Abbey Meadows

Abbey Meadows

Tuesday 22 April 2008

Spring Beauties




Boulmer birders excellent shot of Spring Beauty impelled me to look for this species in the meadows. This evening I was walking with Bennyboy in Scotch Gill woods when I came across Pink Purslane. This one has white flowers and I apologise for the shot being terribly out of focus as I forgot to use the macro facility and I only had time to take one shot. This was due to Bennyboy jumping into the wansbeck in persuit of a Springer spaniel and me rushing back to pick my daughter up from brownies. There were only a couple of flowers out so there is plenty of time to return to take some sharper shots. Pink purslane co-incidentally, is another plant related to Spring Beauty that has found its way to our shores via the ballast which was used to stabalise ships and then dumped on quaysides over here in the mid 1760's. Both plants are native to the pacific north west but are well established locally in the UK. There are only four Purslanes in Britain but we only have one native species. A Kingfisher was nearby at Low ford bridge and the pair of Goosanders looked splendid in the evening sunshine at the stepping stones. Earlier I took this photo of a female Tawny mining bee on my windowsill. I noticed this species last year emerging from a small hole in the lawn but this was the first opportunity I have had to take a picture of this species.

2 comments:

Ipin said...

I was on your patch today, had a wander along Scotch gill at Lunchtime, had kingfisher, dipper, treec, loads of nuthatch, but no new migrants, thought blackcap or garden warbler might of been in. Had 3 peacocks too.

abbey meadows said...

ipin Blackcaps were singing last night beside the car park but quiet on the migrant front. Saw the kingfisher. If it is quiet on the bird front I tend to look on the ground as there is always something different around this time of year.