July in Bicknor Wood

The weather has still not made up its mind. Storms and floods, blue skies and wind. A note of caution; dead wood can soak up a lot of water and become very heavy. This makes it more likely to break off in  a high wind. Please exercise caution and be prudent about entering the wood if it is windy after the rain.

July has been a month of contrasts aside from the weather. The dark coolness under the leafy shade of the chestnut gives way to bright warmth in the clearings and grassy borders. Where the light touches, the paths become overgrown.

The various conservation bodies have been trying to heighten our awareness of the foundations of the ecological pyramid with insect related citizen science initiatives.

Green-veined White

The Big Butterfly Count is still ongoing and has been specially tailored to the height of Lepidoptera activity.

Gatekeeper

12 species were recorded to my knowledge; Large White, Small White, Speckled Wood, Small Skipper, Peacock, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Common Blue, Comma, Ringlet, Green-veined White. Orange-tipped Butterfly and Marbled White have also been seen in the wood, but were not recorded during the count. Our butterfly catalogue for Bicknor Wood to date is 14.

Speckled Wood

If anyone has submitted any results to the count, I will gladly include them, please send your results to redgannet@gmail.com If you have not yet submitted your observations, the count continues until Aug 8th.

Ruddy Darter

Dragonfly Week was organised by the British Dragonfly Society. Again, if anyone made any submissions please copy them to me at redgannet@gmail.com. The dragonfly list currently stands at 6 species, with a couple of unidentified fly-bys; Azure Damselfly, Brown Hawker, Migrant Hawker, Ruddy Darter, Broad-bodied Chaser and Banded Demoiselle.

Migrant Hawker

I am ashamed to have missed Bee Week but might still be in time for Radio 2's Big Bee Challenge.

Forest Cuckoo Bee

If you have missed any of these events, there is nothing to stop you using the literature and identification charts etc to have your own personal bee/butterfly/dragonfly fest. Go on, have a pollinator party!

Fox cubs have been seen playing in the camp clearing.

Great Tit chicks are still being seen with 4 recently fledged at the east end near the Bat Oak on 16th.

A recently fledged Song Thrush was seen on the 16th July and the Blackbirds are still feeding chicks as at 26th. Thrushes, including the Blackbird, will frequently have multiple broods while conditions are still favourable. By the end of July it is possible that they are on their third nest.

Watch out for Black Bryony weaving its way through the undergrowth. It is a climber festooned with green berries which will turn bright red as they ripen. 

Many of the spring flowers are now spent with just dry husks shedding seeds. Many of the early summer flowers are also past their best with seed spikes seen on Dogs' Mercury, Wood Sage and Wood Dock