between your patio pavers.
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Our common pipistrelles (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) are out of hibernation
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There are wood anemones (Anemone nemorosa) in the copse between Sheep Field and Sleepers, and under oak 5552 in the corner by the central path..
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We have a resident moorhen on one of the reserve’s lesser-known ponds.
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Every year, we find common frog tadpoles (Rana temporaria) in the little pond under the Decorated Bridge.
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Hazel has both male and female flowers. The familiar yellow catkins are made up of about 250 male flowers. They produce the pollen; if you tap a ripe hazel catkin it will release a cloud of pollen. The female flower is a minutely small red tassel, somewhere on the same twig as the catkins.
Continue reading “Hazel’s female flowers”
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 