Industrial Estate Nature

I had to take my car for an MOT today and so went to our local garage on an industrial park. It was a nice day so I decided to go out and have a look around to see what I could see.

It was quite amazing that it about 15 minutes of ambling around just how much was around.

Apart from the usual Dandelions Taraxacum officinale, Daisies Bellis perennis, Hawthorns Crategus monogyna, and (what I recognise almost instantly like an old friend) Common Ragwort Senecio jacobaea, I also saw Wild Pear Pyrus communis.  There were some areas which seemed to be cultivated too, and were several plants in these beds, one of which looked as though it might be Sea-Buckthorn Hippophae rhamnoides, some rosehips, and a number of shrubs with white berries.  Now these ones with white berries were in the area where there was an actual bedding area.  So these may well be cultivated plants rather than wild ones.

Wild Pear

Rosehip

Sea-Buckthorn

Unknown (to me at least) plant with white fruit

I did feel a bit foolish looking around an industrial estate looking at plants and taking photos, but it takes all sorts and I am trying to be an Amateur Naturalist....

A Windy Walk

Although it was wet and very windy today, I indulged in a walk into town, deciding to not rush around (as I would normally) but the amble along and take in some of the Natural world around me.  It was a delight.  Seeing Hawthorns Crataegus monogyna, Wych Elm Ulmus glabra, English Elm Ulmus procera (with the round green papery seeds with the acutal seed in the middle), along with my old friend the Common Ragwort Senecio jacobaea, also saw the Groundsell Senecio vulgaris in several places, most noticably in one of the many car parks.

When looking up I spotted several immature  Herring Gull Larus argentatus with their brown plummage, the ubiquitous Magpie Pica pica, a few Rooks Corvus frugilegus, Starlings Sturnus vulgaris, House Sparrows Passer domesticus, and several female Chaffinches Fringilla coelebs.

It is really quite astounding how many different species of plant, tree, and bird you can see in a relative short walk.  Perhaps it is something we should all do once in a while. :-)

Fun in the Sun

We had a fun morning yesterday and we saw lots of different insects: Honey Bees Apis mellifera, Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris ("Be careful of those" said my daught to my son, "they sting.") Hover Flies Syrphus ribesli (which both of my children think are wasps such is the success of their mimicry!) Flesh Flies Sarcophaga carnaria, Red Admirals Vanessa atalanta (which seem bigger than I remember as a child?!), and the odd Small White Artogeia rapae.  All of these were flying happily around the Ivy flowers.

Ivy with Honey Bee

Ivy with Flesh Fly

Ivy with (in there somewhere ;-) ) Red Admiral

My daughter was very pleased to find an Earwig Forficula auricularia hiding under a rock.

With regard to the botanical specimens we saw (getting all fancy now!!) we saw some beautiful Hawthorns with very red and plump berries, various Thistles which I still have to positively identify and other Creeping Thistles Cirsium arvense, of course the Ivy with the little yellowy green budding flowers, some really pretty looking Smooth Sow-Thistle Sonchus oleraceus with vibrant flowers and pointy leaves.  I took some samples of the Common Ragwort Senecio jacobaea and Field Fleawort Senecio integrifolius and was able to positively identify both of them.

My daughter managed to find, and was really proud of herself some fungi of a pale honey colour with fairly deep gills.  These were in direct sunlight, and seemed to be either Common Yellow Russula Russula ochroleuca or Bright Yellow Russula Russula claroflava.

Hawthorn

A Thistle (?)

Smooth Sow-Thistle

Russula Fungus (side view)

Russula Fungus (alternate view)