A carpet of buttercups.
We begin June with lots of new greenery. The recent spell of warm weather has kickstarted new growth in both the trees and undergrowth. Much of the understory across the farm is now dominated by the white flowers of cow parsley and a wide variety of wildflowers can be spotted all across Mudchute including buttercups, ribwort plantain, cutleaf cranesbill, red campion and many more.
A tiny green Phyllobius weevil.
Warm weather and developing flora have also coaxed invertebrates of all sorts out of hibernation. The leafy understory is full of tiny beetles, flies, bugs and other invertebrates. Overhead, tender young tree leaves provide food for caterpillars, which will in turn, feed baby birds.
Many young birds will begin to leave the nest this month.
All across the farm, birds will be hurriedly carrying invertebrate prey to their nestlings. Those who began nesting early will already have youngsters beginning to fledge. You may come across young birds who are in the process of leaving the nest. If you do encounter a baby bird without its parents, keep a watchful eye, but this is likely part of the normal fledging process and the young birds should be left alone as its parents are likely searching for food and continuing to feed them. For more information, please read the following
advice pages from the RSPB.
Down on the ponds, damselflies and dragonflies will also be appearing, emerging as larvae from the waters where they have overwintered to moult into winged adults. Within the ponds, tadpoles and newt larvae are growing rapidly on algae and vegetation underwater. These incredible creatures were the focus of a recent identification workshop held here at Mudchute and run by FrogLife (read more about the course here from Tower Habitats).
See more of just some of the creatures we’ve encountered and don’t forget that you can share your own finds with us via twitter, facebook or flickr!
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Caterpillar on cow parsley.
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Ladybird taking flight.
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Bug nymph.
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Cutleaf cranesbill.
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A bug nymph mimicking an ant to fool predators.
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Only a few trees are still in blossom.
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Fly on goose grass.
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Cow parsley flowers and seeds.
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Hoverfly on red campion.
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Many young birds will begin to leave the nest this month.
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Irises in flower surround the ponds.
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Cuckoo spit.
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A wild mustard relative.
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Ash flowers have now formed slender windborne seeds.
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A closer look at the mating weevils.
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Cuckoo spit, a white frothy liquid secreted by the immature nymphs of the froghopper, on spurge.
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Ribwort plantain in flower.
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Goose grass in the undergrowth.
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Common carder bee on thistle.
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Tiny green Phyllobius weevil.
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Nail gall on lime.
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Fungi are sprouting up across Mudchute.
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Emerging mushrooms.
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Nettle-tap moth on stinging nettle.
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Cherry blossoms have given way to developing fruit.
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Bracket fungus on a stump.
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Sawfly larva.
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Buff-tailed bumblebee on white dead nettle.
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A carpet of buttercups.
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Red Campion.
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Common carder bee on white dead nettle.
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Azure damselflies should be regulars on the pond in the month to come.
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A sawfly larva taking advantage of the new foliage.
