Hogweed

Second week of Wimbledon.......of course its going to rain and rain very hard.  Thank goodness too, as the ground is so so hard.  It must be very difficult for ground grubbing birds and animals looking for worms.  It  will take a very persistent period of rain to penetrate further than a centimeter below the dry surface.

Solitary Wasp

The skies are  mostly empty and silent  as all the birds hunker down for their annual moult in the outlying fields and woodland.  The garden feels so empty and lonely without their constant presence and busyness. 

The birds that we still see and hear such as Swifts, Swallows and House Martins are feeding mainly on the wing.  Their presence  felt as a fleeting momentary flash pass by in the corner of the eye.  When flying ants emerge from their underground nests later this month there will be a huge orgy by all migratory birds in preparation for the long flight back to their wintering grounds.

Cornflower annuals are most prominent in the fields and meadows this month. Including Corn Marigold, Corn Cockle, Cornflower, Corn Chamomile.

The taller more aggressive wildflowers are starting to appear in the meadows and along road verges, such as Hogweed, Giant Hogweed Rosebay Willowherb,  and Ragwort.



We are approaching  the peak time for butterfly and bee spotting as caterpillars emerge from their chrysalis and worker bees emerge from their nests.

This is the longest legged bee I have ever seen.

 

Sycamore trees can be observed heavily laden with whirligig seeds waiting to fall.  Whilst the Horse Chestnut trees are equally  burdened with the weight of  swelling conkers. Each season a different species seems to excel more than another and it appears  to be the turn of the sycamore.  The nut collectors such as Squirrels, Magpies, and Jays are going to have a very busy autumn.