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The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: Midsummer madness!

Beth Chatto Gardens, Britain's Wildlife, WildEssex, WildWivenhoe

It was the day before Midsummer for the June Wildside Walks, just coming up to the peak time for insect activity. But the weather may have different ideas – a couple of months with almost no rain are starting to parch the landscape and if this continues, it may be that the high summer peak is lesser than we would hope for, especially given the busy, buzzy days we have had recently.

But for now, the floral riches are ready and waiting…

Especially in hot weather much activity centres on the ponds, and here there were four species of damselfly…

…and a couple of dragonflies: Emperors, always on the go and typically impossible to photograph, and Four-spotted Chasers, real posers and justifying the four pictures here!

On the Lysimachia round the ponds, there was a sawfly larva with a distinctive black mark on its head. This turned out to be Monostegia abdominalis, the only sawfly that feeds on this genus: although probably overlooked and under-recorded, there appear to be no previous records from Essex on the NBN Atlas. Sawflies suffer from under-recording a lot, especially as there are few good identification resources. Take Iris Sawfly, all over our waterside irises this year and very obvious, that is shown from just three spots in Essex on the NBN Atlas, a wonderful resource but only as good as the data that are provided to it!

Of course some sawflies are rather better known, especially the larvae of Solomon’s-seal Sawflies that are making their mark on our plants (our badge of honour!). And right at the moment there is a huge emergence of what may be Turnip Sawfly adults although they don’t seem to be associated with their customary food plant family, Brassicaceae.

Butterflies are rarely numerous in the ‘June gap’, but their diversity is increasing slowly. A Painted Lady pointed to recent immigration, newly emerged Brimstones, Small Tortoiseshells and Commas were on the wing, while both Large and Small Skippers, Common Blues, Meadow Browns and Purple Hairstreaks set the scene for July.

True bugs included a showy Hawthorn Shieldbug, together with large numbers of the recently arrived species Closterotomus trivialis in both its colour forms. First found in the UK in London in 2009, by 2020 it had reached our garden.

A selection of the beetles on show included a fine, warningly coloured Wasp Beetle, many metallic green Thick-thighed Beetles and (rather less welcome) a Vine Weevil…  And it seems that ladybirds have been breeding well this summer, to judge from the number of larvae, including those of Harlequin and 14-spot Ladybirds.

There were a few Common Scorpionflies flittering among the leaves in search of insect prey…

… and plenty of hoverflies, waspy ones such as Syrphus ribesii and Eristalis arbustorum and less marked species like Xylota segnis and a Cheilosia.

Moving on to the Hymenoptera (bees, wasps and ants), of course Honeybees were everywhere. One has to wonder how many other bees there would be if what are essentially livestock were not taking such a large proportion of our flowers’ resources. But  one didn’t make it: it was only when I looked at the image later that I noticed it was covered in flies, and at third glance that it was dead in the jaws of a White Crab-spider.

It is wonderful to hear the buzz of bumblebees again after the Silent Summers of the last two years. As always, Buff-tailed and White-tailed were most numerous (but with many more of the latter than last year), while Early Bumblebee and Vestal Cuckoo-bee (a species that lays its eggs in other bees’ nests) were also performing.

Solitary bees too. Whereas bumblebees and Honeybees store collected pollen in the saddlebags on their hind legs, others use the hairs under their abdomen, like this leafcutter Megachile on Cistus, and the mason bees on white Galactites.

Mining bees are also very important pollinators, but very had to identify: the ones here may be Andrena minutula, bicolor and flavipes.

Solitary digger wasps didn’t want to be left out of the picture either. These generally feed insects, especially caterpillars, to their developing young, but the adults require nectar: Cerceris rybyensis and Ectemnius continuus were foraging from the nectar-glands of  Euphorbia.

Campanula latifolia was a particular focus of pollinator activity. I was photographing (probably) a Gwynne’s Mining-bee deep in the flowers, but again only on examining the photos on the computer did I realise that it had been photobombed by something even more interesting: a Campanula Carpenter Bee, a first for the garden, and only rather thinly scattered across the county.

And our bee hotels were simply buzzing with life! It was an absolute delight to be immersed in so many insects in every part of the Gardens.

Depending on the weather, this summer could go either way from here. If drought persists, the promise of early summer may fizzle out, but if rain comes (within reason) we could be in for a bumper few months. And there are certainly the flowers coming along to help support such an abundance:

The next couple of Wildside Walks are planned for 18th July. If you are interested in joining me, please book through these links – 11am and 12am. And if moths are something you would like to know more about, there’s our Moth Morning the following day…

Way out West 4/4: Newport (Gwent)…

Britain's Wildlife, Travel by Bus, Travel by Rail

Thence to Newport. Why? Well, we like old ports (redeveloped or otherwise) and had seen its sculptures and bridges from station in past. It felt tempting, and when it appeared in our ‘go to inspiration’ the Guardian series Where tourists seldom tread... there was no doubt we would follow. Not that we are antisocial or anything like that!

We turned up at the hotel, the Mercure, with ease. It is the tallest building in town, a tower block that it has to be said is a bit of a blot on the landscape. But it is modern, comfortable, the staff very helpful and the views spectacular. And the building is called the Chartist Tower, a name that intrigued us. So we looked into it and that shaped our second day…

But first the river and riverside walks. We took a long walk down the east bank and back on the west, with convenient bridging points, the outermost giving us views to the next crossing, the iconic and apparently still functioning transporter bridge.

The tidal River Usk has saltmarsh, mud and reeds; brownfield sites and greenspace; bridges and sculptures, a combination that is both familiar from home, and individually unique…

And of course there was plenty of wildlife interest: plants, both wild and cultivated; Sycamore leaf galls caused by the mite Aceria pseudoplatani; and a variety of insects including Lackey moth caterpillar, Green Shield-bug nymph, Tree Bumblebee, the micromoth Teleioides vulgella, and some caterpillars (as yet unidentified) munching away communally and contentedly on the underside of Sallow leaves.

Rain came overnight, but the awful forecast for the following day never quite materialised and when it was at its worst we were conveniently dry in a café, museum or pub! The excellent museum helped fill in some of our interest in the Chartists that had been piqued by the name of our hotel building. A call for real democracy, to include votes for all men irrespective of property status, secret ballots, payment for MPs to allow the working class the opportunity to serve and all the trappings of the democracy we now take for granted (apart of course from female suffrage).

And so recently: demands for social and political reform arising from the working classes. Worse still, the abuse of power by those in charge, seeking to keep power and privilege to themselves, a rising quashed by force, leaving more than twenty Chartists dead, and the leaders of the movement sentenced to be hung and quartered. Simply shocking that this should have happened only 120 years before we were born…

So next it was a bus ride out to Rogerstone to see the Chartists’ Memorial, a roadside mosaic, for ourselves:

And there were found ourselves serendipitously close to the Fourteen Locks flight of locks that runs down to Newport. On a branch of the Monmouth & Brecon Canal, built originally in the late 18th century to transport coal and ores from the South Wales mountains.

Long disused and derelict, although now partially restored, the locks with their balancing ponds tumbling down the hillside in a 50 metre fall over just 700 metres gave us a lovely walk, one of the unexpected highlights of our entire holiday.

There was so much to see, including Alder Leaf-beetles. After being extinct in the UK for several decades, this was rediscovered twenty years ago and has subsequently colonised most of England; Newport is currently at the very western edge of its range. The highlight for us though was an Enchanters’-nightshade Stiltbug, only the second time we have seen this insubstantial insect. The area between Newport and Bristol (where we saw our first) seems to be one of its UK strongholds.

There was also a Garden Chafer and a Grypocoris stysi plant bug that feeds mostly on White Bryony, together with lots of ferns and duckweeds, and everywhere (as throughout the whole holiday) Hemlock Water-dropwort.

All rather damp given the weather, but none more attractively so than the droplet-bedecked Large White caterpillars adorning the canalside.

And returning  this way on foot took us past our final, almost horrifying, delight. Newport’s other blot on the landscape is the monumental civic centre. Started in 1937, completed in 1964, ostensibly Art Deco in style, to us it radiated more of a Franco Fascist-era grain silo aura. Rather unfortunate that, but it is undeniably monumental!

By now it was late afternoon, just time for a good meal in the Wig & Pen, and back home by train. Another holiday completed with no public transport delays at all!! And a theme seems to be developing…that’s two Newports in three weeks, after the Isle of Wight one. 100% approval rating so far. Perhaps we should look to complete the set of 16 (according to Wikipedia)?….

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Previous blogs of this holiday:

Way out West 1/4: Gloucester… | Chris Gibson Wildlife

Way out West 2/4: Haverfordwest… | Chris Gibson Wildlife

Way out West 3/4: St Davids & Solva… | Chris Gibson Wildlife

Midsummer moths in the Beth Chatto Gardens

Beth Chatto Gardens, Britain's Wildlife, WildEssex, WildWivenhoe

Hopes were high for a bumper haul on the night before the solstice, with the nighttime temperature falling no lower than 19 degrees. And as we opened the trap it was clear that our group was in for a great time…

Everyone’s favourites of course are the hawkmoths. The colour was provided by fifteen Elephant Hawks and half a dozen Small Elephants, and the awe-inspiring size (and weight) by the single Privet Hawk. This took a liking to Jude, and a few seconds after she released it safely into a bush five metres away, it flew straight back, landed on her shorts, and stayed there for an hour. Must have known it was safe from an over-attentive Robin!

 

Cinnabars, Rosy Footmen and a couple of Brimstone Moths contributed to the wonderful kaleidoscope of colour …

… while Burnished Brass, Buff Tip and Buff Arches added metallic reflections, incredible camouflage and intricate designs.

And just a few others to show the huge range of colour and form, and their wonderful names: Peppered Moth, Clouded Border, Scorched Wing, Angle Shades, Treble Brown-spot, Small Waved Umber, Lackey, Beautiful Hook-tip and Common Emerald:

Apart from moths that normally live in the surrounding vegetation, it is also possible to catch species from afar whose migrations may bring them from far-flung corners of the continent. The L-album Wainscot and Delicate are both examples of moths that until recently were considered to be exclusively migrants to the British Isles, but may now have developed breeding populations. So whether the ones we caught were migrants or residents we shall never know.

Even smaller moths are interesting. Some of the smaller macromoths included Green Pug, Short-cloaked Moth and Festoon, the latter a scarce south-eastern species associated with ancient woodland and veteran trees.

Micromoths often slip under the radar because of their size, or are ignored because they are difficult or impossible to identify without killing them first, something we would never do. But some are as large or larger than the smaller macromoths, like the European Corn-borer, Archips podana and the aptly named Beautiful Chinamark. The latter is not only a new record for the garden, it is only thinly scattered through Essex and one of the few moth species whose caterpillars live underwater, feeding on our water plants.

Many micros though are smaller, and arguably less distinctive, though some like Argyresthia brockeella, only 5mm long, can only be described as spectacular. And then we get to the smallest of all, a minuscule 2.5mm long, the leaf-miners whose tiny caterpillars feed between the upper and lower surfaces of a leaf. There are many of them: this one is Ectoedemia subbimaculella whose larvae feed in oak leaves.

As well as moths, the trap also attracts other night-flying insects. These included water beetles and caddisflies, aquatic insects perhaps misinterpreting the light as moonglow reflecting of a pond, together with an Orange Ladybird, a mildew-feeding species that I had not previously found in the Gardens.

In total we recorded 100 species of moth (31 micros and 69 macros) with an estimated haul of  some 400 individual moths, the best such event we have run here in the past four years. The full list can be found at this link: bc-moths-june-25

All that and the chance to spend a little time taking in the beauty and tranquility of the garden before the gates are opened.

And never fear, after the group dispersed to enjoy the gardens’ delights more fully, we set about releasing the moths safely into vegetation, away from the attentions of a very inquisitive Robin, and another chance to spread the magic of moths among unsuspecting garden visitors!

If you are interested in joining one of these mornings, the next is on 19th July (booking at Marvellous Moth Morning – Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens) and keep an eye on the Beth Chatto website for future events next year.

 

#WildEssexWalks: Harwich and Landguard Point

Britain's Wildlife, Bug & Botany Walks, Travel by Rail, WildEssex

Phew! That was a hot one: midsummer, crystal blue skies, fierce sunlight, tempered only by a little welcome sea breeze by and on the water around Harwich and Felixstowe Dock. Our first port of call was Harwich Beach, an interesting area of low sand dunes, rich in specialised, often drought-tolerant plants.

The first small stretch of beach featured White Ramping-fumitory and Sea Beet, alongside fleshy Sea Sandwort, waxy-leaved Lyme Grass and tightly rolled but flowering Marram.

Moving around the corner to the larger beach, we were among Dittander (tasting of horseradish) and Rock Samphire (with more than a hint of diesel); Sea Holly and Sea Spurge; Red Valerian (in both red and pink forms) and Japanese Rose. The latter is hated by many, given that it can be invasive and overwhelming on sand, but this patch has barely  grown since I first saw it three decades ago. Bees love it, and so do I: the most intense rose scent you could ever imagine!

With views across to Landguard in Suffolk, shells on the beach were many and varied, including Portuguese Oysters, Common and Slipper Limpets, Periwinkles and Cockles. Then above the town Swifts were screaming, and on the grassy Mallow-covered banks, several Meadow Browns and a couple of Painted Ladies, probably newly emerged rather than newly arrived, given their pristine plumage.

Back through Harwich, past the many historical sites, and the geological display of ice-transported boulders dredged from the channel when it was last deepened; and also Jersey Cudweed, once an extreme rarity but now an expected colonist of block paving.

To Ha’penny Pier where most boarded the foot ferry to Felixstowe, a 15-minute crossing on flat calm seas, ideal opportunity to see the port and its shipping relatively close up. It is a remarkably complex bulk operation, but it does beg the question ‘how much of the stuff in those boxes do we actually need?’. Fast fashion has a lot to answer for…

A beach landing at Landguard led straight to the Viewpoint Café and a very pleasant lunch, before we headed out for another hour on foot around Landguard Point, taking a large loop around the perimeter of Landguard Fort, a strategic defensive establishment protecting the harbour over the past few centuries.

But for us it was the shingle flora that was the attraction, including Yellow Horned-poppy, Sea Kale and Viper’s-bugloss on the more bare shingle…

…Biting and White Stonecrops, along with Rest-harrow, in areas with greater vegetation cover (albeit heavily Rabbit-grazed)…

… and maritime scrub, incorporating Wild Privet (scenting the air alluringly and extravagantly), Tamarisk and Duke-of-Argyll’s Tea-tree, in flower and fruit.

Aside from the plants there were plenty of Linnets bouncing and twittering around the scrub, noisy packs of unruly teenage Starlings. Jude’s sharp eyes located the nemesis of some unfortunate caterpillar, covered in the eruptant pupae of a parasitic wasp, and in a final flourish, we found a Treble-bar moth, not surprisingly perhaps given the abundance of its St John’s-wort food plant on the peninsula.

And so it was back home once more on the ferry, and for most of us a very welcome drink in The Alma! This is likely to be our last WildEssex walk for a few months: thanks to those who have joined us today and earlier in the year. we went out on a high – and we WILL be back!

Way out West 3/4: St Davids & Solva…

Britain's Wildlife, Travel by Bus, Travel by Rail

Our day out from Haverfordwest by bus fortunately missed the rain bands that pushed through in the first part of the morning. First we were in our hotel, second we were on the bus and third we were in the St Davids Brunch House enjoying the very best meal of our whole break. This may have been open for only six months, but they certainly know what they are doing: worth heading way out west for!

Of course the main destination for our day was St Davids, and specifically the cathedral, although the Bishop’s Palace was also worth a peer from a distance.

The cathedral was lovely and welcoming, and told stories of the religious shaping of our islands. They are also trying to help shape the future, with Swift boxes and signage (and indeed we did see one), although the holy mowers out to strip the landscape of Daisies and Dandelions (noisily!) for the visiting hordes rather spoilt the message.

Inside, the ceilings were spectacular and the misericords entertaining…

… while the Welsh cake cream teas were simply delicious (I rarely photograph food, so these are the beautifully dappled surroundings!) and the secret garden a haven of quiet, light and colour.

We then took to the woods in search of bugs, and whenever we found a sunny corner sheltered from the cool breeze, there they were, all manner of flies, bugs, scorpion-flies, weevils and more…

 

Also fascinating was the fact that Navelwort was here growing on the woodland floor (not rocks and walls), and extending to 80cm in height, several times larger than the usual nutrient-starved examples elsewhere in full sunlight.

The local walls also of course also had a rich array of ferns, including Black Spleenwort, and lichens.

St Davids was lovely, if rather busy. Our next port of call, Solva, a small coastal village was similarly lovely to look at (although the sun had departed), and presumably similarly busy in the height of the season, to judge from the size of the car park. But not today: it was quiet and even the pub welcome was subdued. Or even absent. A typical ‘pub that doesn’t have to try’ because of its natural advantages in terms of location…

Still we had a (swift) drink and headed down the cove, among the rocks with maritime lichens and salt-spray-tolerant plants such as Thrift, English Stonecrop and Rock Sea-spurrey, with wind- and salt-sculpted scrub covering the slopes, lit up festooning Honeysuckle and spires of Foxglove.

And of course at least a few insects, including a Gelis ichneumon, with remarkably marked wings:

Then back to Haverfordwest on the last bus: every bus of the day was punctual, and with a day ticket for the T11 service between Haverfordwest and Fishguard, very good value allowing us to hop on and off at will. A great day out, with at least a hint of the westerly weather we had come prepared for!

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Other blogs of this holiday:

Way out West 1/4: Gloucester… | Chris Gibson Wildlife

Way out West 2/4: Haverfordwest… | Chris Gibson Wildlife

Way out West 4/4: Newport (Gwent)… | Chris Gibson Wildlife

The Wild Side of Essex: Hockley Woods

Britain's Wildlife, WildEssex

The largest contiguous ancient woodland block in East Anglia, Hockley Woods sit astride the ‘southern Essex Alps’, a ridge of London Clay capped with sands and gravels, and have become a traditional fixture for Naturetrek day walks at this time of year, searching especially for one of our rarest butterflies, the Heath Fritillary. This year, I spent a couple of hours the previous day there with friends and this blog is an amalgam of the two days.

I am always worried by this trip. Given the butterflies have a short flying season of only three weeks or so, and that they can start as early as mid-May and as late as mid-June, there is no date that can guarantee sightings. Having said that I have never failed, but this year’s warm, droughty spring has brought things on a little early, so the fritillaries were numerous, but perhaps a little past their peak emergence date.

A very hot and humid spell meant that insects in general were more flighty than sometimes, but the number of insects was very noticeable. From the constant hum of Honeybees visiting Bramble flowers to the mini-swarms of flittering, feeding and flirting wood sprites, bioabundance was a joy to witness, especially given the relative dearth of insect life over the past couple of summers. Nature can bounce back quickly when conditions are right!

One reason why this site is so important for Heath Fritillary is the abundance of its larval food plant Common Cow-wheat in the coppices and rides. But apart from this, there were relatively few other plants in flower, the spring flush having now faded. Hedge Woundwort, Bush Vetch, Slender St. John’s-wort and Wood Avens were just a few of the relatively sparse flowers used to demonstrate some of the more distinctive plant families.

Thank goodness for the Bramble! Lining every ride-side and filling every gap in the leaf canopy, Bramble flowers were bursting forth and feeding all manner of insects, with bumblebees and Honeybees, and hoverfly and longhorn-beetle mimics of the stingers:

There was also a scattering of Common Figworts, with their beautiful if sombre flowers, and most showing signs of the associated Figwort Weevil – adults, spherical cocoons, slug-like larvae, and the grazed leaves.

Large Wood Ants’ nests are a real feature of the wood: it is unwise to stand too still for too long! The ants are everywhere, heaving, hauling and searching, as well as tending and milking the blackfly colonies on many a dock shoot. And one of the specialities of this wood, Four-spotted Leaf-beetle, a myrmicophilous species, inhabiting the ants’ nests, and known in Essex only from one other wood apart from the Hockley complex.

Oak (two species, plus hybrids), Hornbeam and Sweet Chestnut form the bulk of the woodland cover, but there are plenty of other species, some characteristic of spring-lines (Wild Cherry and Aspen), others very much restricted to ancient woodland site (Wild Service-tree, Woodland Hawthorn). And some with their own specialist leaf-feeders and gall-causers.

Deeper in the shade of the trees, birds were singing, especially Stock Doves, Blackcaps, Wrens, Chiffchaffs and Robins, calling Treecreepers, Nuthatches and Buzzards, and noisy bands of fledgling Great, Blue and Long-tailed Tits. Following spring drought, there were few fungi in evidence, but blue-stained wood infected by Chlorociboria aeruginascens was still to be found.

At the other end of the light/shade spectrum, a walk along the woodland edge produced singing Skylarks over the arable fields. Ox-eye Daisies were flowering and Salsify fruiting in the field margins, here a trues sense of place looking down from the lofty heights, over Southend, and across the Thames to the North Downs.

A selection of other insects from the walks included the bugs Closterotomus trivialis (a relative newcomer to the UK, first found only 15 years ago), Bracken Planthopper (despite the abundance of its foodplant, only four other recorded sites in south Essex), Common Damsel-bug and Red-legged Shield-bug.

And much more!

Despite us being in the depths of the ‘June Gap’, there were a few other butterflies around, including small numbers of Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell and Meadow Brown…

… but it was the fantastic fritillaries that stole the show: the primary reason for our visit and the main memory we shall take away from it. Hats off to Rochford District Council for striking such a good balance between human recreation and nature!

Way out West 2/4: Haverfordwest…

Britain's Wildlife, Travel by Rail

And so we reached Haverfordwest, enticingly situated at the tidal limit of the Western Cleddau river, a point marked by a weir with associated fish-pass.

Bridges are naturally a feature of a town on the river, ranging from old stone ones (the historic lowest bridging points of the river) to more recent railway and pedestrian crossings.

Tidal waters mean both trade and power: trade in the form of former warehousing and wharfage, power in mills, or at least the mill races and leats that extend upstream. And it seems that the County Hall may have been built on or close to a former mill, to judge from various road names and the watercourse issuing from beneath the building.

Although completed  as recently as 1999, County Hall is really quite spectacular in its clean design of interconnected bastions.  What’s more, it is covered in Swift-boxes (with associated screamers). All credit to Pembrokeshire County Council, even though we didn’t actually see any Swifts in the airspace; however the meadow lawns around the building did have Southern Marsh Orchids!

Well provided with riverine walkways, we headed upstream where the still waters were producing squillions of mayflies, some of which were being snapped up by swooping Swallows and House Martins, or by fishes from below with an audible plop.

The dense vegetation harboured all sorts of interest, from beetles (Green Dock Beetles, both adults and larvae, were very numerous), to moths both large and small (Flame Shoulder and Woodland Sedge-moth, the latter according to the NBN found nowhere nearer than Llanelli) and galls (Dasineura ulmaria on Meadowsweet):

And then downstream, again very green, but interesting also where the river walls have ferns like Maidenhair Spleenwort, and an abundance of tenacious Alder and Buddleia saplings sprouting from the cracks. Even this far on the fringes of the nation, the leaves of the latter show signs of infection by the newly arrived Melon-Cotton Aphid, and they were also being eaten by Mullein Moth caterpillars. While this a known food plant for this moth, we have never seen it using it before. There were also lots of Two-spot Ladybirds and an Oncopsis planthopper, as well as an array of caddisflies, reflecting the high water quality: here are the Welshman’s Button and Black Silverhorn.

 

At the edge of town, we had a look round the tumbledown Haverfordwest Priory, dating back to around the start of the 13th Century, and featuring what is claimed to be the only surviving ecclesiastical medieval garden in Britain, replanted to resemble its look and fragrance in those times. Nearby wall-tops were covered in blankets of Mouse-eared Hawkweed, showing well the shagginess and stoloniferous habit.

Thence to the Priory Saltings nature reserve, the lower sections of which are tidal reedbeds. Along with masses of Hemlock Water-dropwort: we saw this plant everywhere we went during the holiday. But only here was it being demolished by the larvae of the micromoth Depressaria daucella (Water-dropwort Brown), and as-yet-unidentified spindle-shaped galls in the primary umbel spokes.

Other wetland plants in flower included Ragged Robin, Brooklime and Celery-leaved Buttercup.

The higher, drier areas had a mixture of scrub and species-rich grassland…

… which of course provided good insect habitat, including the micromoth Pammene aurana, not recorded on the NBN any nearer than Carmarthen.

The higher parts of the town have some lovely narrow, historic streets…

… along with several churches on some of the highest points. Best of all, now a private residence, was St Thomas A Becket, immersed in a churchyard of managed wilderness.

One final high point is the site of the ruined castle, with no public access apart from the southern slopes that bring wild flowers and insects into the heart of the town.

Haverfordwest was a great base for a couple of nights, in the comfortable, friendly County Hotel, very convenient for the station. And plenty of places to eat, best of which was the extremely welcoming Bristol Trader pub.

It is also, without any hint of a slight, a great place to get out of: the gateway to even more far-flung lands using the remarkably efficient bus service, as we will see in the next blog….

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Other blogs of this holiday:

Way out West 1/4: Gloucester… | Chris Gibson Wildlife

Way out West 3/4: St Davids & Solva… | Chris Gibson Wildlife

Way out West 4/4: Newport (Gwent)… | Chris Gibson Wildlife

Way out West 1/4: Gloucester…

Britain's Wildlife, Travel by Rail

For our June short break, it was off to South Wales by train. As we headed out we travelled through an intense band of rain, fortunately not a portent of the days to come, and we kept completely dry – the benefits of train travel!

On the way there, Gloucester proved an ideal stopping-off point. We visited Gloucester as recently as last April, but felt there was unfinished business for us, especially missing out on the chance to stay in the New Inn, a remarkably historic, galleried pilgrims inn, all timber and wonky floors. History permeates the building: it was here in 1553 that Lady Jane Grey received the news that she had been made Queen, and so was sealed her untimely fate. But we did wonder for how much longer it will be possible to feel that history. Under new management, it feels down at heel and in need of substantial investment, but it was worth spending a night there for the aura, even if Lady Jane failed to appear for us…!

While in Gloucester of course we didn’t neglect the rest of the city, and an afternoon potter around saw us lifting our eyes above the modern shopfronts, to see the remnant history that has survived the bombs and planners of the 20th century:

Pre-eminent amongst this is of course the Cathedral. No time in our schedule to go inside (we explored it fully last time), but the surrounding cathedral quarter was really doing its bit for wildlife, the plantings (including globe-thistles and scabious) attracting all manner of bumblebees, Honeybees and other pollinators, even in overcast conditions.

Last time we loved the docks, and this year was no exception. Redevelopment from their original use has retained many of the attractive dockside buildings, all with a liberal sprinkling of Herring and Lesser Back-backed Gulls. Indeed the entire city has become a very significant year-round breeding and feeding location for these birds which in the ‘wider countryside’ are rather struggling from habitat loss, disturbance and climate change affecting natural food supplies.

And around the docksides, a plant that was to become very familiar as our holiday continued, Hemlock Water-dropwort, seemingly to be found in every damp area of the region, especially in proximity to the coast.

Next morning though it was time to move on, into south Wales. What a lovely rail journey, first along the western shores of the Severn Estuary…

… thence through Newport, seeing the sights that would become very familiar to us in a few days’ time…

… and to the coastal landscapes of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, to Haverfordwest, almost as far as the train tracks run.

But this was merely a prelude to the main part of the trip, to be covered in three subsequent blogs…

Way out West 2/4: Haverfordwest… | Chris Gibson Wildlife

Way out West 3/4: St Davids & Solva… | Chris Gibson Wildlife

Way out West 4/4: Newport (Gwent)… | Chris Gibson Wildlife

Warley Place: a nature reserve like no other

Britain's Wildlife, WildEssex

During a full career working in nature conservation in Essex, I was privileged to visit most of  the best (and worst!) bits of the county multiple times. But there is one nature reserve I managed to get to only once, Warley Place, near Brentwood. I was there maybe 30 years ago, specifically to see the drifts of Wild Daffodils.

But at the end of April, the prospect of a radio interview took me back to Brentwood. And so I leapt at the chance to see Warley Place once gain, albeit in rather dull and cool conditions.

The daffodils were all but over, but botanically it was just lovely. Not surprising, given the history of the site as the former home and garden of the noted Victorian plantswoman, Ellen Wilmott.

 

From an early age Miss Wilmott set about transforming the garden, introducing traditional features such as hothouse and a walled garden, as well as more ambitious land-shaping like the Alpine gorge, created on a natural slope with r‏ocks imported from Yorkshire.

Ellen died in 1934, almost penniless as she had spent her inherited wealth on creating and maintaining this and other gardens.  Over the 20th century the house and garden fell into disrepair; it was taken over by the Essex Wildlife Trust in 1977, and since then the garden has been managed for wildlife.

Much of the decaying building and hard landscaping remain, as do probably some of the original plantings, though sadly not Ellen’s treasured filmy ferns for which she provided a specially constructed cave.

But it is nature rewinding itself, covering the scars of the last century that left a lasting impression on me. Along of course with the sheets of Bluebell and Wild Garlic, the views over to central London, and the peace and quiet, apart from birdsong. And sadly, the intrusive road traffic noise …

A curse of our times, though who am I to judge? I drove there, and then through Brentwood High Street (a revelation to me which made me think we should pay a visit some time) and to the Phoenix FM studio. The interview is linked below for any who want to listen, about me, my life and career, my work with Beth Chatto Gardens, my new book and my involvement with the campaign to save Wivenhoe Old King George Oak. The interview begins around 25 minutes into the show…

Earth Day Special! INTERVIEW: Dr Chris Gibson

Late Spring on the Isle of Wight

Britain's Wildlife, Travel by Bus, Travel by Rail

A lovely smooth hovercraft crossing on a warm, sunny day brought us to Ryde by early afternoon, and the start of our four-night break in the Isle of Wight, an island I have never visited before. Be aware this is quite a long blog, with more than a hundred photos: we packed in quite a lot!

As with so many seaside towns, Ryde is a place of faded glories. Around the town there are many fine buildings, signs of former wealth, though many have seen better days. Take the former Royal York Hotel…an art deco marvel when it was built no doubt, still intact but now wasting away…

The pier and seafront had the usual facilities, including our comfortable Ryde Castle hotel, and a restaurant, Fumo33, where we had the best meal of our holiday.

And of course the views, across the Solent to Portsmouth and the ever-present interest of vessels moving along and across the channel, and weather approaching.

In terms of wildlife, there were lichens everywhere, on unpolluted bark, salt-splashed timbers and gull perching posts…

Around the town, Swifts screamed overhead, Holly Blues and Red Admirals were active in the sunlight and the walls were clothed in Red Valerian, Mexican Fleabane, Wall-rue and both Adria and Trailing Bellflowers, with figworts habouring Figwort Weevils.

After overnight rain, we headed by train for a day in Shanklin. The forecast of heavy rain proved pessimistic, but the sun was largely missing as we explored, again a run-down town but this one with a chocolate box thatched old village tacked unconformably on one side.

From here we walked around Shanklin Chine, although only skirting the gorge…on such a gloomy day it would have been doubly gloomy in the depths of the abyss.

Rylstone Gardens gave us the chance to find a few soggy insects, galls and flowers, and views along the coast from the cliff-edge. The Zigzag Elm Sawfly is interesting as the National Biodiversity Network Atlas shows it at only 3 locations on the island, all at the diametrically opposite side from Shanklin.

 

And then after taking refuge from a heavy shower in the Village Inn, we headed down to the shore. Beyond the promenade, the cliff slopes had Great Horsetail, Hemlock Water-dropwort and Sea Radish, the latter being demolished by Large White caterpillars.

And then back along the prom, looking towards the chalk cliffs of Culver Down, with Fulmars flying by, a pristine pair of Mediterranean Gulls on the beach and a Painted Lady on the Seaside Daisy flowers.

 

Next day, the sun returned and we were off to Ventnor for the second half of our stay, this time using the island’s remarkably efficient bus service. Our destination was Ventnor, which certainly felt a more appealing place than anywhere else we had been. That impression grew immeasurably while sitting in the tiny Spring Hill Garden: a Glanville Fritillary flitted around us, and sunned itself on the paths. We had hoped to see this speciality of the southern slopes of the Isle of Wight, but never expected to in the middle of town!

Ventnor Park was the next stop, for lunch and a wander along the stream, with Azure and Large Red Damselflies, Water Crickets and plants telling us we were in a climatically favoured part of the world.

Then at last the final stroll to our main reason for visiting the island (conceived when we visited the Hillier Garden in Romsey last July, another garden created and bequeathed by Sir Harold Hillier): Ventnor Botanic Garden, set in the most privileged of places, at the foot of a steep slope, facing south in the southernmost part of the island, billed as Britain’s Hottest Garden.

The plants were magnificent, from forests of Giant Viper’s Bugloss buzzing with bees to Cabbage Palms, their flowers scenting the air extravagantly.

 

There were amazing floral and foliar sights and scents at every turn:

  

But not just plants from afar – there were Ivy Broomrapes in Ivy-filled borders and Yellow Flags around the ponds, to name just two:

The environmental ethos of the garden feels exemplary, plants to match the conditions, not overly concerned with tidiness, and with many demonstrations of a holistic approach to garden sustainability.

The wildlife seemed to love it too, with all manner of bees and other insects visiting the flowers, oblivious to the far distant origins of most.

 

Galls always fascinate us and included Aculops fuchsiae (mite gall on Fuchsia), Plagiotrochus quercusilicis(wasp gall on Evergreen Oak) and Taphrina caerulescens (fungus gall on Red Oak). We first saw the latter in Dulwich a couple of weeks ago; according to the NBN Atlas it is not known from the Isle of Wight.

A Grey Heron was a regular visitor to the ornamental pond, where it fished alongside the resident Red-eared Slider terrapins.

And two of the specialities: Red Squirrels on their island refuge away from the threat of Greys,  and Common Wall Lizards, not native to Britain but reputedly washed ashore from a shipwreck and now well established.

 

And we had the pleasure of two nights staying in Smugglers’ Lodge, within the garden, one of the buildings remaining from the garden’s previous incarnation as a hospital.

Even around the lodge there were Wall Lizards along with Ivy Broomrapes and vast lines of ants. But not just any ant: apparently these are Tapinoma ibericum, native to southern Spain and Portugal. First found around a decade ago, it is assumed they were accidentally brought into the garden, transported on the root balls of plants. This represents the only known established population outside its native range. And interestingly, the species is used  there as a biological control of unwanted agricultural ‘pests’ – perhaps it plays a similar role here?

Staying in the garden gave us the opportunity to experience the surroundings, solitude, scentscape and birdsong, at times when there was virtually no-one else there. That’s what we went hoping for. Sadly, ’twas not to be. On our single full day there, after a glorious hour savoring the scents and the silence (save for birdsong) a groundsman with a leaf-blower started up at 07.45 and continued unabated until lunchtime, until we were forced off site by the aural intrusion. Was this really necessary? And was a petrol-driven blower really the only answer, given the gardens’ otherwise exemplary environmental ethos?

So it was not perfect, although we really wanted it to be. And while being picky, I should also say that as a botanical professional, I think the name ‘Botanic Garden’ is a misnomer. A real botanic garden, for me, should have an overtly educational mission, and this should include comprehensive and accurate labelling of the undeniably exciting forms. Sadly this was not the case, and it felt more like a municipal park with special plants than a real botanic garden.

Anyway, as always we made the most of adversity, and when forced out of the garden by the racket, we walked down to the neighbouring Steephill Cove. One of the highlights of our holiday, it had sea views and soundtrack, interesting insects including more Glanville Fritillaries, Common Blues and Iris Weevils (on Ox-eye Daisy!).

And from the Crab Shed, absolutely delicious crab pasty, salmon pasty and mackerel baguette. This was a perfect lunch in a perfect place, away from the annoyances of that which should have been perfect.

From there it was a short walk back along the coast path, the more natural vegetation of the cliff top (apart from the Hop plantation) a contrast to the garden. I was briefly stopped in my tracks by a broomrape that I hoped might prove to be a new site for the exceedingly rare Oxtongue Broomrape, found in a couple of spots elsewhere on the island. But eventually it proved to be a somewhat anomalous form of Ivy Broomrape, albeit a couple of metres away from any aerial Ivy. The roots do travel!

Our final morning dawned damp, dull and breezy so after a lovely breakfast in the botanic garden cafe, we headed straight out by bus to Newport. The county town of the island, one thing that distinguishes this from the other towns we visited was it has a bypass, and so the interior is not plagued by cars. Indeed, it also had a vibrant, arts feel, with the Quay Arts Gallery, a fine Minster and lots of interesting buildings. Plus the Bargeman’s Rest pub where we had an excellent lunch and a pint. So taken were we that if we ever return to explore the western half of the island, we will make Newport our base and travel out each day by bus.

All to soon it was time to head back to Ryde for the return hovercraft crossing. And here another word of warning: if you book rail and crossing together through a third party, like Trainline as we did, a booking doesn’t constitute a booking. To ensure your place on a specific crossing you need to book it additionally with Hovertravel. At no time in the booking process, nor on the outward journey were we told this. Indeed they shouldn’t have taken our money without a firm booking: that is simply deceitful, taking money under false pretences.

Of course we complained, but predictably the parties who replied blamed each other.  Hovertravel blamed Trainline, Trainline blamed everyone else, and South Western Railways haven’t yet replied. In reality of course, all are to blame for failing to be grown up and talk to each other and develop a fully integrated booking system, or at least to communicate effectively.  In this day and age, that is unforgiveable, especially as we had onward, timed rail bookings; not to have made the connections could have cost us a lot of money. But fortunately the helpful check-in man from Hovertravel just managed to get us on the intended sailing, but only due to a couple of last minute no shows.

 

 

Eleanor’s best photos – Meanwhile Garden & Wivenhoe

Britain's Wildlife, Eleanor's photos, Travel by Rail, WildEssex, WildWivenhoe

It’s been another lovely couple of days with Granny and Papa. We went on the train to Colchester to find bugs and other creatures in the Meanwhile Garden. There were big caterpillars and lots of bees and beetles in the flowers.

In Wivenhoe I took some pictures of insects on Hollyhocks and Daisy, and other flowers and leaves.

 

And my favourite Poppies…every year I love looking at these. Papa loves the picture at the bottom so much that he wishes he had taken it! I hope you love it too!

Therfield Heath & Hayley Wood

Britain's Wildlife

On the hottest day of the early May heatwave, I had a speaking engagement in Bourn, just west of Cambridge. And so I took the opportunity to visit a couple of the noted wildlife sites in the area…

Just over the border into Hertfordshire on the final slopes of the Chilterns is Therfield Heath. Renowned as one of the best UK sites for Pasqueflower, sadly I was a couple of weeks after the flowering peak, but it was still spectacular, the purple Pasques mingled with yellow Cowslips and blue Common Milkwort flowers, and harbouring several adult Cinnabar moths.

 

In the beechwood, the lime-green fresh leaves, newly emerged, already cast shade on the woodland floor, where many White Helleborines were just showing colour in the expanding flower buds (about two weeks too early for this one!).  But Sanicle was in full flower…

And then it was to Hayley Wood, made famous by Oliver Rackham, only the second time I have visited.

Actively coppiced, the ground flora is spectacular, with Greater Stitchwort, Yellow Archangel, Lesser Celandine, Bluebell and Bugle, together with Oxlips, again past their best, but always a delight and a real eco-geographic speciality of the claylands of the area of Cambridgeshire, Essex and Suffolk.

Quite a damp wood, sedges make up a good proportion of the rideside vegetation, with Wood Sedge and Lady’s Smock especially just bursting into flower, and in the shady interior, Woodland Hawthorn was blooming well.

Ash dieback has taken its toll on the wood, but dead wood becomes a resource, and King Alfred’s Cakes were sprouting everywhere.

Insects included click-beetles, scorpion-flies and munching Mottled Umber moth caterpillars…

… while singing Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps, with a single vocal Nightingale completed a lovely walk. Maybe it won’t be another 30 years before I return!