Published on 12, July, 2020
this week so far iv been on a couple of trips but mainly places with streams, ponds or woodland.
one of my favourite places to go is probably one most dont tend to go to unless going to a funeral or for personal reasons but me and my family go for walks
the dogs like the graveyard nearby in Gloucestershire so mum and dad take a few of them for a walk there and let me take take pictures
for Mum and dad its more about more than just the dogs but a nice place to go for a walk aswell its usualy portrayed a for dark themes and scenes in media but they can also be very positive and enjoyable places and places for happy memorys. Graveyards are a natural habitat themselfs just like any other habitat. the only differance is that people built an important place on the grassland and due to the importance of graves to many people also bult graves giving it the name graveyard but they are also natural habitats aswell.
nature does its thing. it helps decompose decaying organic matter and exstracts nutrients and reproduces for survival thanks to different species of lichens and fungi both on graves and across the ground. Wildflowers grow and add colour they also have nectar for pollinating insects and invertebrates. they are a place where scavengers gulls and the crow family can look for food like invertebrates and other things that are part of there varied diet and places with trees or shrubs for thrushes, finches etc and other birds to hide from predators, mate and breed and places for there favourate food - worms and even fruit like berrys during the cold months. they are home to squirrels and various other species of wildlife too and this is why I go and take pictures
this is the bird photos from after the trip. I did some birdwatching out the window.
I forgot to add these
Mum and Dad put a bowl out for them to drink out of.
Magpie
Blackbird- brown blackbirds are females or juviniles while the familer completely black with yellowish orange
beak are males
this one is a very good example of a Juvenile. it is growing its adult feathers which is why half of him is black and
the other half is brown
this one is a great tit -scientific name Parus Major are identifiable by there black hood, white cheaks yellow tummy with a black bib
aswell as there call that sounds like a squaky toy. unforunatly this one has avian pox which creates tumor like heads which is what the inflated thing is on it is and theres more ocurances of it in the Great tit- parus major during the late summer months
Juvenile Blackbird
thanks. yes its a ruddy darter
I found it, but it is still from the front, but it has the full view.
I've not reduced the picture in size, so maybe the legs will help.
I'm out for the day soon, so I may not get a chance to reply for a while.
I can't believe that I said butterfly when you had only just told me! Oops! There was plane (biplane) from the 1930s called a Tiger Moth.
A Tiger Moth found with Google
one thing I also meant to add in the comment for the dragonfly from what I can see at the angle I have so far its likely to be a ruddy darter. one of the distinguishing features that can help distinguish the common red darter from the ruddy darter is that the common red darter has a cream or yellow stripe on the legs whereas the ruddy darter has all black legs but im not sure if they might be hidden in the photo or not but it might not be. theres also a few other features that point to the possibility of it being ruddy darter but other identification features like the segmonts on the back of the tail can also help with identification so shots from the side and behind can be helpful and can even help seperate similar species when it comes to dragonflys same with damselflys aswell. shots from the front are also helpful aswell not just the side or the back but if you only manage to get the back or side which can happen alot that can still help with identification. so if you have a picture from the back on the pc that would be really helpful and I cant wait to see it when you post it today
it sure is. there is also alot of concern by people in general as in by and for people who arnt farmers about there decline aswell cause its such a cause for concern since they pollinate plants that produce food for people to harvest ready to eat
thats ok. the moth is a moth not a butterfly. some moths are colourful rather than plain while others developed to survive useing camaflage
most butterflys are colourful which is why colourful moths can be mistakened for butterflys some even use both colour and camaflage rather than just color this is the case for moths. some like moths in fact are very good mimics for instsnce theres one called thr brimstone Butterfly whos wings mimics leafs so much so it can be mistakened for a leaf. as for moths alot if them evolved for camafage some species others evolved to stand out like the Cinabar moth for example and the scarlet tiger is one of those moths
Thanks. I'm glad that I have both the caterpillar and the butterfly. I didn't know. I may have the back of the dragonfly on my PC. I will try and look tomorrow.
the top species is called the scarlet Tiger moth and the caterpillar at the bottom is Scarlet tiger moth caterpillar the scarlet tigers distribution is very local in other words it has a localised distribution- it is mostly common to south and south west of england and wales and has isolated populations in Kent aswell.
the photo in the middle is a dragonfly. dragonflys have large eyes that face upwards whereas damselfys dont. it is one of the main ways of telling between the two. not the only way but one of the big identification clues
it is a red darter but I cant be certain of the species of red darter dragonfly cause I cant see the back of its tail or the behind aswell and that can help with identification aswell but there are different species of red darter. 2 of the most common species of red darter in the uk though is the common red darter and the ruddy darter
The lack of pollinators is a concern, to many UK Farmers. Their livelihoods depend on pollinators.
Plus, the trees in built-up areas reduce the temperature in summer to a more tolerable level.
I took these last year. Do you know what they are? I have no idea, but was lucky to take the pictures.
heres 2 that I saw in 2022. not at this same location but somewhere else to use as an example
both of these are ladybeetle larvae like the one I saw at the graveyard today
this is the next stage. pupae.
if you see one of these its a ladybeetle in one of the
stages in the ladybeetle cycle like the larvae. except this stage comes after the larvae stage
this is the stage before it turns into a ladybeetle
the ladybeetles life cycle goes like this first ladybeetles lay eggs
then the next stage is a larvae where they go through different stages of development called instars then the stage after that is pupae after that stage its adult.
Wow! I never knew that was what they looked like at first! See, we learn things. I'm in my 50s and you've taught me something new.
thanks.if you mean the long spiky looking one next to the adult ladybeetle/ladybird its a lady beetle larvae. one of the stages of the ladybeetle life cycle.
Lovely pictures, Zo. I particularly like that caterpillar!