Late butterflies.

 The quick sight of a Red Admiral in my front garden this morning encouraged me to take a walk down the path to Ashton in the afternoon. Though sunny there was a chilly west wind which might have kept any butterflies from flying, but happily didn't, for two Red Admirals appeared sunning themselves on the Nettles. Here's one.

Red Admiral. Photo.John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

 

The butterfly counting season is usually considered to be at the end of September as far as the Butterfly Transects are concerned, for very little is usually seen after that. This year we have seen Large and Small Whites, Speckled Woods and the Red Admirals well into October, perhaps a sign of global warming

Threat to our Blackbirds

 

A new threat to Blackbirds has their populations plummeting, and scientists from the British Trust for Ornithology are working to better understand the spread and potential impact of the disease responsible – the Usutu virus.

Usutu virus has been linked to mass blackbird mortality, with UK birders – especially in the Greater London area – reporting that blackbirds are noticeably less abundant in the last few years. The disease is spreading along southern England and has now been reported in Dorset.

For many years I have had a resident pair nesting in my wildlife garden and they were present in the Spring but then disappeared. A first year male bird, perhaps their offspring, has been seen occasionally throughout the summer, and my visiting son-in-law was fortunate to be able to photograph it last Sunday. It doesn't look all that well to me.

 

Juvenile Blackbird. Photo.Ryan Bundy. Click to enlarge

Scientists and ecologists are calling on the public for help in countering the Usutu virus.
 Details at https://www.rhs.org.uk/wildlife/blackbird-usutu-virus

Resident Coal Tit.

 Coal Tits used to be classed as occasional winter visitors from the continent, but this year I have had the pleasure of seeing a pair in my wildlife garden all through the summer and into the autumn. They usually come to the front garden feeders alone, but occasionally both appear. No sign of any young though.

  

Coal Tit.         Photo. Ryan Bundy. Click to enlarge.

More woodland fungi.

 First noticed a few days ago at an early stage of their lives, but now fully opened, were several Horse Mushrooms, Agaricus arvensis .

 

Horse Mushroom. Photo. John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

One of our larger mushrooms with a diameter of up to 15cms, and staining yellow when broken, it edibility is excellent but care must be taken not ot confuse it with the very similar Yellow Staining Mushroom, Agaricus xanthodermos. This has an unpleasent smell when broken of carbolic (remember the soap?) This an uncommon mushroom, which is probably just as well, as some people can eat it with impunity, while others suffer severe gastric upsets, sometimes leading to coma. Best advice is to avoid all yellow staining mushrooms.

Woodland Fungi.

 A walk along Gove Hill Bottom wood today revealed two fungi that grow on both living or dead wood. The most promient were several, all on a snigle tree, of the Dryad's Saddle, Polyporus squamosus. one of the larger polypores. 

 

Dryad's Saddle. Photo John M Elliott. click to enlarge.

 

The thick white flesh is unfortunately inedible.

Also showing well beside the path were many of the small, black fungi known, for obvious reasons, as King Alfred's Cakes, Daldinia concentrica. 

King Alfred's Cakes. Photo. John M Elliott.Click to enlarge.

 In spite of the name these also are classified as inedible.

Chicken of the Woods.

 

Chicken of the Woods Fungus. Photo. John Elliott

 

Showing well on the Church Green at the moment is a large bracket fungus, Laetiporus sulphureus, otherwise known as Chicken of the Woods. Starting off a bright sulphur yellow, it pales as it ages but the edges stay yellow. Edible, the thick flesh is said to resemble chicken, hence the name. It normally is found on living wood, often prefering yew or oak, Ours is on the remains of what, if I remember correctly, was a cherry tree.   

My Cuckoo.

 News from BTO on my Cuckoo, Arthur.

 

Arthur nudges east

Another of our Suffolk Cuckoos, Arthur, has also been progressing east, albeit at a more sedate pace. His route has taken him from Burkina Faso to Benin, where he is now on the eastern edge of the Trois Rivières Forest protected area. 

Chicory in Bloom.

 Species come and go in the valley, the flora in particular changing constantly. Recent losses that have become evident this year include the Pyramidal Orchid and Common Broomrape which occurred further down the valley, and the Bird's Foot Trefoil which was the food plant for the Common Blue butterfly along Grove Hill Bottom. I have not seen one this year.

The most successful newcomer, which has done well this year after struggling for a couple of years is Chicory, now present at three sites in the village -  behind the Village Hall, by the track to East Farm, and a single plant by the milk machine.  

Here seen behind the Village Hall, the sky-blue flowers blowing in the wind. My own earlier memory of chicory was of the roots being used as a substitute for coffee during the last war, sold as Camp Coffee. (I am amazed to find it still on supermarket shelves today, reputably the preferred flavouring for commercial tiramisu). 

   

My Cuckoo.

My Cuckoo, Arthur

 

 

 The latest BTO bulletin on my Cuckoo, Arthur.

 Arthur nudges west

The only other Cuckoo to make any significant movements over the last 10 days is Suffolk Cuckoo Arthur. Having spent a few weeks in Senegal, Arthur has flown 250 miles east, taking him over the border into neighbouring Mali. He is now close to the River Boule in Kongassambougou nature reserve of south west Mali. 

Beautiful Demoiselle.

 It was a pleasure yesterday to walk along the stream at the western end of the village where the section between West End house and the old water mill site is showing a number of species that have been lost in recent years in the village itself through the mistaken 'Speed the Flow' policy, which has led to very little growing except the very poisoness Hemlock Water Dropwort. In addition to a small amount of that there was the blue/pink of Comfrey, the bright blue of Brooklime, which is making a good comeback in the stream. A few rather small spikes of Purple Loosestrife, which only used to appear in small numbers further down in the village, also appeared.

Most exciting was the appearance of a single Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly.

Beautiful Damoiselle. Photo. John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

This seems to be working its way up the valley. First seen down the Weymouth Road and now regularly in my front garden, this single specimen was the furthest upstream I have found.

Also seen yesterday were three Small Tortoiseshell butterflies on the Buddlia by the Village Hall. There have only seven reported so far in the whole of Dorset, so a significant increase in the county total.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rare Moth.

 Missed by the moth trap but arriving through the bathroom window last night was the rare Jersey Tiger Moth. Thought to be an imegrant which only occurs along the south coast, my last record was in July 2020. 

Jersey Tiger Moth. Photo. John Elliott. Click to enlarge. 

 

 

 

 

There have been a number of records so far this year, it is thought to be having a good year.
 

Elm Trees.

When I came to Dorset fifty years ago there was a magnificent avenue of Elm trees as you entered Dorchester along the Bridport Road, now all gone having succumbed to Dutch Elm disease. For a while a Witch Elm by the old 

Dying Wiley Croft Elms. Photo. John Elliott. Click to enlsrge.

Pound at the western edge of the village seemed to be surviving but that eventually browned and died.  What remained were a few very young elms, perhaps only three or four years old, one behind the derelict Reading Room and four just below Wiley Croft. Ten years later the Reading Room one is completely dead, and this year some of the Wiley Croft ones, though breaking out with green leaves have now turned brown and are unlikely to see another summer.

Beautful Demoiselle Damselfly.

 

                                            Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly.   Photo: John Elliott. Click tro enlarge

Every time I report Beautiful Demoiselles in my garden  I am told it is scarce in the South West, with the field guide showing it no further west than Hampshire. First found down the Weymouth Road three years ago it is now a frequent visitor to the village and seen almost daily. It only breeds in running water so likely to be working its way up the South Winterborne rather than breeding in my small pond. Three of the bright, metalic blue males were present in my very overgrown front garden today, as also was a single Southern Hawker Dragonfly.  These rarely settle so no picture I am afraid.

My new Cuckoo

 My new Cuckoo, Arthur, flies south.

The latest bulletin from the BTO on my new Cuckoo.    Arthur surges south Another of our Suffolk Cuckoos, Arthur, has also beaten the desert. He has taken the westerly route via Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania to reach his current location in Senegal in west Africa. Both Ashok and Arthur were tagged at Surlingham Marshes in Suffolk but right now they are 2,200 miles apart!

 

My new Cuckoo.

                                                        
 I have sponsored a new cuckoo and received the first bulletin from the BTO today.

 

Status : Active
Tagged : Sat, May 31, 2025 - 07:30
Age when found : Adult
Tagging Location : Worlingham Marshes, Suffolk

Satellite Tag No. : 286062
Wing Length (mm) : 229
Sex : Male

Arthur's journey from 31st May 2025 to 8th July 2025

Updates on Arthur 's movements

Arthur springs into Spain

07 Jul 2025

Arthur is another of our Cuckoos who seemed quite content hanging around in Suffolk, before suddenly springing into action and heading south. He is already in south-western Spain, more than 1,750 km (1,087 miles) away from where he was tagged at Worlingham Marshes on 31 May. 

Just north of Seville, Arthur is in the wooded hillsides within the Dehesas de Sierra Morena Biosphere Reserve, known for its Iberian Lynx, Black Vultures and Wolves.

08 Jul 2025

Arthur has now crossed over into Morroco .

Introducing Arthur

12 Jun 2025

Arthur was tagged at Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Worlingham Marshes reserve, in the Broads National Park on May 31.

Not much to look at, but-

 Every so often something new appears in the village and it is always worth checking to see if it has been recorded before. It was exciting therefore to find that a small, hardly noticeable, plant growing on the grass verge outside my house had not been. Here it is.

You will see why I put 'not much to look at' on the heading. My first thought was this must be a very stunted Dove's Foot Cranesbill going by the shape of the broad leaves, but on checking in the Flora it seems to be Small Flowered Cranesbill, Geranium pusillum. The lilac flowers, only a quarter of an inch wide, are stated to be common in the Poole Basin but rare in the west of Dorset. Click to enlarge the photo to find them.

Unsurprisingly there is no Dorset name for this plant, though its close Geranium relative, Herb Robert, has many. (Shortly after I took the photo the Dorset Council mower came along, but I hope they flower again.)

Hedgehog Pair feeding'

 Both Hedgehogs arrived tonight and soon finished of their food.

 

                                                        Hedgehogs in my wild back garden.

Speckled Wood.

 

                                          Speckled Wood. Photo. John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

 Normally a woodland species, as its name implies, the Speckled Wood does occur in shadier gardens such as mine, where this one has spent the day.. Most of our local ones are found at the bottom end of the Grove Hill wood however. The mating behaviour of individual male Speckled Woods shows marked variation. The three dark spots on each hind wing indicate that this butterfly is likely to be a 'patroller"which will patrol up and down looking for a mate; while specimens with four dark spots are likely to be "perchers" who will perch on a leaf waiting for a mate to come along. 

A serious decline in the numbers of Speckled Woods began in the 1860s, and was only reversed in the 1920s, starting here in Dorset. 

Rook.

 

Yesterdays young Rook was found dead this  morning in the back garden, the overnight rain being, probably. too much for it.  

Rookery.

 The six Rook's nests in the Horse Chestnut tree outside my bedroom window have now disappeared  beneath the abundant foliage, their presence only revealed by the occasional  'caw' until this morning when a young rook decided to leave the safety of its nest and flutter down into my front garden, where it sat around looking up towards the tree and hoping no doubt that its parents would come and feed it. No sign of that so far though.

Juvenile Rook. Photo. John Elliott, Click to enlarge.

  

Beautfull Demoiselles.

In the last few days my front garden has been visited by several Beautfull Demoiselle damselflies. These damselflies breed in running water, and are thus likely to have come from the South Winterborne stream and not my garden pond. A walk down the Weymouth Road on Sunday afternoon however didn't reveal any where they have been found in past years, so further research will be required to find out where they are coming from. Today I was able to photograph both male and female insects. The male is the bright blue one and the female the rather duller greenish one. The complete dark wing colouration of this species distinguishes it from the Banded Demoiselle in which only the outer half of the wing is dark. These do occur on the stream but not so far this year.  

Beatifull Demoiselle. Photo.John Elliott. click to enlarge. 

 

                                                           Beautifull Demoiselle. Photo.John Elliott. click to enlarge.

My garden's hedgehog.

 I have been putting out hedgehog food for about a week now, with it all gone by morning. Last night I managed to capture what looks like the smaller of last year's pair, on a short video. Shot through the kitchen window so not brilliant. 

                                                Hedgehog. Photo. John Elliott. click to view.

 

                                               Azure Damselflies. Mating Pair. Photo. John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

The second species to emerge this year from my garden pond, and common over most of the country. The male is bright blue, the female tightly in his grasp, greeny.

Azure Damselflies. Photo. John Elliott.

 

 

Large Red Damselfly.

 

The first damselflies have emerged from my newly replanted garden pond, several Large Red Damselflies, including this pair laying eggs. Only the male is red, the female being greenish. The Large Red is distinguished by its black legs, The Small Red, apart from being smaller, has yellowish legs.

Ovipositing Large Red Damselflies. Photo. John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

 

The male damselfly clutches the female tightly during the egg laying process to guard her from other males.
 

Green Carpet Moth.

Green Carpet Moth. Photo. John Eliott. Click to enlarge.

Not all moths are drab, some can vie with the butterflies.

 Captured last night, the Green Carpet moth lives up to its name when newly emerged, but the colouration quickly turns to white.

Cuach Torc.

 The latest bulletin from the BTO brings the sad news that my Cuckoo is now presumed dead, no contact having been made with him since last December. 

Cuach Torc's movements

14 Apr 2025 - Time out for Cuach Torc

Cuach Torc defied expectations by engaging in some rather unexpected autumn migratory manoeuvres in Europe (see his earlier posts for details!), finally arriving south of the Sahara in early November.

We last heard from him from his position in north-east Gabon, close to the border with Republic of the Congo on 19 December.

Regarding the Cuckoos who we have not heard from for a while, it may be that they are still alive but there is an issue with their tags and we are simply not receiving signals. However, it is normal for birds die in the course of their long migrations, on their breeding grounds, or in their wintering quarters. While we will rarely know what did really happen to these individuals, the incredible information that they provide is invaluable in helping us to understand the extraordinary lives of UK breeding Cuckoos.

More Cowslips.

 I had a walk through the Grove Hill Bottom wood earlier in search of  Ramsoms, or Wild Garlic as it sometimes called. One plant bloomed last year but can't have set seed as there was no sign of it. It was therefor espescialy pleasing to find a small patch of Cowslips, new to this part of the valley.

                                                 Grove Hill Bottom Cowslips. Photo. John Elliott.

No sign of my  Cuckoo yet I am afraid, though some of the tagged Cuckoos are now well on their way home.

Yellow mellow.

 

As the village's Snowdrops and Daffodils fade the wild flowers of Spring are coming into bloom. The steep valley sides of the path to Ashton are a picture with the white of Blackthorn lining the path at the western end, followed by the brilliant yellow of the Gorse lining the bank at the eastern end.   Three of our earliest butterflies, the Brimstone, the Peacock and the Orange Tip are appearing regularly on the path now.

 

Emergant Peacock. Photo. John Elliott

 

Blackthorn. Photo. John Elliott

 

The Dorset dialect name for the sloes which the blackthorn bears is 'snags', hence snag-bush for the tree.  It is of great herbal medicine value, plus Sloe Gin of course. It is probable the ancestor, or one of two ancestors, of our garden plums. Gorse doesn't seem to have a specifically Dorset name, but Furze (Fuzz or Vuzz) is usual in the south-west. Before the coal trade developed Gorse was of great value as fuel for bakers and others, and with spines crushed it made valuable feeding for stock in the winter.

 

 

 

Ashton Gorse. Photo. John Elliott

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cowslips are not common in the valley, so the patch by the Rainbarrow farm entrance is especially welcome. There is another small patch by Purlands Farm further along the A35. There seem to be rather a lot of Dorset names - Creivel, Crewell,Fairy Cups, Hotdrod, Holrod, Oddrod, Paigle and the delightfull tisty-tosty. Used to make one of the best of country wines.

 

Rainbarrow Cowslips. Photo. John Elliott

All the pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.