Last week I showed Creeping Cinquefoil. This is its very close relative - Tormentil. Amazingly, I still have 3 species from this family to show in the near future.
As soon as the rain stops, the insects are back out cleaning themselves ready for their next flight. This is one of the Tenthredo sp. Sawflies. These are all strictly vegetarian as larvae and many are voracious predators as adults.
The wonderful, minute micromoth Glyphipterix simpliciella is one of the few to have a common name - Cocksfoot Moth. Its larvae live inside the stems of Cocksfoot grass and it is all of 4mm long. Check that on a ruler.
An amazing shot of a dead Holly leaf having been pierced in two places by the shoots of Horsetail, and being hoisted like a banner. The plant to the rear is Meadow Buttercup.
The end of a hoverfly. This spider had caught the fly and was in the process of beginning to wrap it up.
I have an expanding patch of purest white Bush Vetch in just one area. It appears to breed true from seed. I wonder when a sport like this becomes a (sub)species in its own right.
4 comments:
I find it all so very pretty just after the rain.
Oh, and nice to see your hedgerow residents on Tuesday night.
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Interesting looking horsetail with no branches - which one is it?
That white bush vetch is lovely - I wonder if it hybridises pale mauve, or only comes white? It seems to be a local sport - I've never seen pure white vetch of any kind anywhere else.
Gill,
The white appeared about 4 years ago and has spread. Normal purple is closeby, but there is no intermediate.
The Horsetail will be Marsh, given its location. Water Horsetail is about 20m away and Field with the hybrid xlitoralis is also closeby. All 4 within about 30m, I'd say.
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