Saturday 1 June 2019

High Summer Approaching

My brother (and business partner) Steve is away for the next two months so I'll be manning the business which means I'll be spending more time locally for the next few weeks (apart from sneaking out to Uganda for a couple of weeks in July). Gives me a chance to do a bit more exploring locally. Viridor have restricted our access to Beddington Farmlands further so that provides more incentive to check out other green spaces in the local area and do some more exploring and recording of the Wandle Valley Regional Park . Increasing the recording area will strengthen the significance of the coreland at Beddington Farmlands so Viridor's attempt to weaken us will backfire on them as always. In fact I've noticed every time Viridor and the Council make an exploitative move, more local groups and individuals that suffer from it are brought closer together in an increasingly larger and far reaching group. If it wasn't for Viridor trying to kill everyone and everything in our local area I wouldn't have joined up with the Green Party, Lush, Localism or Extinction Rebellion and now we are all on the same side with numbers almost as big as the whole Viridor organisation now. Funny how it all works- how destruction gives rise to constructive power.   Extinction Rebellion have also sent Viridor a letter calling for an end to their exploitative agenda and for more cooperation with the local community. Will see what they come back with. Quite a few members of XR itching to get the boot in but hopefully things can move forward in a more creative and intelligent way. It's now down to Viridor to choose what way it will be. 

With high summer approaching there's no better time to be getting out in the field looking for insects and plants. Gillian and I did an evening walk round Howell Hill yesterday- at least 30 Small Blues and a nice selection of orchids.

The moth trapping at Beddington has also picked up. 

 Small Blue at Howell Hill (above and below) 

 Small Heath at Howell Hill 
 Fragrant Orchid 
 Bee Orchid 
 Common Twayblade
 Common Spotted Orchid 
Broomrape sp. At least five or six of these. 
 Willow Warbler, Howell Hill, a singing bird presumably holding territory (one of the few territories in Surrey) 
 Swifts- up to 200 most evenings at Beddington recently 
 Caloptilia alchimiellia - Beddington Farmlands 
 Waved Umber 
 Hawthorn Moth 
Pug sp- Grey Pug? 

No comments: