12/8 - 21/8/10 - a 'catch-up' miscellany

12/8 - circa 140 Starlings congregating at the top of an electricity pylon south of Crayford Way and east of Crayford town centre.

13/8 - baby Common Lizard and several Dock Squash Bugs, Grasmere allotment site, Barnehurst

14/8 - after a 'subconcious glimpse' the other day, I confirmed that there was at least one, possibly two Caper Spurge (Euphorbia lathyris) trackside at the east end of Eltham's 'up' platform

Also this Treacle Mustard (my first identification / record of it) was near the junction of Ufford St and Boundary Row in Southwark (picture above)

The number of moths at the window of my home has been poor this year, but there was a Brimstone Moth tonight

15/8 - there was a 2" body length Common Toad on my compost heap at Grasmere allotments, and two Common Blue butterflies resting head downward in the grass stems by the pond there

16/8 - I was pleased to see that Catmint (Nepeta cataria) has hung on in an unpromising spot by the petrol station in Long Lane, Bexleyheath, with a strongly-flowering specimen (below) in evidence. I have raised a few plants from seed I collected here last year, but Thrip grazing has rather spoilt the appearance of the surface of the leaves of this and various other Labiates I'm growing.

An unusual denizen of a crack in the pavement was this Corn (Maize) plant (below) found outside a house in Chapel Road, Bexleyheath.

There was a Goats-beard in the grounds of St. Martin's church on Erith Rd, which looks like it will flower late after presumably having been mown down earlier in the season.

There was a Common Darter and a Speckled Wood along the south margin of Bursted Wood.

18/8 - several Common Frogs active in the back garden in this cooler weather. There was a Field Mouse in one of the compost bins.

20/8 - a party of Long-tailed Tits in the back garden Juniper.

I have checked some flowerheads of Prickly Lettuce - which is frequent in some places locally - for larvae of the Small Ranunculus Moth without success. Today I weeded a specimen out of a pot of Skullcap (it had grown up out of sight behind some horticultural fleece), and it was only after I'd pulled it up that I noticed a few small caterpillars around the buds, which appear to be of this species .....

The Butterfly Conservation website says this:

'Formerly a relatively common species in the south-east, it had become extinct by the early part of the 20th century. In the last few years, however, it has become re-established in a small area of Kent and Essex, around the Thames, where it is now frequently recorded, especially around allotments.The larvae feed on the flowers and seeds of various wild and cultivated lettuce (Lactuca spp.).'

In the evening I was doing some long-overdue work on my rather small and overgrown pond. 3 Robins got very friendly, two rather blotchy ones especially so, coming within a foot of my face as I leant down at one point. The third, with a proper red breast, was less bold. The blotchy birds I'd seen several times before, though I thought there was only one. In any case they seem far too trusing given the local feline presence, and one is already carrying an injury to its head.

11/5/10: River Cray / Thames Road Wetland

Another river clean-up bash today.

4 Chiffchaffs heard along By-way 105. A male Blackcap later seen by the Willow Carr here, and a Wren on the north bank of the river.

The crucifer Barbarea sp. (above) in flower here (and another by Footpath 106)


2 Caper Spurge (Euphorbia lathyris) in flower on the river bank by Footpath 106

Thames Road Wetland (TRW) looking north

TRW site species noted today included:

A pair of Dunnock
2 Coot and 2 young
Good (and first) views of Reed (or Sedge) Warbler here, amongst the Reedmace. Have got a sound recording which I need to run past an expert for a definitive ID .....
Harlequin Ladybird
Water Figwort
Lots of Slender Thistle
Bird's-foot Trefoil in flower
The poppy Papaver rhoeas (white sap)
Buck's-horn Plantain
Geranium rotundifolium
Weld seedlings

On the Sewer Embankment:

Lilac in flower
Vervain
Common Stork's-bill

and this Greater Celandine in flower .......

10/8/09: More North Heath alley action

From the three alleyways between Brook Street and Bexley Rd (London Borough of Bexley):

Painted Lady butterflies were seen 4 times, far enough apart that they probably represented at least 3 different individuals.

There were a number of Small Whites, feeding on Black Horehound flowers, and flitting around Wall Rocket.

A species of Dragonfly (probably one of the Hawkers) was seen, but wouldn't settle so I was unable to get an ID.

On the botanical front there were 3 Potato plants in various places, some 6 specimens of the related Black Nightshade, several Lesser Burdock, a group of 3 Sun Spurge and a number of Perennial Sow-thistles along the foot of a wall.

Another Composite I've got a grip on is Hawkweed Ox-tongue, pictured here:-



The Caper Spurge was now covered in seed pods, and has a touch of rust disease:-

26/7/09: Franks Park / more Belvedere botany

I'd not been in Franks Park before. Tree flora looked similar to nearby Lesnes Abbey Woods, including Sessile Oak. Ground flora included Hedge Woundwort, Germander Speedwell, Dogs Mercury and Enchanter's Nightshade.

A party of Long-tailed Tits kept themselves well hidden amongst the leaves.

On the houses side of Parkside Rd., adjacent to the wood, there were 12 Sun Spurge. A Japanese Honeysuckle had got into the mix by the gate opposite Halt Robin Lane, where there was also a lot of White Bryony.

I found one bent and buckled Caper Spurge in fruit on the wood margin between the ends of Ashburton and Gordon Roads.

11/7/09: Barnehurst allotments + Lewisham

Barnehurst: On the allotments, the pregnant Common Lizard, previously seen on the old tyre to the right of the steps from the main path, was now basking a few feet away on a tyre - re-positioned from further down the plot -to the left of the steps. She stayed put even while I spread some compost 18" away.

There were three small-sized Skippers flitting about around the top of the plot feeding on Lavender and Red Clover. Two were positively identified as Essex Skippers.

Two small Black Bindweed plants were noted, along with several Scarlet Pimpernel seedlings. A White Campion was in flower.

Bexleyheath railway line: Two Wild Carrot plants were in flower behind the Bexleyheath 'down' platform. Having caught a fleeting glimpse of what I thought were Caper Spurges (Euphorbia lathyris) on the low bank north of the line between Welling and Falconwood, I was able to concentrate harder today and got a positive ID - despite the speed of the train. There were about half a dozen plants close together, and another couple further along.

There was a large clump of non-native Chrysanthemum maximum in flower on the bank between Charlton junction and Blackheath station. I hadn't notice dthis before. (At least one of the two plants of this species that were behind the 'down' platform at Barnehurst is still there, though these might have been planted a long time ago).

Lewisham: In the Cornmill Gardens area by the River Ravensbourne were a couple of Goat's-rue (Galega officinalis). In a 'wild' zone at the foot of Hilly Fields, by Adelaide Avenue, there were, besides the usual Creeping and Spear Thistles, and Red and White Clovers, several clumps of Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), which I've previously only seen under cultivation in gardens. Ladywell Fields, to the east of Ladywell station, is taking on a more naturalistic aspect around a new, artificially re-created, meandering river channel - part of a scheme to free the river from the 'straight jacket' it had previously been put into.

See the London Rivers Action Plan:

http://www.therrc.co.uk/lrap.php