<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p {mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0cm; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--></p> <p>Today has been one of those rare days this summer, a dry warm sunny day, and the butterflies are out in droves. To date we have seen small tortoiseshell, comma, large white, peacock and red admiral butterflies. Although these are appearing in large numbers five species over several hours does not make this a butterfly haven.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Years ago we did a butterfly survey in various locations around. In truth the children did the survey as they belonged to an English Nature group called Watch. For a good butterfly location you needed to spot 8 species in just 20 minutes. I think that just goes to show their decline in the last twenty years as even visiting one such location we found then in more recent times we struggled to find the number of species in a whole afternoon.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>More recently we carried out garden surveys for the Butterfly Conservation group. Here you simply recorded whether a species was spotted during the month with no counting involved. Sadly lack of funding meant that survey was not continued although we do keep our own not very scientific records.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Have been trying to get some shots of the butterflies on the buddleia but they naturally favour the blooms out of reach so no luck as yet. May add photo later if I have better success.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Later</p> <p>Despite spending half an hour in various spots around the buddleia bushes I failed to get any really good shots - just a few of a somewhat bedraggled large white butterfly. The honey scent from this particular bush is intoxicating. The other two bushes we have carry much darker plumes of flower and are not so highly scented.</p>

<p>A couple of days ago we had one of those sharp sudden heavy downpours and the birds were obviously caught out by it too. Looking out of an upstairs window I spied a solid row of starlings along the electicity cable behind the house all in various stages of sorting out their ruffled feathers. Sadly many of them flew off when I gingerly opened the window to take a photo but this still left quite a line up. Sitting ducks rather like those on the fairground stall. Used to be more interesting when they did this as there were originally four rows of wires and they resembled more of a musical score - in fact a musician friend tells me that a stave once only had four and not five lines. (Never checked it out so don't quote me.)</p>

<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p {mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0cm; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--></p> <p>Yesterday we decided to take a drive out to a nearby town and on our return journey visit the Roman Villa at North Leigh. In the care of English Heritage this was once a paying site and it was possible to view the mosaic pavement which is housed in a special building. Sadly now that it is no longer manned the mosaic can only be viewed through the windows and whenever we have been there they have been badly in need of a bit of spit and polish.</p> <p>The Villa is reached down a short but fairly steep farm track and on our previous visit in May the whole lane was a mass of wild flowers - yellow buttercups, vivid blue speedwell and stark white stitchwort (or shirt's button as we always call it) were the main elements and a mass of other species added their colours to the mix. Our initial impression yesterday was of things that were fading and lacking in colour but that was before we got our eye in.</p> <p>The area around the excavated remains has been neatly mowed and do contain red and white clover and hop trefoil amongst the grasses but parts of the site are left to grow wild to attract wildlife and encourage flowers. Here we found purple knapweed, lilac scabious and yellow toadflax in abundance and there were a few other smaller species doing quite well.</p> <p><span>&nbsp;</span>As we began our return journey up the steep climb the opportunity to photograph other species allowed for a gentle stroll back to the road and revealed just how rich in species the lane really was. White dead nettle, yellow St John's Wort, pink and white lesser convolvulus, deep pink greater willow herb, creamy travellers joy (wild clematis or old man's beard), white yarrow, white flowered wild carrot - the list went on and on. The large blue flowers of the meadow cranesbill, the wild version of the perennial garden geraniums, had several seed heads showing where the name cranesbill originated. Nettles were still in flower and there were plenty of insects - ladybirds and bees in particular. Some plants already had a good showing of berries. Besides blackberry there were hawthorn and elderberry, deadly nightshade and the arum lily with its ramrod straight stems of red berries. All this in a stretch of around a quarter of a mile or so. What had appeared quite dull and uninteresting at first sight proved to be full of colour after all even if it was not so "in your face" as in May.</p> <p><br /> One thing that did evade us on this occasion - there was no sign of the Roman snails. On our previous visit we had been privileged to find an example under the hedge near the villa.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--></p> <p>Hard to believe that this morning we actually ventured forth in lovely autumn sunshine. The rain is being driven against the window and it is as gloomy as winter. The morning sunshine did, however, allow us to return to the mystery tree covered in fruit about which I wrote last week.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>We had long considered it to be a crab apple from the blossom but on closer inspection the fruits were on long stems and in bunches like cherries and the leaves had a serrated edge. Although our trees book uses photos rather than drawings there were no crab apples anything like this, hence the picture last week being titled wild cherry.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>It was Bob who raised the seeds of doubt but it was only today we have the definitive answer. My OH suddenly realised we could solve the issue by cutting a fruit on half. A cherry would contain a stone but cutting an apple in half across the middle reveals the distinctive star pattern with seeds and thus it proved to be. So we are back with the crab apple title. The tree is in&nbsp;a stretch of hedge containing several different species which would normally be taken to indicate a hedge of some age. It is away from any of the local villages so unlikely to be seed from a cultivated variety. There is a variety of crab apple found in the southern counties which resembles this specimen so we have to conclude that it has spread northwards to some extent.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Our trip today, though took us further afield and I finally tracked down a spindle tree. Unremarkable for most of the year this tree produces what I consider to be our most beautiful fruit - in appearance that is. I spotted it from some distance away and on closer inspection the hedge it was in had been cut back with one of those awful flailing cutters. The result was no fruits at all low down but a mass higher up the tree. A deep ditch of water meant that I could get no closer than four feet away but at least a couple of shots came out OK and one shows not only the bright pink fruit but also the orange seed emerging in the centre. There used to be many of these trees in the hedgerows around but I have searched for almost a month before finding this single example. What I hope to do is to return to these bushes at intervals over the coming year to record them in their different stages of development. That is the plan at least.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>We are used to losing flowers from the runner beans to the local sparrow population but had been puzzled keep finding full leaves from plants scattered around the garden away from their source. This morning the mystery was solved when we watched a starling taking leaves onto a neighbour's roof and depositing them and them later taking them off one by one, presumably to a nest. So far we have noticed geranium, delphinium, acer and potentilla leaves disappearing so the bird is obviously going for a varied colour scheme. Anyone else come across this behaviour before?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Today we also spotted our first swallows, a full two weeks since we saw two at Buscot only thirty odd miles away. Can only assume they were the advance guard for this is much more the usual time for us to record their arrival.</p>