I am absolutely delighted to find that we have a resident frog in both our mini-ponds. Last summer we had one 'regular' with very occasional sightings of a second, so it is exciting to start my 2024 frog observations with two.
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| Shame about the leaf! |
For βρεκεκεκέξ see here.
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| 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 ...
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| 2. |
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| 3. Ribwort Plantain |
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| 4. Daisy |
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| 5. |
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| 6. Dandelion (with Thick-legged Flower Beetle) |
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| 7. Herb Robert |
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| 8. Small-flowered Cranesbill |
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| 9. Knapweed (first flower opened today) |
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| 10. Oxeye daisy |
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| 11. |
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| 12. Goosegrass |
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| 13. ?Chickweed |
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| 14. Lesser Trefoil |
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| 15. Buttercup |
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| 16. Pink Valerian |
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| 17. (?Wood) Forget-me-not |
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| 18. Wood Avens |
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| 19. Nettle |
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| 20. Violet (flowers have died) |
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
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| 23. Willowherb |
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| 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.
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| Hummingbird Hawk-moths frequented this patch last year |
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| 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
We have only (noticed and) recorded an Emperor Dragonfly in the garden on one previous occasion, so when this magnificent insect alighted on a brown stem last Saturday, we were delighted.
Curiously, we had set up a tiny pond only days before, and on that very day, we came across the first Common Frog we had seen in our home patch since 2019.
It is hard to know whether the provision of water led to the arrival of the dragonfly and the frog, but I would like to think so!
Since then we have also resurrected our old 'barrel pond' as well, and stocked it with some oxygenating pond plants. We had a female Common Darter near the patio yesterday. I wonder what we will see next ...
And incidentally, my Emperor Dragonfly identification is made on the basis of ...
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Postscript
I don't feel I can really end without referring to yesterday's governmental decision to allow the nuclear reactor plant, Sizewell C, to go ahead. I confess that I am not well-versed in all the scientific arguments, and I know wildlife supporters are divided, especially over the issue of alternative solutions such as wind farms which can cause devastating harm to seabirds; but, in tune with the views of those representing the RSPB and the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, I feel disheartened by the news.
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| Sizewell on left, behind the Island Mere Hide at RSPB Minsmere |
The Sizewell site adjoins the flagship nature reserve of Minsmere, with its avocets (who feature on the RSPB logo), eels, bitterns, adders, antlions, glow worms, otters and numerous rare or threatened species. Dunwich flanks Minsmere on the northern side, with its history of extreme coastal erosion. I feel particularly sorry for those local residents who have been fighting this battle and campaigning for some time.
