Framlingham Mere, Suffolk Wildlife Trust

We joined the Suffolk Wildlife Trust some months ago and recieved a glossy book of the reserves in their care. One photograph showed Framlingham Mere, so we set off to explore.

After days of bitterly cold, windy, and at times very wet weather, it was a joy to feel some heat and to see the sun lighting up a meadow full of buttercups and shining its rays through the petals of wild poppies.

The reserve with SWT mere in foreground and English Heritage castle behind

The first songster was a Chaffinch

The trail was well-marked with these signs

It was lovely to see an English meadow with buttercups

castle - and church in the village

Quintessential summer scene ...

... and another

The willows were alive with the sound ... of warbling

I think these may be Leaf Beetles and their eggs ...

Galerucella sagittariae

Perhaps a Snipe Fly, but not sure ... (one for iSpot?)

A rather bedraggled Peacock butterfly

Just one duckling (left?) ...

... but so cute!

The duckling led the way and the female Mallard followed

Lovely to see Damselflies

Blue, beautiful blue ...

Mating time for Damselflies

A blue butterfly perched in the mud ...

I think it was a Holly Blue.

We reached the impressive walls of Framlingham Castle in which, according to the plaque ...

Given these royal connections, it is not surprising perhaps to see that a new book of poetry and prose from Framlingham is being launched for the Queen's 90th Birthday.  

I am attempting to collect data for the Garden Bioblitz (as advertised on BBC Springwatch), which is why my captions in this post are rather brief. There is still just time (as of 22.15 on 4 June 2016, UK) for you to join in the Bioblitz, too! 

2015 Scottish Odyssey (2) Amphibians at Culzean

The view from Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland

In my previous post I mentioned some of the mammals we encountered on our recent Scottish odyssey. This time I thought I would add a couple of amphibian sightings. We saw several toads (and a batch of tadpoles) during our time away, and I may post other photos in due course. 

You never know who may be lurking in a woodland garden ...

We knew the castle, lake and walled garden at NTS Culzean from a previous visit, but had not been to the designated wildlife garden before.

There were several signs about the place. I was particularly heartened to read the one below. 

The first creature we encountered was this Common Toad. I know that skin colours can differ in toads, but I had never seen one like this before. It was large and utterly magnificent. Stuart Babbs on Flicka suggests that a peaty environment may account for dark pigments in toads.

Has anyone else seen toads like this one? Alison Davies posted about black toads on iSpot and it was suggested that a dark colour absorbs more heat. The colour can be an advantage in dark surroundings ... like the frog box.

The photo below shows a newt (or is it still a large eft?). I have not been able to identify the exact species. 

I mentioned signs, and here in the photo below you can see another one, this time on the lid of the frog box. I have to confess at this point that both the black toad and the newt were in the box. We took a quick look and replaced the lid with great care. This kind of wildlife spotting felt a bit too easy - it was a bit like walking into the RSPB Minsmere Bittern Hide and seeing ... a Bittern!

You can see why we like the view from the castle! 

Scottish Odyssey 2 ~ Finches at Dunvegan on Skye

It was lovely to find Dunvegan in sunshine. The castle grounds were looking magnificent ...

... with waterlilies ...

... lupins and delphiniums.

We were delighted to find a Bullfinch as we rarely see these Amber Status birds in our own neck of the woods, and have only ever seen one in our Suffolk garden 'down south'.  

We soon noticed that there was also a female. 

I'm not sure what she was eating but it seemed to come from the tree ...

... near the roses.

We also saw this Goldfinch just outside the castle grounds from a place where we like to watch seals on the skerries.

Seasonal Splash: Bryony Bracelet (or Tiara?)

Bryony berries ... of the Black or White Bryony variety?

On our way back from Oxburgh Hall last Saturday, we took a detour around Thetford to enable us to visit the remains of Weeting Castle. We parked by the church (what a gem - photo below!) and there behind us was a hedgerow bejewelled with Bryony berries.

St Mary's Church, Weeting ...

... and the adjacent remains of Weeting Castle. Notice the flint: the Grimes Graves flint mine site is only a couple of miles away.

What a stunning autumnal display ... in complementary colours! 

Beautiful they may be, but they are also HIGHLY TOXIC.

Black Bryony [Tamus communis] is more abundant in the south of Britain than in other regions. Itlacks tendrils, but climbs in a clockwise direction unlike White Bryony. I wish I had taken a photo of the leaves as these help with identification. White Bryony has tendrils and belongs to the marrow family: Black Bryony is related to the yam. I understand that frugivorous (fruit-eating) birds will be attracted to these berries in the latter part of the year ... but they are very poisonous for humans.  

Butterflies and Moths (11): The Hummingbird Hawk-Moth

Hummingbird Hawk-Moth at Methoni, Messenia, Greece

David and I have occasionally seen the odd Hummingbird Hawk-Moth in the UK, but this summer has been a bumper year for us. The first examples we saw were flitting and fluttering around the castle walls at Dinefwr near Llandeilo in Wales. They were well camouflaged against the stone - and they proved far too fast to catch on camera. Their name in Latin, Macroglossum stellatarum (Linnaeus, 1758), presumably means large tongue (or proboscis, used for extracting nectar), and I imagine the second word must relate to stars.

We were particularly delighted to find a 'flock' of these feathery creatures, making their way along the row of geraniums outside our apartment in the Pylos area of Messenia in the western Peloponnese. 

We made a couple of visits to Methoni with its vast castle, where more of these moths were attracted to the pink pea-like flower you can see in the top photograph. 

The picture below shows the tower promontory, or Bourtzi, comprising a tiny fortified island at the seaward end of the castro with its Venetian walls. This part of Greece is steeped in legend: Homer assigned the epithet, 'rich in vines', to Methoni. Much later on, Cervantes is said (by some) to have been a prisoner here: his experiences are recorded in Don Quixote.  

Methoni, Messenia, Greece

Above and Below: Hummingbird Hawk-Moth in Yialova, Messenia, Greece

• Hummingbird Hawk-Moth sightings for 2010 (Butterfly Conservation)
• On the BBC site and here