We’ve been away recently in Devon, and couldn’t resist the chance to investigate a new garden for wildlife, having rented a converted barn with accompanying garden. Much to our surprise this garden came with a small wild flower meadow, a remnant orchard and a second abandoned garden area. All surrounded by hedges and trees which we were allowed full access to. A full plant species list is given at the end of this write up along with a handful of photographs of some of our favourite species.
Not expecting such a treat, we hadn’t arrived with anything other than our copy of Britain’s Hoverflies, of which we found very few at all. As such we focused on a more easily recognisable order of insects, Lepidoptera and butterflies in particular. In total we recorded 12 (perhaps 13) species of butterfly, which considering this excluded some common species such as Speckled Wood, Comma, Small Whites, Green Veined Whites, Orange Tips and Peacocks we thought was doing ok.
The 12 or 13 (see note on Essex Skipper below) species recorded were. Small Tortoiseshell, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Essex Skipper? Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Large White, Marbled White, Gatekeeper, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral and Small Copper. Those species highlighted in bold are ones we have yet to record in our garden in Bristol and are pictured below.
Comparing the Small Skipper above with the specimen below, we feel the image below may be of an Essex Skipper. It doesn’t appear to have the orange/brown tip to the antennae which the Small Skipper clearly has. Instead it appeared to have a very dark tip to the antennae which is a distinguishing feature of this species. It is also lacking the chequered pattern on its wings which would otherwise suggest it was a Large Skipper. These features combined suggest this could well be an Essex Skipper, which is fairly common in the South and East of the Country.
It was clear that we could spend our entire holiday just searching for invertebrates within the meadow, so we decided to simply recorded the species that stood out. Below are some of the ones recorded that at the time of writing this note have not been recorded in our garden in Bristol…
We also recorded a few other species not yet recorded in our Bristol garden, but we were unable to get any photographs. Including the Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum). But perhaps the highlight of the whole week was finally seeing a Ruby-tailed Wasp which we had never seen before. Disappointed not to get a photograph but think of a wasp that mimics a neon-tetra tropical fish and you’ll probably be able to imagine it (or just google it).
And finally some of those meadow plants…
Full list of plant species recorded…
- Apple Trees
- Ash – Fraxinus excelsior
- Beech – Fagus sylvatica
- Hairy Bittercress – Cardamine hirsuta
- Black Knapweed – Centaurea nigra
- Blackthorn – Prunus spinosa
- Blue Crowned Passion Flower – Passiflora caerula
- Bramble – Rubus fruticosus
- Buddleia – Buddleja davidii
- Burdock – Arctium spp
- Cleavers – Galium aparine
- Cock’s-foot – Dactylus glomerata
- Common Bent – Agrostis capillaris
- Common Birdsfoot-trefoil – Lotus corniculatus
- Common Mouse Ear – Cerastium fontanum
- Common Nettle – Urtica dioica
- Creeping Cinquefoil – Potentilla reptans
- Creeping Thistle – Cirsium arvense
- Crested Dog’s-tail – Cynosurus cristatus
- Curled Dock – Rumex crispus
- Daisy – Bellis perennis
- Dotted Loosestrife – Lysimachia punctata
- Elder – Sambucus nigra
- English Oak – Quercus robur
- False Oat-grass – Arrhenatherum elatius
- Field Maple – Acer campestre
- Field Scabious – Knautia arvensis
- Fox & Cubs – Pilosella aurantiaca
- Garden Forget-me-not – Myosotis sylvatica
- Gooseberry – Ribes uva-crispa
- Hart’s-tongue Fern – Asplenium scolopendrium
- Hawk-bits – Leontodon spp
- Hawthorn – Crataegus monogyna
- Hazel – Corylus avellana
- Herb Robert – Geranium robertianium
- Hoary Plantain – Plantago media
- Hoary Willowherb – Epilobium parviflorum
- Hogweed – Heracleum sphondylium
- Honeysuckle – Lonicera spp
- Ivy – Hedera helix
- Lords & Ladies – Arum maculatum
- Meadow Buttercup – Ranunculus acris
- Meadow Vetchling – Lathyrus pratensis
- Oxeye Daisy – Leucanthemum vulgare
- Petty Spurge – Euphorbia peplus
- Pineapple Weed – Matricaria discoidea
- Red Clover – Trifolium pratense
- Red Dead Nettle – Lamium purpureum
- Red Valarian – Centranthus ruber
- Ribwort Plantain – Plantago lanceolata
- Roses – Various cultivars
- Perennial Ryegrass – Lolium perenne
- Scentless Mayweed – Tripleurospermum inodorum
- Selfheal – Prunella vulgaris
- Soft Shield Fern – Polystichum setiferum
- Smooth Hawksbeard – Crepis capillaris
- Square Stemmed Willowherb – Epilobium tetragonum
- Swamp Leather Flower – Clematis crispa
- Sweet Vernal-grass – Anthoxanthum odoratum
- Sycamore – Acer pseudoplatanus
- Tufted Vetch – Vicia cracca
- Wayfaring Tree – Viburnum lantana
- White Clover – Trifolium repens
- Yellow Rattle – Rhinanthus minor
- Yorkshire Fog – Holcus lanatus
DC – 31/07/2022
Wildlife Garden 