Little Things

Little Things

Seeing things through a four-year-old’s eyes is endlessly fascinating and often very amusing. Frankie went to play in the conservatory as usual the other day and came running back in great distress. He had seen a ‘big, black thing’ on the floor. I went to investigate and found the cats surveying a large stag beetle with five and a half legs. I don’t know whether the cats were responsible for the amputation but the beetle seemed unfazed and I picked it up and deposited it in the garden. The next day it was back again. 

I returned it to the wild. A couple of days later a female stag beetle was being studied by the felines and a day after that another male with six legs. Clearly the cats are budding entomologists.

Stag beetles are an endangered species, though they are doing relatively well in the south of the UK. They may be further endangered by our cats, although the cats have not attempted to eat them. I should think they’d be rather crunchy. There have been no further beetle guests in the conservatory.

We spotted a tiny, pretty day-flying moth on the herbs and discovered it was a Mint Moth (Pyrausta aurata). It’s very common but we had never seen one before. 

A few days later I noticed an unusual spider on a tomato leaf. In fact, there were two, but it was the colourful one that caught my eye. 

It was a Candy stripe spider (Enoplognatha ovata), an appropriate name for such a pretty creature. Its companion on the leaf was more soberly dressed in silver, not so flamboyant but nonetheless attractive.

Again, the Candy Stripe spider is quite common but we were pleased to make its acquaintance. If only all spiders were so pretty – and stayed outdoors.

When Frankie saw the enlarged photos of the moth and the spiders it kindled his interest and it wasn’t long before he was reporting sightings of spiders everywhere and asking Barry or me to take photographs. The smallest one he found was a Money spider or Dwarf weaver spider in the conservatory and its presence was duly recorded for posterity. 

He named it ‘Tiddles’ and was pleased to see it near the front door the next day though we suspect it was probably a friend or relative of the conservatory resident.

We told him how Susannah, his mummy, had a pet spider when she was little. 

She called it ‘Sid’ but again we think there were probably several ‘Sids’. Sid was a Garden spider or Cross or Diadem spider (Araneus diadematus), an orb web weaver, and was probably a female. The females weave the webs and remain in the centre or nearby with one leg hooked on the web, waiting for prey. Sometimes Cross spiders eat their mates directly after mating.

Clearly the fascination with arachnids is genetic. I must remember to tell Frankie that Cross spiders will bite if threatened. Apparently the bite is like a mild bee sting.

Frankie was watching a bumble bee recently and asked if he could stroke it. 

Their furry bodies do look quite inviting. 

Anyway, not long ago I think he attempted to stroke what he thought was a bee but it was a wasp which expressed its disapproval of his presumption by stinging him. He howled, poor little boy, but the lesson has been learnt.

Does my bum look big in this?

Is this one better?

The first day of Autumn 2009

Yesterday, August 31st, was the last Bank Holiday the UK will enjoy until December 25th, Christmas Day. (Scotland's last one was on August 3rd.) Though many people consider that Autumn has arrived, naturally enough when the Autumn school term is about to start or has already commenced, in my mind at least it is still Summer. Yesterday was a warm, sunny, beautiful day and this morning dawned bright and breezy.
Spiders are usually an indication that the season is changing as they come inside in droves but they have been in residence all this year. I know they keep the bugs down and they also amuse the cats and dogs, occasionally nipping their inquisitive noses. This does not dissuade the cats from consuming them - in fact, it probably makes them more determined. The dogs merely flatten them.
I am not a fan of spiders - a fact I repeat ad nauseam - though I appreciate their role in the greater order of things, but an increasing interest in photography has encouraged me to look more closely at them. I admire the efficiency of their design and the intricacy of their webs though too long spent studying them makes me itch.
On my way into the garden this morning I noticed a reddish-brown spider on the galvanised wire mesh panel that slots into the patio door groove (we have this so that small people, dogs and cats are safely contained while fresh air is free to enter) The mesh is 2" x 2" (50mm x 50mm) and the spider was about 0.6" (10mm) and actually rather pretty though the close-ups made me reconsider that opinion. Such a tiny creature, so beautifully constructed, so busy! It seemed to be attempting to build a web, though the constant opening and closing of the patio door must have disturbed it somewhat. He looks as though he's about to pounce - or perhaps he's practising his conducting gestures for the Proms


This is his underside - he looks a little embarrassed or is he simply 'hanging loose'?

I later identified it as a male Garden spider, Araneus quadratus, which is only slightly less common than its extremely common and widespread near relation Araneus diadematus. Males are smaller than females. There are some stunning photographs here. In our front garden we have two Kentish cob trees, brought to Berkshire when my parents moved here from Kent thirty years ago. They produce many cobnuts which are particularly relished by the squirrels - they have expensive tastes as cobs bought from Waitrose are currently £3.99 per kg. As squirrels are inveterate gardeners we have many saplings from the cobs and also from our corkscrew hazel, Corylus avellanus 'Contorta' - this used to be known as 'Harry Lauder's walking stick' as the singer and entertainer Harry Lauder (1870 - 1950) carried a crooked stick for every performance.

While photographing the cobs I noticed, as I do every year, and marvelled at the tight little catkins that will herald Spring in a few months' time, dancing in the breeze before the leaves unfurl. To paraphrase Shelley, 'If Autumn comes, can Spring be far behind?

Meanwhile the day that started so promisingly has commenced its downturn - the wind is strengthening, the temperature is dropping, splendid clouds have massed and are now emptying their contents vigorously on our sodden ground.