Daisy Safari

 The bird group wildflower meadow that we planted up three years ago. Here's  a few bugs (identifications tentative) that were feeding on the oxeye daisies today.

 Burnet Companion

 Picture-winged Fly (Orellia falcata )- thanks Howard and Phil

 14-spot Ladybird

 Crab Spider

 Swollen-thighed Beetle

 A little fat fly

 Helophilus pendulus (Hoverfly)

 Eristalinus sepulchralis (Hoverfly) Diagnostic spotted eyes.

 Eristalis sp (Hoverfly) Eristalis Tenax (thanks Benoit)

Syritta pipiens Hoverfly Diagnostic swollen back femora. More on Beddington Hoverflies HERE

Honey Bee

Bank Holiday Weekend Bits and Bobs

Bordered Straw- Nick caught this in his garden and brought it over to show me. Still waiting for one here during this current influx.

 Xanthogramma pedissequum. Update on Beddington Hoverflies HERE - Now on 61 Hoverfly species for the site

 Light Brocade

 I thought this looked more Eudonia lacustrata

 Our wildflower strip on the main road is looking okay- needs to be trimmed in

New entrance to reserve coming along

Thursley

Here's a few pics and sounds from Thursley Common yesterday. In the spirit of not having to name things to enjoy them- I'll leave this post un-captioned till I get some time later.
More from Lee: HERE

Common Buzzard

A few pics from this morning.

Insects Play

 Burnet Campanion- the first ones have just appeared

 Parhelophilus sp- (orange antennae)- thought I might be stringing these with H.pendulus so here's a good one

Woundwort Shieldbugs

Fly sp on Oxeye Daisy

One of the few moderate hauls of moths all year

Maiden's Blush

Notocelia cynosbatella. Last nights catch also included Flame Shoulder, Common Pugs, Pale Mottled Willow, Tachystola acroxantha, Red-green Carpet, Minors, Garden Carpet and Shuttle-shaped Dart

Finally some kind of summer weather has arrived producing a flush of insect life.

That List

In a country where 60% of our biodiversity has disappeared in the last few decades- a power list of Britain's top conservationists is an oxymoron. What sort of hero can there be in a war that is being lost? Martyrs maybe?

The people and nature community is a small group of people where everyone is as powerful as everyone else. For instance a CEO of a national NGO is at the helm of a slow moving beast that's generally stuck in bureaucratic mud and wrapped tight with red tape. There is power but its caged and contained and there is certainly no more power than a purposeful single individual who is light, fast moving and is free to trail blaze and cause chaos if required. A large group or a popular figure with a big following may have the public's attention/support but many major changes are carried out by small groups of committed and dedicated people when the 'public' aren't looking. The 'public' are usually the last on the scene! There's so many things that distort the perception of power and things that hide the differences between real power and imagined power and also between positive and negative power. So there's the inverse relationship between popularity and prestige, the general public disinterest of reason and the insatiable appetite for distraction/consolation, the immense power of the swarm- if it can be harnessed, the need for power houses to keep pretending they have lots of power, the mirrors and the smoke, the long suffering lonely expert driving major changes invisible to most and the inverse relationship between the good of the ego and the good of  the community. When all things are considered- there is complete equality. Hero-worship and the cult of celebrity has the potential to suppress individual empowerment and if it does- it is the enemy within.  If not it's just a bit of fun and at best can inspire others to full fill their own potential.

Grass Class

 Grass Class

 The Natural History Museum Wildlife Garden- stunning little bit of habo

 A few specimens: False Fox Sedge, Pendulous Sedge, Hard and Soft Rush, Soft Brome, Barren Brome, Cock's foot, Meadow Barley, Meadow Grass sp, Yorkshire Fog, Sweet Vernal Grass, Grey Sedge, Wood Millet, Reed and Tufted Hair-grass (all from the wildlife garden in the middle of South Kensington)

Finished off with few South Ken delights

Lee and I joined a course in grass identification this afternoon at the natural history museum with the species recovery trust. Really good.
Now I can try and identify some of the grasses that we've grown in our meadows! 

Species Recovery Trust

House Martins

Today's rain was associated with an influx of hirundines- 50+ House Martins, 30+ Swallow and 100+ Swift.
In the wind and rain the birds were keeping low to the water surface providing an infrequent chance to see the birds closely.
The Hobby noticed them too.