With the return of the rains and the very warm October weather, it seems to have spurred on the toads in the Coombe Road area to move back to their winter hibernation areas. We have spotted ten squashed toads on Coombe Road in the last 2 days. Please keep a good look out if you are driving that way!
After a very wet summer there is a bumper crop of plump sloes ready to be picked. The blackberries are not so good this year, as last, probably due to the very wet July and August
Yes, it is that time of year when spiders are busy. It is their mating time, so you may see many more in and around your house and garden. With the cool misty mornings it is also a good time to see their cobwebs as they may be covered in dew.
The picture shows a baby bank vole that was found on the road near Coombe. It is one of the most abundant small rodents. It prefers dense cover such as bramble thickets. They leave their nests at around 18 days old.
Leopard or great grey slug Limax maximus. Leopard slugs are not regarded as a plant pests. Their preferred diet is fungi, dead plant or animal matter making it a useful species to have around. Easily recognisable with its leopard-like spots, the species can grow up to 16cm and is commonly found in parkland, woodland and gardens. This one was spotted in Hen Wood.
Due to the recent continual rain and heavy showers, the churchyard hay has been spoiled this year. It has been taken away to South Farm to rot down. The pictured volunteers disposed of it on Sunday afternoon. Hopefully we will have a better summer and consequently a usable hay crop next year. Though the hay, before it was cut, did attract a wide variety of butterflies and insects, so overall a success story.
The Bourne that flows out of the spring fed pond to the north of Duncombe Wood, and then flows north to the corner of Coombe Road near the village, is still running. It usually dries up for the summer months. The date varies every year, depending on rainfall. Last year it stopped running on 14 June. This year due to the excessive late spring and summer rainfall it may run right through the summer. What Read more…
Can you help with the Big Butterfly Count in 2021. Please go to the Big Butterfly Count website at https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org for more details.
The first silver-washed fritillary I have seen this year was spotted flying along one of the wide rides in Hen Wood today. It is one of the larger butterfly species in the UK. It needs fairly open woodland to thrive.
This white helleborine orchid (Cephalanthera damasonium) was spotted next to the main footpath, leading to Small Down, in Duncombe Wood. It is found mostly in beechwoods on chalk in this area. After seeding it can be eight years before it shows a stem, and up to another two to three years before it flowers.