A to Z challenge 2023 - A is for . . .

A to Z challenge 2023 – A is for . . .

My theme for this challenge is Nature in all much of her wonderful diversity. My posts will reflect the fact that I am resident in the south of England.

All photographs in this post are the property of the writer.

One of the delights of a garden pond is that it attracts wildlife. Birds come to drink and bathe and feast on insects. Some birds come to feed on the fish! Insects fly in to feed on other insects as well as to drink. Amphibians mate and lay their eggs on water plants and small mammals drink and sometimes swim. Rats are strong, fast swimmers!

                                     Female Southern hawker

Aeshna cyanea, the Southern or blue hawker is a large, beautiful dragonfly with a wingspan of about 110 millimetres, considerably more than its body length of 70 millimetres. They can be seen between May and November, often well away from water, hunting through woodland rides into the summer evening. They mate in still or slow-moving water, the female laying her eggs nearby. The most propitious time to see the Southern hawker is between July and October. They have voracious appetites and feed on insects they catch on the wing. Like all dragonflies, they cannot walk, using their six legs to perch on plants or to hold prey.

The male is dark with blue and green markings, and the female is brown with green markings.

The female lays her eggs in rotting vegetation or wood in late summer or autumn. The eggs hatch in the spring and the nymphs feed on tadpoles, small fish, insects and aquatic invertebrates. After two to three years, they emerge as adults in July or August. They live for about six weeks.

They are widely distributed across Europe and are extremely common. They are known to be curious and will approach people in their territory for closer inspection! Although it might seem alarming to have a large insect flying close, Southern hawkers are harmless, at least to large mammals like humans. They do not bite or sting and there is little likelihood of them tangling themselves in a person’s hair or clothing.

My second ‘A’ is Aleuria aurantia, commonly called orange peel fungus. It grows to about 5 centimetres, with an average cap width of 10 centimetres. It looks exactly like orange peel and is usually seen in the woods from August to November.

It is quite common in Britain and Ireland and is an edible member of the Peziza family. Fried in butter, it develops a smoky, meaty texture.  Some of the Peziza are poisonous but are brownish in colour and never the bright orange of Aleuria aurantia.

Orange peel fungus smells like mushrooms and is locally common, in that where there is one, there will be many. Frequently, it grows near paths, woodland tracks and disturbed earth, particularly if there are rotting trees nearby.

The spores are microscopic and borne on the upper surface of the cap, so are easily blown away when ripe enough to be released.

As with all fungi, if in doubt, avoid eating!

My third and final ‘A’ is Aegithalos caudatus, the long-tailed tit. This pretty little pink-tinged bird always reminds me of a shuttlecock. Long-tailed tits can be seen all across the UK except for the far reaches of Scotland. They are usually in small, busy flocks, darting into shrubs and trees to feast on the insects therein, although they do occasionally eat seeds in the colder months of the year. Their preferred foods are the eggs and larvae of moths and butterflies. At night, when it is cold, they roost together for warmth.

Long-tailed tits’ domed nests are built low down in gorse bushes or brambles, or high in the forks of tree trunks. They are intricate structures of lichen, feathers, spider egg cocoons and moss. Hundreds of pieces of lichen camouflage the exterior of the nest and the inside is lined with thousands of feathers. However, the nests are subject to a high degree of predation of around 83%. If a nest fails after the beginning of May, the breeding pair will not attempt another clutch, but will help at other, successful nests, often those of related birds.

These enchanting little birds weigh less than a £1 coin. It is always a joy to see them, with their ridiculously long tails, and to hear their high-pitched calls as they communicate with each other

 

I saw a mouse - where? Not on the stair . . .

Mice - by Rose Fyleman 

I think mice
are rather nice.
Their tails are long,
Their faces small,
They haven't any
Chins at all.

Their ears are pink,
Their teeth are white.
They run around
The house at night.

They nibble things
They shouldn't touch
And no one seems
To like them much.

But I think mice
are nice.

I agree with Rose Fyleman that mice are nice though I prefer them out of the house rather than in it. 

Yesterday Barry was in the conservatory photographing birds and making short videos of them. As I watched the on-going display a movement caught the corner of my eye and there it was – a field mouse. 

We were pleased to see it because rats kill mice and its presence means that there are probably no rats in the vicinity (they’ve all travelled to London to visit Bethan and Robert)

It moved very quickly – speed is of the essence when you’re a tiny being, around 18 centimetres long from tip of nose to end of tail. The hose pipe gives some perspective. We think it was a Yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) but cannot be absolutely sure since it didn’t stand on its hind legs and display its chest. It didn’t stay long for its photo shoot and we were lucky to see it at all as it is largely nocturnal, the prey of owls and cats.

Meanwhile the birds carried on feeding, oblivious to the tiny mammal beneath them dining on the crumbs of fat cast off by their probing beaks. 

Most of the birds wanted to display their nether regions, the newly repainted plumage glowing to attract a mate.

Some, like this starling, with his winter spots giving way to the glorious iridescence of spring finery . . . 

 . . . appeared to spot the little mouse and wonder what it was up to. 

The female blackbird feasted on holly berries while her would-be mate gorged pyracantha.

Coal tit watched warily from the Nectarine – often chased away by blue tits, his chance would come.

 Long-tailed tits swooped and dipped their way to the feeders . . .

. . . and a great spotted woodpecker, fresh from the beauty salon, displayed her scarlet underside but forbore to show her face.

ABC Wednesday T is for Thrush and Titmice and Tomatoes

Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)

The Song Thrush or Throstle has a loud rich song of musical repeated phrases. It is slightly smaller than the Blackbird (Turdus merula) and shyer, often being chased off by its larger cousin.


It is a partial migrant, some birds moving to lower ground in winter, some flying to southern Europe, many staying put. It suffers badly in harsh winters - in 1963 its numbers declined by 60%.


Despite its fabled habit of smashing snails on stone 'anvils' I have seen this only once in our garden. More frequently I see them pulling worms from the ground but they also find handy meals on the bird table and the feeders.

Blue tit (Parus caeruleus)

Of the seven tit species only four visit our garden. The blue tit is the one we see most frequently. Blue tits are acrobatic little birds, a joy to watch as they hang upside down on feeders or delicate plants. They feed on insects, caterpillars, seeds and nuts and any scraps that are put out for them. Blue tits often frighten away their smaller relatives, the coal tits.

Coal tit (Parus ater)

Coal tit with blue tits

The coal tit is the smallest true tit. It eats beetles, moths, flies and bugs in all their forms, from egg through larvae to adult and also spiders. It also eats seeds and small nuts. 

Like the blue tit it nests in holes in trees and makes a cup-shaped nest lined with moss and feathers. It will also nest in holes in banks or walls.

Great tit (Parus major)

Blue tit and great tit

The great tit is the largest tit, and, like the other tits here, widely seen throughout the UK, absent only from the Northern and Western Isles of Scotland. It can be aggressive with smaller tits at feeders.

 Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)  

Long-tailed tits with blue tit

The long-tailed tit always reminds me of a shuttlecock. Its tail is longer than its body.It's a pretty little bird, rarely seen singly, more often in small groups of four or five. The nest it builds is lined with two thousand feathers. Long-tailed tits are very susceptible to cold because they are so small. In hard winters 80% of the population may be lost. Flocking and huddling together helps to alleviate this.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) 

We try every year to grow this sweet tasty member of the nightshade family. We don't have much success so we really appreciate the fruits that do manage to ripen.

Tulip (Tulipa) 'Queen of the Night'

We have much greater success with tulips and this one, 'Queen of the Night', is a particular favourite.

To see more tantalising Ts click here