Trimley near Felixstowe: Last of the Summer ... Hops

It was certainly milder today in our part of Suffolk than it has been recently, but the day began with overcast skies and drizzle. By the afternoon it was looking a bit brighter. 

 

We ventured out to Trimley, above the river Orwell, near the port of Felixstowe, and were delighted to find a few decent bursts of autumn sunshine. It was lovely to see the final fling mounted by poppies and other wildflowers along the field margins. I was particularly surprised and delighted to see some hops in the hedgerow as these reminded me of the cultivated hop fields and accompanying oasthouses of my Kentish childhood. Our Harvest Festival baskets were often decorated with strands of hops, and I could never decide whether I liked or hated the distinctive scent!

 

I was quite surprised to find so many blackberries on the bushes

Rose hips ... which remind me of rosehip syrup, again from childhood days

What a large maize field!

You may be able to make out bits of harvested sweetcorn ...

I love to see wildflowers along those field margins ...

Hawthorn berries. It is definitely the season for hips and haws ...

... and hops!

Who can resist peering through a gap in a hedge?

Some creature, a mouse perhaps, has been enjoying this puffball!

 

Bank Holiday: Blackberries and a Holly Blue

Yesterday was a 'typical' Bank Holiday Saturday in our neck of the woods. It was dark and blustery all day. Thankfully the weather brightened up considerably for a while this afternoon, though there was a cool north wind by 5pm. We decided to head for what has become our 'usual' spot as we wanted somewhere we could reach fairly quickly before the clouds returned. The blackberries look very mixed, but the good ones would doubtless make a tasty crumble. 

We saw a few white butterflies, largely at a distance, and a single Holly Blue. There was a Dockbug (below) on one of the blackberry leaves. I had not seen these insects on brambles before, but a quick look at Google Images suggests that this is not unusual.

I wonder if others have noticed how early the season seems to be changing. These Hawthorn berries, along with some Rosehips, certainly brightened up the hedgerow. 

As we reached a particularly scrubby area of the path by the railway bridge, my eyes led me to a few strands of Fumitory, a plant I have not seen for a while.

My photos give the appearance that everyone else was down the road at the beach, and they probably were, but we passed a surprising number of people. We pulled up our masks and stepped aside but I wish social distancing was more the norm...

David on the track by the bridge

Dragonfly Days...

We once had a Migrant Hawker in the garden on the day of the Autumn Equinox so I always associate this species with the end of summer. However, we are only just past mid-August this year, so I mustn't get ahead of myself. 

It is, of course, always special to find one of these dragons in the garden, regardless of the day on the calendar. David took the photograph above this morning while we were enjoying coffee outside. I had a strong hunch it was a Migrant Hawker, and the yellow 'golf tee' mark at S2 near the top of the abdomen confirms this.  

We have noticed that leaves are beginning to turn already. I expect the heatwaves have been a contributory factor. I love the bright red colour of this Virginia Creeper (or is it Russian Vine?), but I hope the other leaves won't follow suit too speedily.  

I wonder who will find these Blackberries! We have various bits of bramble around the perimeter of the garden: we encourage it to grow and hope it will entice wildlife. 

 

A Minsmere Medley

7-spot Ladybird, a native species. I have logged it on the UK Ladybird Survey.

We spent a sunny afternoon at RSPB Minsmere on Saturday. We may not have seen many birds (and indeed we looked in vain for Bearded tits on this occasion), but there were some lovely insects out and about. Our visit gave me the chance to pick up a copy of the site leaflet (previous post) that contains my Minsmere soundbite.

A small Hoverfly

A Darter (?Common Darter) perching in the sunshine

Poisonous toadstool, Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)

Another Common Darter (?female)

Emerald Damselfly

Migrant Hawker Dragonfly

Close-up, showing yellow 'golf tee' mark on S2

A magnificent Fox Moth caterpillar

The windswept beach that adjoins the Minsmere reserve