More Botanising and Housing Question Solved

A few days ago I posted about Common broomrape, and mentioned that they are a complex group, so I thought I would get even more confused with this Oxtongue Broom Rape.

This is a rare plant in the UK, found mainly by the edge of chalk cliffs, and so it occurs at St Margaret's and Kingsdown. It has or used to have the scientific name Orobanche picridis but some botanist now think that it is the same as a species found in southern and central Europe called Orobanche artemisiae-campestris, but this isn't universally agreed.

This is a close up of the flower spike, I always find parasitic plants fascinating, as they lack of chlorophyll and hence any green colouration, and their leaves are vestigial because they have no need of them. As it didn't get properly light today and i took these in the rain, I had to use ASA1600 to get a long enough exposure to stop the movement due to the wind.so if they are not the greatest that's my excuse.

While I was walking along the bottom of the cliff, I heard a House Martin. This raises the question of where did House Martins nest before there were houses?

Here's the answer, under ledges and overhangs on cliffs. The cliffs between St Margaret's and Kingsdown still have a small colony, despite the fact that as a species it isn't doing very well in the UK.

I'm a sucker for Pyramidal Orchids, but as there were lots along the bottom of the cliff and this one had such a perfect shape, I couldn't resist another picture.

Spurge Hawkmoth

Every now and again something happens in my hobbies that make it all seem worthwhile. Counting all the Heat and Darts and Large Yellow Underwings in my moth traps may eventually add the our knowledge but finding something both spectacular, new and rare is what it really is all about. I leave my moth traps over night and check them in the morning, but last night I had a quick look before I went to bed at about 12.15 a.m.

The first thing I saw was a Hawkmoth that was new to me. I put it in a container and checked what it was and then popped it in the fridge. Insects, being cold blooded survive very well in a fridge, their metabolism slows down and they stay nice and quiet. The moth turned out to be a Spurge Hawkmoth, Hyles euphorbiae. They are quite common in southern Europe, but a rarity in the UK, Kent is one of the best counties, by virtue of its position. There were three reported in Kent between 1998 and 2003 (the latest report published) so they are quite scarce.

Sean Clancy has supplied me with this summary of its historic status in Kent:- "- there were singles at Dungeness in 1993 & 97, and one at Smeeth in 1981. Otherwise Chalmers-Hunt listed five records he regarded as reliable, most of single larvae, the most recent in 1937."

The caterpillars feed on members of the the euphorbia family (Spurges), particularly Sea Spurge, Euphorbia paralias and Cyprus Spurge, E. cyparissias, hence both the common and scientific names.

A few people are popping round the see it and then it will be released back into the wide world, but I'll have its picture as a reminder of what wonders the natural world can bring.

Holm Oaks

As you enter the village along Dover Road the Holm Oaks stands on the corner with Station Road. This Guest House always looks immaculate from the outside and I'm sure it is equally well kept inside. As a birder (birdwatcher) the most significant thing about this plot is the Holm Oak trees that house a substantial part of the village Rookery. The Holm Oak, Quercus ilex, is an evergreen tree so it is very difficult to know how many nests are in these trees. Originally a tree of the Mediterranean area they were introduced to the UK and thrive except in the coldest areas. The Rooks are joined by several pairs of Jackdaws and both frequently visit our garden.

Fragrant Orchid and friends

Steve Coates from Kingsdown has started a new blog, Kingsdowner which features some attractive natural history pictures, mainly from the Kingsdown area. One of his pictures was of a Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea) at Otty Bottom.

As I can get there on my bike, without pedalling after the first 50 yards, I thought I'd take a look. There were quite a few by the side of the road and despite the windy conditions, which is always a nuisance when taking flower pictures, I took a few photos.

This is a close up and shows the long, slender spur at the back of each flower. It isn't the most spectacular of our orchids but it has a sweet but slightly acidic fragrance that attracts pollinators. As the spur is long to reach the nectar the insect has to have a long proboscis, and include some butterflies and day flying moths, although night flying moths may be more important as the scent is stronger at night.

Six-spot Burnets (Zygaena filipendulae) is one of the day flying moths that might pollinate the Fragrant Orchids.

This battered individual has caused me an ID problem. When I saw it I decided it was a tatty female Common Blue butterfly. When I looked at the picture I thought I might be an equally tatty Brown Argus butterfly, but looking at it on the screen now I think I was right first time. Any expert lepidopterists out there who can give me an ID? By the way, I had to pedal up hill and into the wind all the way back!

Small Tortoiseshell

The Small Tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae, is one of the commonest of our summer butterflies. Individuals often hibernate in sheds and sometimes houses when warmth can bring them from their slumbers to fly around. These early wakers are very vulnerable to cold weather. Last year was a very bad year for Small Tortoiseshells and I saw very few in the garden, perhaps this year will be better. There was just one today, along with a few each of Red Admirals and Painted Ladies as well as the first Gatekeeper of the year. The male Small Tortoiseshell sets up a temporary territory where he waits for a female to come along so that they can produce the next generation. If one doesn't show up after an hour or so he will move on and try again at a new location. Once mated she will lay her eggs on young nettles, which is why I always try to find space for a few nettle plants in the garden. This is the fourth species of the family Nymphalidae that has been in the garden this year, after Red Admiral, Painted Lady, and Peacock and that leaves just the Comma to come. The other members of this family are more specialist in their choice of habitat and don't appear in my garden, although Kent is a stronghold for one, the Heath Fritillary.

Cliffe Lodge, Chapel Lane.

This corner of St Margaret's at Cliffe is one of the most attractive areas in the village. On the opposite side of the road to the Pond and "the Cottage" is the charming "Cliffe Lodge". I believe that the garden will be one of those open for the "Garden Safari". Not nearly as old as "the Cottage", Cliffe Loge dates back to the 1890's. I thought that the two perspectives would give an idea of the character of the road, but in addition it is easy to see that the local authority has badly neglected the up keep of the road surface. As a regular cyclist along this road I can say that it is dangerous.

The Cottage and Feeding the Ducks

This attractive cottage is called "The Cottage" and dates back to 1737, it is just beyond the village pond in Chapel Lane. A friend of mine lived there for a short while and I always was surprised how well he did, ducking through the low door ways, as he stood an impressive 6ft. 6 ins.

Looking back to the pond I noticed some activity as the ducks stirred themselves.

New to the village, Sadie and Sophie, under the maternal eye of Sam, are feeding bread to the now large ducklings on the pond. I hope they enjoy living here as much as I do.

Spain - Alcalá de los Gazules Elections update

You may remember the picture of the election candidate in de Alcalá de los Gazules when we were on holiday. Pam just found her election leaflet in our luggage and I looked up on the WEB how she got on. I know nothing of the politics but she only got 26 votes out of 3333 cast, that's 0.78%. If she'd used my picture instead of this one she might have got to 30 votes!

Peppered Moth Update

Having said that I hadn't caught the melanic form f. carbonaria form in St Margaret's, this turned up last night. It is a bit worn, moths do wear out quite quickly, so it doesn't have a lot of scales on its left wing tip, but there is no sign of any of the white scales that give the "peppered" affect that gives it its name. It does have two "headlights" but this is normal in this form. It's funny that it turned up so soon after I wrote about it, psychic moth?