Sutton Hoo, X Marks the Trees

 

We spent a couple of hours at NT Sutton Hoo last weekend, once again leaving the other visitors to the mounds while we sought out the more secluded corners of the site. We hoped (in vain as it turned out) to see one or two more butterflies in the brief spells of afternoon sunshine. Sadly we failed to spot any, but were rewarded with sightings of Orthoptera (two Dark Bush-Crickets) and Odonata (a Common Darter and ?a Ruddy Darter). We also noticed a few molehills in the sandy soil. 

My previous Sutton Hoo post included a modern wood carving replicating one of the wild boar designs. The photo above shows an image that puzzled me until this evening when we succeeded in tracking it down. The bird looks a bit like a Dodo to me, but I knew that couldn't be right. The original has sometimes, though not exclusively, been classified as a duck by Anglo-Saxon scholars; it adorns the exquisite Sutton Hoo purse-lid.

Autumn was much in evidence, and we noted several species of fungi. It was a joy to watch two Dark Bush-Crickets foraging in the nettles and areas of mixed hedging. I had forgotten how large these insects are, large that is until you compare them with the 6cm+ Great Green Bush-Crickets we loved to see in Cornwall back in the 1970s and 1980s.

I wonder if you know this species? If so, do please leave a comment.

Dark Bush-Cricket

Common Darter

Over to you: Common or Ruddy Darter?

View across the river Deben to Woodbridge

Spindle berries, which trigger nursery school memories - of this

I was so taken by the shiny chestnuts that I nearly missed the insect ...

A land of many molehills

X marks the spot ... Are more trees to be felled?

A ladybird at last

One and a half Dark Bush-Crickets

A favourite spot, river Deben down to the right

More toadstools

P.S. Who noticed the Sutton Hoo question on University Challenge (BBC) this evening?

Autumn colour and a Hornet at the RSPB Wildlife Garden in Flatford

Spindle

Spindle

An array of insect hotels

Fiery autumn shades

A prolific species of Blackfly

European Hornet

Crab apple

RSPB Wildlife Garden, Flatford

Last of the season's caterpillars...

Wonderful leaves...

... in red, green, brown, yellow and gold.

Busy bee

Last time we were here the Nasturtiums were covered in caterpillars. The flowers were still in bloom, but no caterpillars.

Acer (with keys)

Guelder rose berries

It would be a shame to visit the Flatford ...

... without watching the Mute Swans on the Stour.

Seasonal Splash ~ Flatford Mill RSPB Garden, Needham Market and Sutton Hoo

'A prickle of hedgehogs'

The RSPB Wildlife Garden at Flatford was about to close for the winter, but I just loved the novel collective noun on the brown post! 

There was one solitary Ladybird, flexing her wings. You can see just how long these wings are in comparison with the spotted elytra. 

Fungi in the RSPB Garden

Mute Swans at Flatford Mill

Autumn gold at Sutton Hoo

Scarlet Rowan berries at Needham Market, Suffolk

We had visited the lakes at Needham Market before, but had not noticed this tunnel. The sunlit disc above was actually a blue sign ...

A little further round the path we encountered a fiery Spindle tree, with these stunning berries ... The wood was used for spinning - hence the name.

There were also some Rosehips, adding to another splash of autumn colour  ...

I recall (like the person who commented on a photo here) going to the local child clinic at regular intervals to collect our allocation of rosehip syrup and orange juice for the youngest family members.