We had a cold and blustery weekend, but I noticed these insects moving around in a sheltered corner when the sun peeped out for a brief spell. We spotted a few of these bugs last year in March. I posted photos on iSpot at the time, and the consensus ID was Rhyparochromus vulgaris, a ground bug that is a fairly new arrival to the UK.
We have enjoyed checking the card in the trailcam. The feline below is our latest 'capture'; we have no idea who s/he is or where s/he lives.
The female Blackbird with the white marking on her head has been named 'Star' since she is frequently caught on camera.
Our nettle patch was pathetic last summer so I am hoping for better growth this year. Nettles provide good habitats, and the signs so far are promising.
Our small daffodils withstood the storm pretty well, but our crocuses became so droopy that I doubted they would pick up again. Remarkably most are now standing once more. A large Buff-tailed Bumblebee swooped down to investigate.
I was delighted to find this little Violet in the shady corner that used to be our 'wildlife patch' in the days before we turned virtually the whole garden into a home for wildlife. I don't ever recall seeing Violets here before and this discovery has made me think I will try to record species of wildflowers as they appear.
This is my fledgling list for 2021:
1. Daisy
2. Violet
I hope it will continue to expand.
P.S. I saw my first Grey Squirrel of 2021 this afternoon, and two Buzzards flew overhead.
2 comments:
Pleased to hear you are enjoying your wildlife camera :) Lovely too to find the violet and it is a good idea to keep a list. I hope our nettle patch is better this year too for some reason it didn't do well last year.
Thank you, RR, for your kind message. Yes, I thought it might be a good year to include wildflowers in my garden list as it's easy to start when there aren't too many unknown species in evidence! And yes, the violet really cheered me.
Post a Comment