The Red Admiral butterfly
a visitor to Old Weston in October
Birds
After last months noticeable bird movement, this month has been quieter.A Kingfisher on the 5th was a pleasant surprise flying by the church. The last sightings of Swallow were on the 10th and House Martin on the 20th. A flock in excess of 200 Golden Plover was recorded initially on the 7th but remained for the rest of the month feeding on cultivated fields. Frequently the first indication that these birds are present is their distinctive plaintive call.
The arrival of the first over wintering Fieldfares from Scandinavia, on the 17th, coincided with the wind turning to a northerly direction from what had been a warm, settled period with southerly winds. Flocks of these large noisy thrushes will move around the country-side throughout the winter feeding on Hawthorn berries, stripping the bushes, as well as foraging in pasture fields for invertebrates.
A Snipe was seen flying along a wet ditch on the 20th, possibly the first of several which over winter in the village.
The first Redwings were seen on the 26th a smaller and less noisy member of the thrush family than fieldfares. Frequently redwings and fieldfares move around in mixed flocks.
At least four Stonechats have been regularly seen and four Red Kites were present on the 3rd.
The Red Admiral Butterfly, Tortoiseshell butterfly and moths
As expected the number of butterflies dropped, with only five species recorded.The most numerous being Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral butterfly. These two species, along with Peacock and Comma, over-winter as adults and can be found flying at any time if there is a warm period during the winter. Until fairly recently the red admiral population in the UK was totally dependent upon migration from Europe. The recent milder winters have allowed some adults to survive but the UK population still needs the spring migration to remain viable.
The autumn moths seem to be having a poor season, as numbers of individuals and species are down. Despite this some of the most attractive moths seen throughout the year are autumn species. Maybe the moths are more memorable because there are fewer species on the wing at this time of year and winter is approaching with fewer moths. The most recorded moth this month the Green Brindled Crescent, is very variable but always has some green, which is almost iridescent, on its wings.
The Feathered Thorn is more frequently recorded in woods, but does occur in gardens. The colour of this species can vary considerably but it always has a white spot on each wing.
For more photos of British butterflies and helpful hints for photographing them check out www.digitalphotographyprojects.com.
Dragonflies and other insects
Dragonflies will survive until the cold winter weather sets in. The Migrant Hawker, and Ruddy Darter were still on the wing as was a very similar species the Common Darter, one which had probably been around for several weeks but I had not managed to get a good view of it. As dragonflies are rapid fliers it is often difficult to identify them unless they settle, even then they are easily disturbed having excellent all round vision. The best opportunity for identification is locating specimens on cool mornings before they have had chance to warm up or by using binoculars so as not to get too near and disturb them.
A very common insect around at the moment is the Green Shieldbug, often found sunbathing on leaves. The green colour fades to brown on the over wintering adult, but changes back to green when it becomes active in the spring. About 50 species of shieldbug have been recorded in the UK, 10 species have been recorded locally. Shieldbugs get their common name from their shield-shaped adult body.
Fungi
Autumn is the best time for finding fungi, as many species produce their fruiting bodies at this time of year. For most of the year fungi are present but not seen. The hyphae which form the unseen mass of fungi are in intimate contact with the substrate they live in or on. The fine hair like hyphae frequently form close complex associations with plant roots. Both plant and fungi benefit from this, the plant gains access to the hyphal network which provides a much large surface area for the uptake of nutrients and water and the fungi gains from access to the sugars produced by the plant. These plant and fungi associations have been in existence for many millions of years, verified by the discovery of fossilised examples.
As they are unable to produce food from sunlight fungi have evolved other means of obtaining food. As mentioned above, fungi and plant can exist as mutually beneficial partners. Other methods of obtaining food include living on dead plant matter, breaking it down to obtain nutrients and at the same time releasing previously locked material for reuse by other organisms. Some microscopic sub-soil species of fungi actively trap microscopic Nematodes, worm like creatures, in noose like traps. Unfortunately other fungal species see cultivated plants, crops and wooden building material as just another resource to be utilised which is when we usually become aware of them.
The Yellow Cowpat fungus is a common species of grassland not just associated with cowpats. The bright yellow colour disappears as it matures and spreads its cap. Animal manure is a valuable nutrient resource which many specialised fungal species utilize in succession.
Trees and Autumn Leaves
The display of autumn leaves on trees is well underway. Amongst the various shades of yellow and russet leaves of our native trees such as Elm, Field Maple and Birch is an occasional splash of scarlet from the introduced Norway Maple or orange-pink of Cherry. Natives which may compete with these introduced species are the shrubs Guelder Rose, Dogwood and Spindle which have red leaves. The Spindle is also fruiting at the moment displaying its pink seed and orange fruits case.
Interested in butterflies and moths?
You might like to read about the painted lady butterfly invasion in May
You will find many moth photos on the September page.
Don't miss the pictures of butterflies shown on the February page
Return to the main Cambridgeshire Countryside page
