9/6/10: Lovely Legumes congregate on Crayford Rough

On my first visit to this site (22/5/10) I had garnered my first ever record of the Yellow Vetchling (Lathyrus aphaca) - though didn't mention it in that post. I knew straight away what this highly distinctive and uncommon plant was from illustrations in books, having been keen to see it for some time.

Today the Yellow Vetchling was in flower, along with an array of other Legumes - fabulous stands of Tufted Vetch of superb colour, Meadow Vetching, Bird's-foot Trefoil, Lesser Trefoil, White Clover, Red Clover and Hairy Tare - and a worthy subject to top this Crayford Rough picture parade.

Yellow Vetchling in flower

Meadow Vetchling in flower



A patch of Tufted Vetch in flower

A closer view of the Tufted Vetch flower spikes, showing the beautiful bi-colouring of many of the plants here

A clump of Asparagus was a further record for the site.

Insects today included:
- a Latticed Heath moth
- the attractive little Burnet Companion moth, my first ever recording/identification of this species
- a male Banded Demoiselle away from the water
- a male Common Blue butterfly
- a Green-veined White butterfly

Birds noted were:
- a Grey Wagtail
- a male Whitethroat
- a Song Thrush

29/5/10: Lee Valley Park - Cheshunt for Cornmill Meadows

A London Natural History Society meeting, primarily for Odonata, starting out at Cheshunt railway station. The weather started out OK, but turned against us, though it did mean that later on the insects we did find stayed put while we got photographs.

Early on we got Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Azure as well as a Large Red-eyed Damselfly, the latter a new species for me.

Having only recently found Yellow Vetchling (Lathyrus aphaca) for the first time, I was pleased to come across a small amount at the outset of this walk.

This male Banded Demoiselle was one of several seen close to water

A Cetti's Warbler was heard. We found a Large Red Damselfly. Spindle, Wayfaring Tree and Guelder Rose have been planted as hedging ,

This male Hairy Dragonfly had been grounded on flowering Spindle by light rain

Tufted Vetch, Bush Vetch and Red Campion were amongst the plants seen

This Perennial Cornflower (Centaurea montana) was a 'garden escape', despite being some distance from any habitation. Several Agrimony were later found.

At the Cornmill Meadow area there was a female Hairy Dragonfly, a Pheasant, a Snipe, Shoveler, a Swallow and a Little Egret. I saw one of what appeared to be two Cuckoos.

A colourful red and black Froghopper on Horseradish was later identified as Cercopis vulnerata.

We tried to make up for the lack of Odonata action by trying to get pictures for identification of the two or maybe three species of Cranefly, but none would settle, despite the conditions.

A short-cut on a public footpath back towards Cheshunt in reality involved a long trek on a very narrow track through a field of wet Rape on horribly sticky clay soil.

Back at the various lakes 60-70 Swifts (more in the distance) and a few House Martins zoomed overhead. A Jay was later seen.