Yes, it is that time of year when the blackberries will soon be ready for picking. The bramble flower nectar is one of the main sources of food for the comma butterfly in the summer months. Blackberries should not be confused with dewberries which are ripe and in the hedgerows now. Dewberries are bigger than blackberries, have fewer segments and are covered in a bluish bloom.
An East Meon Nature member took this super picture of cinnabar moth caterpillars eating ragwort. The ragwort was sited on Hyden Hill, East Meon. After a very wet spring and early summer, ragwort is making Read more…
I found this early purple orchid next to a path near the Sustainability Centre. Spring is finally arriving.
As the wild flowers grow on the Pavilion stones, they are starting to attract various insect life. The attached picture shows seven spotted ladybirds making inroads into this area. Picture by Sigi Goolden.