Monsters in my new pond

There be monsters about in Somerset.
Just 60 days since we filled our new garden pond with fresh rain water and I've just noticed something stirring in the silt lying on a shelf in the pond. We have only a couple of flowering plants and some floating oxyginating plants some water boatmen and black beetles and not much else. Or so I thought.
Having tried my hand at pond dipping for the first time I managed to collect an odd looking monster, very hairy and quite scary looking for anyone who doesn't like spiders for instance.
So using my friends in the Wildlife Trust and getting the best photo I could manage I have been informed that I have a dragonfly nymph, probably the Broad-bodied Chaser variety.
To back up my discovery here is my photograph.

Barcroft Hall, Somerset

This is a large private estate in Somerset which has attracted quite a bit of media coverage lately because the owner has created a 2 acre wild flower meadow out of old derelict farm land over the last two years or so. Abandoned buildings have been removed and the land worked on to make it suitable for planting wildflower seeds. This summer and up to the end of August visitors are invited to walk round the field on pathways kept for the purpose to admire this remarkable collection.

I visited last weekend and was surprised to see so many plants still in flower and more so the range of plants. There are some non native plants.
As a visual spectacle it certainly has the wow factor in big measure.

I recommend you visit before it is all over for this year.

Click here for a link. If that doesn't work use this URL:     http://barcrofthall.co.uk

This is the first year for this project and next year may be different and without in any way detracting from this achievement there may be ways in which it can be made even more interesting and wildlife friendly. I should add the conservationist have a wide rang of views on what they consider good practice so my views may not be the only way to go. I think you have to see it for yourself and then we can comment. Bearing in mind that if it wasn't for the private owner there would not be anything except derelict farm buildings to comment on.

For your interest here is a list of some of the flower growing on the field but not necessarily in flower for your visit in August:

Details taken from the Barcroft web site  ( any errors in transcribing the list especially in spelling will be mine!)




Ammobium alatum    Winged everlasting


Brachyscome iberidifolia   Swan River daisy


Calendula arvensis    Calendula


Chrysanthemum carinatum   Chrysanthemum


Cladanthus arabicus   Palm Springs daisy


Clarkia amoena     Farewell to spring


Collinsia bicolor    Chinese houses


Consolida regalis   Forking larkspur


Convolvulus tricolor  Morning glory


Coreopsis basalis      Golden Mane


Coreopsis tinctoria    Plains Coreopsis


Cosmos bipinnatus      Cosmos


Cosmos sulphureus      Sulphur Cosmos


Cynoglossum amabile    Chinese forgrt-me-not


Daucus carota          Wild carrot


Delphinium ajacis      Wild dephinium


Didiscus caerulea      Silver scabious


Echium vulgare         Viper’s bugloss


Eschscholtzia californica    Californian poppy


Gaillardia aristata     Blanket Flower


Gaillardia pulchella    Indian blanket



Gilia capitata       Blue field gilia


Gilia tricolor       Birds eye gilia


Gypsophila muralis     Baby’s breath


Helichrysum monstrosum    Dwarf everlasting flower


Helipterum roseum       Paper flower


Iberis amara         Dwarf candytuft


Iberis umbellata       Candytuft


Delphinium consolida     Larkspur


Lasthenia Californica     California goldfields


Lavatera Trimestris     Rose mallow


Leontodon hispidus      Rough hawkbit


Linaria maroccana      Spurred snapdragon



Linum grandiflorum     Scarlet flax


Linum usitatissimum     Blue flax


Lomas inodora         Yellow ageratum


Nemophila menziesii    Baby blue eyes


Origanum majorana      Origano


Nolana paradoxa        Wild bird


Papaver rhoeas        Poppy


Phacelia Campanularia   Californian bluebell


Phacelia Tanacetifolia   Lacy phacelia


Ratibida columnifera     Prairie coneflowers


Scabiosa columbaria      Scabious


Silene vulgaris      Catchfly



Tolpis barbata      Umbrella milkwort


Ursinia anethoides     Ursinia


Venidium fastuosum    Cape daisy


Viscaria occulta     Blue angel


Agrostemma githago    Corncockle


Chrysanthemum segetum  Corn marigold


Xeranthemum annuum    Everlasting flower


Zinnia elegans     Zinnia


Anthemis Arvensis    Corn Chamomile


Ammi majus      Queen Anne’s lace


Centaurea cyanus    Cornflower


Clarkia unguiculata    Mountain Garland

Bats

One of the posts on this Blog which attracts the most searches is any reference to bats.
Not being a bat expert I usually visit the Somerset Bat Group web site or contact its members.
We recently arranged to go on a walk to inspect bat boxes and attempt to identify the species found flying by using detectors.

As well as learning a little more about bats I was surprised to find out that bat detector devices are used to search for grass hoppers and crickets!

Their web site gives details of their walks and events and has a photo gallery.

Their home page is at this link. Click here. 

Their photo gallery is here. 

One of the items on my " to do " list is to arrange a bat survey around our meadow and hedges. I also need to organise a moth count as well.

Hope this helps.

This is one animal I don't get to photograph!

The Natural Choice. HM Goverment White Paper

Looking for a reaction from the Wild Life Trusts about this new legislation I found these videos on the subject.
If my photograph appears on top of the clip its just a layout problem I must sort out but dont let it put you off!
The Wildlife Trusts also make the following comments:

The Natural Environment White Paper - what happens next?

The much anticipated Natural Environment White Paper has been published. This marks the culmination of effort, pressure and engagement from The Wildlife Trusts and its members on Government to recognise the need to make the natural environment a priority. However, this pivotal moment just marks the first step of the journey on nature’s road to recovery.
In the build up to the 2010 General Election, The Wildlife Trusts called for a White Paper on the Natural Environment to identify the policy changes needed for nature’s recovery. We were delighted when the Coalition Government committed to produce a White Paper. A consultation over the summer 2010 resulted in Defra receiving more than 15,000 responses - the most a Government White Paper has ever received!
The Wildlife Trusts’ members were fundamental in demonstrating to the Government just how much people value their natural environment and that nature is worth protecting and restoring. Thank you for your engagement so far – it has made all the difference.
The Wildlife Trusts have pushed for Government to take leadership and to establish a framework to enable people and communities to value, and take action for, wildlife. We want to see the recovery and restoration of the natural environment happening everywhere in the UK.
We now need to keep up the pressure on Government to ensure they meet their commitments set out within the White Paper. Please continue to support The Wildlife Trusts at this exciting time, not only for wildlife and the natural environment but for each and every one of us, as we embark on nature’s road to recovery.

Apologies for absence

Here are a few photographs from John Bebbington which show why I find wildlife so fascinating. We have to take three days off this week for family reasons and its never convenient because of the never ending work to help the fight for wildlife conservation.
I have had to miss a regular meeting of our "Private and Community Nature Reserve Network" committee which was set up some years ago to help individuals and community groups with advice and information about the management of small areas of land. These sites are defined as not intensively farmed land and not a garden. They vary from less than an acre to tens of acres of woodland. In case your wondering , an acre is 4046.86 square metres.
On Wednesday there is a " Living Seas " conference organised by the Wildlife Trust. All the counties in the South West of England have a coast line and are involved in the campaigning to protect our coastal waters. This session should give some direction to work by all the involved groups in the south west. I will read reports of the proceedings with interest.
Our local Area Group of the Somerset Wildlife Trust had its last organised walk in a woodland local reserve last Sunday in slightly gloomy weather. The variety of flowering plants was the highlight in the circumstances.
Last week we had the last of our 2010-2011 Botany Group study meetings and so putting it all together we might get a welcome break from the endless round of meetings and project work.

Conservation of meadows

We held a Wildlife Trust site visit on Sunday 10th July which was a great success. The weather was warm and dry and 16 members arrived to explore the plants and insect life. No sooner had I said that I knew that the Great Green Bush Cricket was usually found in the field and one appeared on cue for photographs.

The photographs shown here are a common sights in our meadow: Marbled White butterfly, Common Ragwort and Bee Orchid , this latter now finished flowering and hence difficult to spot. Examples were found showing the seed pods well developed hopefully to provide a good population next year.


Two groups were led around the paths kept mown to reduce the impact of random walking except for occasional inspections of particular plants. Dr Anne Bebbington led the exploration to identify flowering plants and John Bebbington FRPS led a group looking for insects of which there were many. Including day flying moths.Almost every time we do such an inspection we find new species.
Well over 100 plant species, large and small have been found in the 4 acres including 15 grasses.

Following the visit we agreed that the site was worthy of an annual visit by our Botany Group to carry out a formal transect survey probly each June. This would use a fixed and permanent line on the long axis of the field with a half metre square  examind at fixed locations along the line. The records would be kept for comparison from year to year.  A long term project!

Because the Bee Orchid photo is out of focus here are two Pyramidal orchids of which there are many still in flower in the meadow.

British Dragonflies

http://www.british-dragonflies.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/anisom2.thumbnail.jpg

A recent local report from " a usually reliable source" has caused the equivalent of a twitcher frenzy for a rare migrant bird.

The link shown above gives an impression of a Norfolk Hawker,   Aeshna isoceles,  which whilst reported outside Norfolk is not thought to be present in Somerset.

To try to check for any other sightings  I'm seeking news of any other possible sightings in Somerset. Please contact me if you think you can help
Here is some information about this Dragonfly taken from the Natural History Museum web site.
 
Aeshna isosceles, Norfolk Hawker. © R Jurecek
This dragonfly is restricted to one area of Britain - the broads district of Norfolk. It has been scarce and local in Britain since records began.
It is now categorised as endangered in Britain and is listed in schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
In Britain, this endangered species of dragonfly is found only around the Norfolk Broads, but it is also found in other parts of Europe and North Africa. In Norfolk, it prefers to live close to waterways where the water soldier plant - Stratiotes aloides grows. Its name Aeshna isosceles relates to a distinctive triangular marking on its abdomen