Cylindrical Snails

Among the other slugs and snails that were swept up in the weekend’s gardening, I came across several of these “cylindrical” snails; more than I usually find around the garden. I identified these as being two different species.

On the left, with its more elongated shape and shiny shell, there is the Slippery Moss Snail (Cochlicopa lubrica, #237)), also known as the Glossy Pillar Snail. With a length of 7 mm, this individual is quite a large one compared to other examples I found. The browner, duller and stubbier snail is the Common Chrysalis Snail (Lauria cylindracea, #563), which is a new species for my garden list. Neither snail is unusual in UK, but they are small and easily overlooked in the leaf litter.

#237 Slippery Moss Snail (Cochlicopa lubrica)

#563 Common Chrysalis Snail (Lauria cylindracea)

Capillary Thread-moss (Bryum capillare, #564)

I found an elegant, new moss species in one of my plant pots - Capillary Thread-moss (Bryum capillare). This is quite distinctive, with its twisted leaves, red stem (setae) and drooping capsule. It’s a common and widespread moss in UK, but not one that I had found previously in the garden.

#564 Capillary Thread-moss (Bryum capillare)

More Garden Waste Refugees

Tidying the garden inevitably collects up some garden wildlife that then finds itself in the brown composting bin. In this case, we had a lovely pair of bugs: a Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum, #302) and a Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus). Making up the trio, a Spring Harvestman (Rilaena triangularis, #160), which stalks the flower beds early in the year, unlike most harvestmen which become very numerous in late summer and autumn.

#282 Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus)

#302 Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum)

#160 Spring Harvestman (Rilaena triangularis)

Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)

The warm sunshine over the weekend was to the liking of the butterflies, with Hoily Blue, Brimstone and Orange Tip butterflies joining the Peacocks around the garden. I was happy that this Holly Blue perched itself on an Ivy leaf and stayed still for a photo. This species has two broods per year present in the garden during April/May, and then again in smaller numbers and for a shorter time in August. The caterpillars feed on the flower buds of Holly and Ivy, both of which are plentiful in the gardens around my house.

#60 Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)

Little Japanese Umbrellas

I’m growing some sweetcorn plants in toilet roll tubes on the kitchen window-sill, ready to be planted out in the veg patch, and these fungi popped up in the compost. They are Pleated Inkcaps, Parasola plicatilis; alternatively known (rather sweetly) as Little Japanese Umbrella fungi. They’re really short-lived - here today and gone tomorrow - and very small and delicate.

A First Slime Mould

Clearing away some leaf litter at the weekend, I found this dead leaf from the Beech tree covered in a neat pattern of white spots. Not a fungus, it turns out, but a slime mould. I couldn’t really find one looking quite like this on-line, so I didn’t yet work out the species, which anyway appears difficult, so it goes down as “Myxomycetes sp”,

These slime moulds are single celled animals, that cluster together and reproduce by forming these while spherical fruiting bodies, which ultimately release spores into the air. Surprisingly slime moulds are not static, but slowly move around in a search for food; apparently even being able to traverse mazes in pursuit of a suitable meal.

Trio of Beetles & Bugs

Once again checking the composting bin after some gardening throws up some colourful creatures.

Star of the show is a snazzy iridescent green Cereal Leaf Beetle, which is new one for the garden, not that it seems especially unusual. There’s actually two species which you can only really tell apart by dissecting it (and then knowing what to look for), Oulema melanopus and O. duftschmidi. Both are considered pests in arable farms as they damage the leaves of cereal crops and reduce yield.

The other two are familiar species, a colourful Hawthorn Shield Bug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale) and a not-so-pretty (or, if you are a gardener, desirable) Vine Weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus). One of my gardening jobs was to dig up a rosemary that had slowly died over the last months - perhaps the Vine Weevil’s larvae were something to do with this, as the plant had previously been quite healthy.

#560 Cereal Leaf Beetle (Oulema melanopus)

#427 Hawthorn Shield Bug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale)

#451 Vine Weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus)

Garden Favourites

Nice to have them back isn’t it? Right now the weather has turned a bit gloomy and there’s a cold wind, but the inevitability of Spring can’t help showing through whenever the sun shows. Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and even a precocious Holly Blue were in the garden last week, but so far no Brimstone’s seen, though these are often the first butterflies of the year. A few ladybirds have appeared too; so far all the 7 spot version. It’s gone a bit quiet on the bee front too, but I’m sure they’ll be back when it warms up a bit.

#188 Common Mini-mining Bee (Andrena minutula)

#221 Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

#287 Seven Spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata)

Small Blue Flowers

Checking the weeds, I noticed a patch of Slender Speedwell (Veronica filiformis, #559). These might have been imported courtesy of the garden centre with some raspberry canes I bought last year. Speedwells are fairly similar looking, but this one flowers early, is a deeper blue than the Common Field Speedwell (Veronica persica) and has longer-stemmed flowers. Finally a few weeks later in May yet another species of Speedwell appeared, Thyme-leaved Speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia, #573), this species has a spike of small, pale blue flowers. so there you go, four species of speedwell in one small lawn, all of which can spread and can become a nuisance. But they are pretty and my lawn is nothing much to worry about.

The Ivy-leafed Speedwell, Field Forget-me-not and Green Alkanet are also all quite invasive. The former, with its tiny flowers, grows in a thick carpet under shrubs. Field Forget-me-Not sprouts wherever it can, but especially between the paving slaps on the path. Its relative, Green Alkanet, grows in thick leafy clumps in the shady damp areas under the trees, giving you a rash on whenever you touch it. All these have a long flowering season, starting right now.

#559 Slender Speedwell (Veronica filiformis)

#436 Common Field Speedwell (Veronica persica)

#573 Thyme-leaved Speedwell (Veronica serpyllifoli)a

#455 Ivy-leaved Speedwell (Veronica hederifolia)

#29 Field Forgetmenot (Myosotis arvensis)

#299 Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens)

Pollinators & Plum Blossom

A variety of insects are quickly appearing now the plum is in full bloom and the sun is out. The blossom is attracting pollinating flies, the first Drone Flies and this hoverfly, Meliscaeva auricollis (#558), a small dark species that is one of the earliest emerging hoverflies. There are some more bees about too, and a couple of Dark-edged Bee Flies (Bombylius major). The Bee Flies hover to take nectar, so I was happy this one actually sat still long enough on the sunlit wall for me to get a photo.

#558 Meliscaeva auricollis on Plum blossom

Pollinating Fly on Plum Blossom

#443 Bee Fly (Bombylius major)

379 Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax)

Some Spring Flowers

Some of the early flowering plants in the garden are shown below. The Wild Garlic is a new addition, but making itself very much at home in the sheltered spaces under the trees. For some reason I don’t get many Lesser Celandines, just a few plants around the edges of the borders, but the Toadflax and Archangel grow everywhere. Together they all add some colour and some nectar/food for the insects.

#557 Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum)

#38 Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna)

#36 Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis)

A Comfortable Hole

Not sure what sort of bee this is, but it’s chosen a good spot to hide out on a colder day. There’s been a some mason bee activity around the limestone walls, but so far I didn’t get a decent look at them. The south facing wall is a favourite spot for bees and as the Cotswold oolitic limestone is quite soft there are plenty of holes for them to shelter in.

A Different Violet

Looking closer at the violets in the garden, I noticed that I have two different species. Alongside the Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana, #26), I have Wood Dog Violet (Viola reichenbachiana, #556). This is sometimes also called Early Dog Violet, but it doesn’t seem to flower much earlier than Common. The easiest identification feature is to look st the spur at the back of the flower, which is white in the Common Dog Violet but the same purple colour as the flower in Wood Dog Violet. Putting the two side by side there are other more subtle differences in the flowers and the leaves: in my garden the leaves & stems of the Common Dog Violet have a purple tinge and the leaf edges are also different. The white form I found on a walk around the local woodland seems to be Common Dog Violet.

#556 Wood Dog Violet (Viola reichenbachiana)

#556 Wood Dog Violet (Viola reichenbachiana)

#26 Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana)

Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana) white form

#555 Grammoptera ruficornis

Several of these long-horn beetles appeared, attracted to the wall lights in my sitting room. They live under the bark on trees and presumably have come from the firewood stacked up ready for my log-burner. This species is identified from other similar beetles by the dark colour, reddish patches on parts of the legs & antennae and the elongated second segment of the antenna. Normally they fly in April-May, but as it’s nice and warm in the house they have emerged early.

Frogspawn, in the Pond

I’d been hoping that the frogs might breed in my “pond”, and here it is! Not having a proper pond, I’ve installed a couple of ceramic basins, each about 2 feet across, with some rocks and plants+soil in fabric bags made from an old sheet. Half buried in the soil and tucked in a damp corner, this seems to be fine for frogs. Looking forward to babies in a few weeks! Other signs of sprint arriving this week, included a first Small Tortoiseshell butterfly in the weak spring sunshine on 13 March.

#554 Kentish Snail (Monacha cantiana)

Found this pretty little snail under some leaf litter in one of my plant pots. It’s certainly different from the regular snails, and I believe it’s Kentish Snail (Monacha cantiana). This species is a long time introduced species - according to UK Nature website, by the Romans - now quite widespread in the South and East UK.

Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos, #403)

Song Thrush is really a bird of this season in the garden, singing loudly every morning. They are more heard than seen, as when they are on the ground they are often skulking around the corners of the garden. They appear in January, sing from February, then after breeding totally disappear in August, only to return again in the mid-winter. Looking at the BTO Garden Birdwatch data this is a pretty typical pattern. The data also shows that there is a strong decline in the number of gardens where song thrushes are reported, down from 45-50% in the early ‘90s, to less than 20% now, so we’re very lucky to still have them.

Plenty of Weather

It’s a schizophrenic season. When the sun shines and the wind drops the birds are soon singing and bumble bees buzzing. A song thrush, robin, wren and greenfinches are all taking up territories, a noisy pair of Canada geese fly over most mornings and magpies are making a nest in the Beech tree. A calling little owl one still evening during the week, was new for the garden. But the rest of the time with gales, endless rain and the temperature dropping this week so we even had snow, the smaller species like tits, finches and sparrows have disappeared and the garden feeders are deathly quiet.

One excitement has been birds of prey with Sparrowhawk and Red Kite overhead, and even a passing Peregrine one day. I remember as a kid going whole years where I only saw three or four raptor species, so seeing three species on one day out of my window reflects a massive turnaround in their fortunes. I’m also lucky that my commute passes over the Cotswolds, so as well as enjoying some snowy scenes, I regularly see kites and owls along the road - this week I got great views from the car of Barn and Short-eared Owls around Hawling & Salperton.

Chopping Trees

Over the winter I did some work to cut back some of the trees in the garden. There’s a little row of Hazels, which I will coppice on rotation to keep them a manageable size. The Corkscrew Willow was also spreading too far, so I cut it back quite heavily - if it wasn’t for the kids liking to climb up inside the canopy I would have given it the full treatment back to the trunk. This should result in new fresh growth in the spring and ultimately benefit the garden wildlife.

First Flower of Spring

The first wild flower of spring in the garden is this Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana) flowering in one of the sunnier and more sheltered spots in the garden. The pale spur behind the flower indicates that it is Common rather than Early Dog Violet. This should normally flower in April, but along with the daffodils, it’s flowering early this year.