Parks A Haven For All Kinds Of Wildlife

So many parks sprang up when old tips were bulldozed over and grass and new trees planted ,the ground was too unstable for building houses so new green areas emerged,one such park is the John Smiths Playing Field at Longridge.I remember when the place was a huge tip,Rats and Vermin were common place as were weasels and stoats,i even remember before that when the trains used to run from the stone quarries down to Preston.Nowadays the wildlife has returned with a vengeance as i hope this will show, a great picture to start off was one of a Yellow Tailed Mouse that i got within a foot of,he was enjoying a good feed on some seeds and it was a good job i am not a Owl or it would of been his last supper.

Yellow Tailed Mouse eating seeds.
Just a bit further on a flash of brilliant colour caught my eye and a Black and Red Frog hopper came in to view ,this is one of the largest Frog hoppers ,they and the smaller Frog hoppers are better seen some times as the tiny bug inside Cuckoo Spit .

Black and Red Frog hopper.
There are many old tunnels in the park and i noticed activity of bats by chewed off moth wings on the floor these tunnels have a wealth of ferns and flora growing all around them.

Old Railway Tunnel with Bats hiding away.

Walls festooned with Ivy great hiding place for Bats and Bird Nests.

In the shadow of the bridge fantastic Ferns flourish.

Going back out in to the light of the park a pair of Large Skipper Butterflies were busy enjoying a private moment after all the wet and cold weather i was pleased to see some out.

Large Skippers breeding.

There was a good range of flowers out as well and most had a good range of bees on them.

Red Tail Bumble Bee.

Red Campion .

Welsh Poppies.

                        Where the sides of the banks had worn away over periods of time a tree was clinging to life by sending its roots out looking to keep a purchase on the bank.

A maze of Tree roots there was a Robin nest among them with chirping young.

A multitude of Fungi in a shady spot.

This park also has a nature trail to follow its about a mile round walk and you get to see some fantastic descriptions of all kinds of trees ,dogs are also welcome as long as you clean up after them, if you ever get the chance try and visit it you there is also a play area for the children,and from the top of the park is a wonderful view of the countryside all around.

Nature man Andy.

Our Amazing Beautiful Moths

While you are tucked up in bed as the light fades outside,a whole new generation of Moths prepares to take to the wing,some Moths are day fliers but most emerge as the night sky beckons,many times flying in to a room and going round and round a light bulb,most moth activity can peak on moist humid nights when they will emerge in their thousands.
One of the ways to catch and log the type of moths flying is by use of a moth trap, a device that lets you catch Moths safely by enticing them to a strong light that then lets them slide in to a darkened container waiting to be examined, these darkened areas are usually full of empty egg boxes that keep the moths safe and hidden away.

My Moth Trap in full Glow.

There are hundreds of species of moths and over the last week here are some that i have captured taken their pictures ,recorded the data then released.

Popular Hawk Moth.
This large Moth is unusual in that the lower wings are higher up than the front wings, this is a large Moth and one i am always being asked to identify.

The Peppered Moth.
A wonderful moth now in decline in this area of Lancashire.

Common White Wave.
So delicate a wonderful Moth.

The Brimstone Moth.
Yellow and Browns a vibrant Moth.

The Cinnabar Moth .
Can also fly during the day found on Ragwort and Thistle.

Yellow Under wing.
A Brown set of upper wings that hide a Wonderful set of yellow under wings.

Small Magpie Moth.

White Ermine Moth.

Garden Carpet Moth.

Elephant Hawk Moth.
A wonderful Coloured moth stunning pinks and greens.
As time goes on i will keep putting up what i catch and record,Moths are a staple diet of bats and other birds and spiders but one ingenious moth the Garden Tiger also makes a noise like a bat so is left alone i will hopefully find one of these moths in the next few weeks and share with you,as well as some of the plainer moths as well .
Hope you have enjoyed these pictures and on my next moth blog i will show you how to tempt the moths that are not attracted to light ,don't be scared of them they are wonderful ,till next time take care and happy nature spotting  Nature Man Andy.

Our wonderful Bumble bees

As the first warming rays of early sun caress the undergrowth in late February ,early March the first of our Bumble Bees start to emerge from their winter sleep, these are all Queen Bees their large size and slow flight giving them away,some times you will see them crawling slowly on the floor and you might think they are dying but they need some sunshine to gain energy,most of the early flowers they feed on are yellow but exceptions like willow are commonly used as soon as the Queen feds herself she gathers a small amount of nectar and goes looking for a nest site,commonly this will be a old mouse or vole hole, holes in walls and banking's anywhere were she feels safe and warm.
The Queen then lays a few eggs and gathers more nectar to feed herself , she keeps the eggs warm by vibrating her muscles making warmth,these first eggs when they hatch are all female bees or workers,much smaller than the Queen and as soon as they can fly they start to gather nectar,clean the nest and guard the Queen who now her first job done will not leave the nest again .

Queen Buff Tail Bumble Bee in the sunshine recharging her body.

Queen Carder Bee on Daffodils.

Queen Red Tail Bumble Bee on Willow.
As soon as the first brood of Bees has taken too the wing the Queen then goes in to major egg production she is a amazing insect,she can make either male,female or Queen bees at will,as she feels what the nest needs,the male bees she uses for mating and these bees have a short but fruitful life,they carry no sting and when they leave the nest can be distinguished by having no nectar baskets on their legs as they do not collect for the nest just themselves.The best time to see these males is late summer when all the new Queens fly the nest and need to breed before they hibernate, many times 6 or 7 males will try to attend the same Queen.
Bumble Bees are crucial to the pollination of our flowers and trees so the decline in their numbers due to habitat loss and pesticides is a real concern many farmers are now leaving a small area on the edges of fields free growing so to try and help the Bees.Another bone of contention is the spread of Himalayan Mountain Balsam this fast growing alien invader has sprung up everywhere and to some nature lovers is a plant that needs eradicating but to bee lovers it could be the plant that helps save our Bees.
In 1993 a new species of Bee was spotted in the UK and has spread like wildfire it is the Tree Bumble Bee and had a brown head and a white bum this Bee likes to nest in bird boxes and holes in trees and seems to be doing no harm to our native bees.

Tree Bumble Bee.
One of our less common Bees is the Tawny Mining Bee,this beautiful small bee lives a solitary life making a small hole in lawns and parks and then laying a single egg with some nectar in the hole as well,it flies between April and July and once seen is never forgotten with its bright yellow and red body.

Tawny Mining Bee.
We have six common species of Bumble bee,the Buff tailed Bumble Bee, White Tail Bumble Bee, Common Garden Bumble  Bee, Tree Bumble Bee, Carder Bee, and Early Bumble Bee.
At the end of the year all the new Queens fly the nest looking to mate with the male Bees and the rest of the old nest Bees and old Queens slowly die out they are wonderful creatures and without them our flora would be decimated ,at the moment the Clover is out everywhere and is alive with bees try seeing how many types you can recognise.
Another type of Bumble Bee is the Cuckoo bee this is a bee that will infiltrate a nest and sting the resident Queen to death then take over her duties using the old Queens workers and drones to bring up her own brood ,this bee like the male bees has no baskets for pollen,but does have a sting.

Honey bees.
The Honey bee is a altogether different insect it can grow in huge colonies with just one Queen serving the whole hive ,if that Queen dies then a worker bee is fed a special food called Royal Jelly by the other worker bees and she then becomes a queen herself ,the honey bees do not all die out in the winter like most Bumble bees but huddle together keeping warm by vibrating their wings more about these amazing bees another time.Keep your eyes peeled for all these and more and if you take some pictures please look them up on the Internet and see what species you have seen .
Nature man Andy.