Webb's Wainscot (Archanara sparganii)This species is on the wing in August and September. It is locally distributed around parts of the south coast and the coasts of East Anglia and south Wales, and can be found in fens, marshes and brackish ditches.The larvae feed in the stems of yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus), reed-mace (Typha spp. ) so I'm not sure how and why it got to my garden.
Autumn Lady's-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis)Autumn Lady's-tresses appear every autumn in many places around St Margaret's, but could be seen in may more. The unsympathetic mowing of lawns in late summer has contributed to the loss of this charming orchid from many of its former sites. It can remain for years in a non-flowering state, appearing in thousands if a site is left un-mown. The one above is in the lawn around the monument, they come up every year, and then every year, before they have finished flowering some one come along and for no good reason, the grass is quite short, mows the lot. I'm sure a beautiful piece of grassland full of this wonderful little Orchid are a far more fitting tribute to those remembered on the Monument than a neat and tidy regulation length bit of lawn. It would only need leaving for a couple more weeks.
A pair of Collared Doves added to my list of birds perched on straw bales.
When I got to the farm the Little Owl was perched on the middle of the roof of the barn. I saw him, but annoyingly he saw me at the same time and flew back into the depth of the trees behind. It took a quick shot before it went further back, but at 1/10 sec and 400mm it is a bit shaky.
1 comment:
Tony,
I saw a lady mowing her lawn in Kingsdown where there were about 150 spikes of tresses.
Now they have been shown to her, she's happy to leave them, but it was a close call.
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