Creams, yellows, purples, browns, and greys across the spectrum of Fungi replaces flora on the ground; we have seen many Sulphur Tufts on fallen trees or branches and Parasols on grassy banks.
Clusters of the fluffy seed heads of Honeysuckle, or the alternatively named Old Man’s Beard can be seen in hedgerows like balls of cotton wool caught in the branches. Bright splashes of the red berries Haws and Rosehips provide rich-pickings for birds and mammals. The sound of chirping crickets can still be heard on still warm evenings in hedgerows, these noisy insects lay their eggs in autumn which will hatch in spring.
The screaming call of the Jay on the move has been frequently heard and, compared to previous years, more frequently seen in and around the village in their search for acorns and berries. We are still seeing Speckled Wood and Red Admiral butterflies flying on sunny days.
On Bindon and Hambury Tout we have seen many Fox Moth caterpillars.
These always fascinate groups of young school children as they watch them wriggle slowly across short sward in their tufted orange-brown ‘suits’.
We have chosen Ivy flowers this month with their tiny five-petals, greenish-yellow in colour. Insects nectar obsessively on these; the Ivy Bee is completely dependent on ivy flowers, timing its entire life cycle around ivy flowering.
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