Preparing for Next Year
Sunday, November 2nd 2014
Although colder than last week, it is not the weather we expect for this time of year. Bird ringing this morning reflected the weather conditions. The summer migrants have left for even warmer countries but the winter migrants have not yet arrived on the reserve in any number and were absent from the nets. Some winter thrushes have been seen and a few Redwing, Fieldfare and Blackbirds were feasting on our good crop of Hawthorn berries.
Around Christmas time we begin to see the leaves of Honeysuckle breaking their buds. Today some fresh green leaves were spotted. If you look closely you can see that the leaves have tiny hairs on them, which presumably will help to protect them when the weather does turn colder and there are frosts around.
Silver Birch is full of seeds, which will really please our reserve managers and volunteers, as each seed is more than likely to grow into a new Silver Birch tree! Many leaves have already fallen, those left are golden yellow. However the tree is already preparing for its next growing season. The male catkins can be seen.
Italian Alder (we have identified these trees correctly!) is also preparing for next year. Female cones, the dark brown ones, have dropped their seeds. Ready for the next growing season are the green female cones.
Male catkins, unlike 'our' Alder are more red.
A check on the outside walls of the Field Centre can often reveal a variety of different invertebrates. Today there were caddis fly but little else. Then this insect was spotted. It had six legs so it was definitely an insect and then the realisation that it was a female moth. It can only have walked there!
Photographed in situ.
After checking the reference book it was found to be a female Mottled Umber moth. Then it was carefully moved to a leaf for another photograph. Some female moths are very small and have no wings. In this case it has minute wings. Having enlarged several photographs no wings could be seen! They do not move far and produce pheromones which attract the male moths. Male moths often have large antenna to enable them to pick up the pheromones.
The male of this species was caught in the moth trap on Wednesday. It was not the most co-operative of moths to photograph. These moths overwinter as an egg on the food plants, which include Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Goat Willow and Hornbeam - all grow on the reserve. Larva appear from early April to late June and the adults fly from October to January.
Each species of plant and animal have their own strategy to survive winter, be it mild or hard.
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