Small Skippers are Fluttering

 Last week on our campus, the hot weather brought the emergence of the well named small skipper butterflies. 

These dinky orange butterflies with the wing arrangement that always makes them look like the flights of a dart were far too busy flying about to settle anywhere. 

Today, however, they were happy to feed off ragwort and pose for photographs. However, this was complicated by the fact there was a very strong wind blowing across the badlands, and so you had to find one sitting on a shorter plant that wasn't being blown almost flat to the ground. 

So I present to you this fine specimen. 

Also captured today was a new insect for me, albeit a common one. A red spotted parasite fly, so named for its sinister habit of paratising moth larvae. Of course, this was sitting on the stinky curry plant that seems to attract the underclass of the insect world!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 24.06.25

Life on the Curry Plant

 Many many years ago we tried to dig out and plant a wildflower herb garden for pollinators at the entrance to our work campus. 

It failed. The soil is terrible, we weren't given time to maintain it, and anything we have tried to plant in it recently has died, with two main exceptions. 

One is a rather nice smelling sage plant. The other is a rampant curry plant, that is currently in full flower with its little bright yellow flowers, and also smells - to my poor nose - awful, especially in hot weather. 

Plants are not supposed to smell like curry! It's just plain wrong. 

It does attract pollinators, but more flies, than bees and butterflies. However, today, it did have some very fast moving tiny bees that never settled, and I captured entirely by accident on the wing. A possible clover blunthorn bee, a species utterly unknown to me until today. I'm going on the pale patch on the face, and, er, what iNaturalist says. 

Most of the other denizens are beetles, hoverflies. flies and various less glamorous, but still important, little pollinators. 

They all have their uses. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 18.06.25

Proper Village Green Cricket

 Sunday saw us take a decent Sunday side over to Car Colston, a beautiful and nowadays very rare village green ground, with a pretty pavilion and an excellent pub on the other side of the ground.

As ever the first to arrive, I inspected the wicket to find a moss green mattress, on which I lost the toss and was put into field first.

Nominally, I was captain. However, I had the captains of the firsts, seconds and thirds in the team, and things soon turned into a herding cats exercise. 

We opened the bowling with talented youngsters, but our opponents made a fast start thanks to chonky bats that seemed to consist entirely of edges. We dod get one of the opening bats out, only to then face Flintham's Aussie overseas player, who hit some mighty bombs while I wondered what to do next. 

It wasn't all bad, as to be fair Car Colston had put up a proper village green 11 against us, comprising of a couple of a really good players, with some rustic hitters rounded up from the nearest pub. So it was kind of equal. Ish. 

I bowled a few overs - a rare thing these days - and even took a catch to much sarcastic cheering from my team-mates. Took two wickets, including the guy who made 50, and also a bearded bruiser who hit me into a hedge. 

When we batted, the wicket became rather up and down, and apart from our number 3 who cracked 86, we were always rather behind the 8 ball. Not helped by Car Csolton putting 9 men on the boundary for our gun bat, which just isn't cricket in my view. 

I did get a bat, but having spent the entire innings electronically scoring with a device that made me look like a drone pilot, I had to get ready in a hurry, and ended up facing four deliveries with no box in place. All of which I missed in a sense of self preservation. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 13.06.25

The Wildflower Meadows of the Library Nature Reserve

 The library meadows are near their peak, filling this small area with colour and the buzz of various bee and bumblebee species working their favoured blooms. 

Common blue damselflies are mating and laying eggs in the pond, while four spotted chaser dragonflies hawk for smaller prey along the hedgerows. 

It cost a lot of money for them to make it this way, probably way too much. It might be over landscaped. But it is still a beautiful place on a bright day. 

These pictures are from a few days ago, I've got a stinking cold - or something - and haven't been out around the town much. Grrrrr. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 12.06.25

Some Recent Photo Miscellania

 Let's see what nature has given me over the last few days! 

My cricket matches are normally an excellent place to find things, as we often play at some very beautiful grounds, and even the less glamorous public park grounds often have wildflower areas rich with treasures. The trouble is, I've been so busy at the games I'm not getting any time to do any of my wanderings and pokings around. 

So, work campus, and the local nature gardens have been where I've been spotting things, such as the scabious loving vestal cuckoo bumblebees, the glittering emerald swollen thighed flower beetles, and the various other buzzing things that our out and about. 

Also, not really photographed as my mobile phone isn't up to it, are the swifts that scythe around my home screaming, the whitethroats, blackcaps and chiff chaffs at work whose calls are now more recognisable to me, and the wren that sings so loudly at the library gardens. 

I hope too are finding lovely things to see. 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 09.06.25

Finally, a Victory!

 I've not blogged every game, but if you read between the lines on my cricket posts, you can probably see a common theme about this season so far. 

Every game I've played I've been on the losing side, and none of them were close. I was 0 and 5 for 2025. 

Rather rubbish, really. 

So today, I took our Sunday team out to play Wellow, on their beautifully rustic ground above the dam fishing pond, and near the Maypole I attended the celebrations at last weekend. The facilities may not be up to much, but the setting is delightful.

After a bit of negotiating with our friend the Wellow skipper, it was decided that we would bat first, on a snooker table green wicket surrounded by a tangled outfield that the Wellow mower had broken down on with the job only a quarter done. 

As ever, I went out to umpire with six little stones collected from next to the pavilion, which gradually turned my hands black. Lawnmower oil. 

Against the two paciest, and best, Wellow bowlers, it was apparent very early that the wicket was going to be a naughty one, with the ball bouncing chest high one ball, skittering along the ground the next. But after our senior opener unluckily dragged one on that kept low, two young batsmen made a really good fist of watching the ball hard, playing sensibly, and seeing off these opening bowlers, and what came after, for fifteen overs when we took drinks. 

At this point, I risked unpopularity by telling them that they had now done their job, and done it brilliantly, but it was now time to push on. 54 off 15 overs is a little light in the context of a 30 over game, and we had some power hitting in the hutch.

To their great credit, they then upped the scoring rate, one of them making the highest score in his young life of 33, which set the platform for some power hitting later on by our middle order, one of whom blasted 50 in about 35 balls. Many a ball was lost to the unripe green stalks of the adjoining cornfield. 

We closed on 174 for 5, a brilliant team effort. 

Time now to bowl, and also time for a sharp shower after a couple of overs. Again, I was unsure about most of Wellow's batting line up, and they started with a former Notts ladies player who batted with great class. But our young pair who had batted so well were up to the challenge, and got her and the other opener early doors. 

One of Wellow's opening bowlers now came on to bat, after umpiring in his pads, and he looked like he could play a bit. But after hitting me for a boundary, I got one to bounce on his and he spooned it to cover. 

After a month, my first wicket this year, and it was their gun bat, and most welcome after the drubbing I took on Saturday. I was bowling well, pushing the ball through a bit, and I soon had another wicket to end up with 2 for 7. OK, they weren't as good as Saturday's bats, but I really needed that!

The serious damage, however, was done by our second team spinner at the other end, who got some sharp turn even bowling with a slippery ball - the cricket ball that is - and took 5 for 18. Much better than me!

So, I captained us to victory and got myself off the mark for the year. I think I handled things pretty well. I'm not very good at the actual game perhaps, but I do know a fair bit about it, and how to run a Sunday game. 

And lovely house martins flew over the ground too!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 01.06.25 

Wicker Man Goings On

 Monday saw my family and I visit Wellow village for a special ceremony. Now I've played cricket here a few times, and drunk at the pub overlooked by the traditional Maypole in the village, I've never attended the May Maypole ceremony. 

It was a major occasion in the village, preceded by Morris Dancing, some rather inappropriate medieval children's entertainers who were, perhaps in the traditions of the time, rather rude, which preceded the main event, when the carefully selected children of the village carried out some dancing. 

The whole event was incredibly reminiscent of watching the classic film "The Wicker Man", and a reminder of ancient times when such ceremonies were probably accompanied by a spot of human sacrifice to go along with all the merriment. 

Nowadays, the bloodiest events are probably the arguments between the mums of the village, fighting tooth and nail about whose daughter gets to be May Queen, or the train holder, or the flower girl. Like something out of "The Archers". 

Probably families not speaking to each other to this day. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 28.05.25

The Other Kind of Wildlife

 Saturday's cricket adventure took us out to play Trent Bridge CC, a new league club for this year, at the tank trap wicket at Farnborough Road Rec. 

Situated atop a Table Mountain like plateau, the wicket is well known to us as one of the worst in the county, and it already looked like nothing had changed before some of the local characters had ridden across it on moto-cross bikes while we got ready. 

Indeed, it seemed to be quite the Saturday meeting place for young families to get their young toddlers to go helmet-less quad biking around the park. Luckily they left the playing area alone when we got started, although we had some walkthroughs from local teenagers who gave us a mouthful when we respectfully asked them to get off the field. 

Our opposition was always going to be a mismatch, containing as it did several players who had moved from other clubs that played at a high standard, including a wicket keeper who played for Attenborough 2s last year, probably about ten divisions higher than us. Thus their decision to put us into bat, a mix of oldsters and 13 year olds playing their first league game, seemed an odd one. It basically prevented us getting anything out of the game for our young bowlers.

Perhaps they were worried about being run over by a three year old on a quad bike. 

Predictably, we were shot out for 43 on a wicket which alternated between bouncing shoulder high and ankle high, particularly at the end which the moto cross bikes had ridden over. I was pleased to score one run and bat for a few overs though. 

They then knocked the runs off in five overs, so no need for me to turn my arm over, although I dropped a stinging catch which I tried to go for one handed as my body got confused as to what to do. 

After the sun came out and began to scorch the earth after a freezing start, we left to take in some proper cricket at Burton Joyce with the first team, before going back home to watch the seconds. 

That was a lot of cricket for one day. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 19.05.25

The Red Mason Bee

 On our campus I've seen a few of these very vivid little solitary bees feeding off rock cranesbill and rosemary., while at home I sometimes see one inspecting my walls for a suitable nest hole in the brickwork. 

They are fast moving and hard to photograph; the ones that visit my garden never stop for a second, but when they are feeding you have a chance if 1 you are very quick, and 2, very lucky. 

Emphasis on the very lucky.

I hope you too have seen some interesting insects during this fine dry weather. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 15.05.25

Freezing in Upton

 Sunday took us to play Upton, our traditional friendly game season opener, and the fact that we were playing a great bunch of guys with a tea in the offing, was rather off-set by the fact that it "a bit chilly".

I lie. It was freezing, freezing cold. Upton's ground is high upon a Trent Valley plateau, and the wind swept in from the Arctic North over the ground. No chance of a buzzard or red kite flyover today. Or even getting in the ground, as Upton's keyholder was a bit late so cars were hogging the narrow lane the ground lies beside. 

Facing a strong Upton side with a keen, but very young, team of our own - it was me keeping the average age above 18 - it was agreed that Upton should bat first in a 35 over game. 

They did very well, but so did we. All five of our young players, two of them being young ladies making their debuts in senior hard ball cricket, did a fantastic job with bat and ball. They took wickets, kept things tight, and batted really well. 

It was myself that let the side down, bruised tailbone rendering me virtually immobile in the field, not helped by some kind of panic attack that made me lose my nerve and not want to field the ball I couldn't bend over to field anyway. I had to resort to fielding with my feet, resulting in some painful whacks on the ankle. 

My bowling suffered from being at two very good bats, both of whom wiped me to the boundary whenever I dropped a fraction short, which was ineptly too often. 

When we batted - we had no chance of winning but were out to acquit ourselves well - I found myself umpiring for twenty overs in the bitter cold, but at least got a chance to watch our youngsters bat really well in close up. Far better than I could, I got out first ball while falling over to a leg stump yorker. 

I wanted to put a bag over my head, and plugs in my ears to drown out the endless mickey taking by my older team-mates. 

I felt like I never wanted to play cricket again until tonight, when I had an ok net bowling. The feeling that there might be a golden day one day comes back. Ha ha. 

Luckily, these young players we have will have plenty of golden days. 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 08.05.25

Cricket is Back

 Feeling low on confidence, it was finally time to return to the greensward to play for our second team against Coddington and Winthorpe at our home grown, on a day where when the sun was out it was pleasant, and when it wasn't it was freezing. 

Even the local buzzards stayed home most of the day, although a great tit was busy at its nest in a tree, and what sounded like a whitethroat was singing away. 

Playing way above my pay grade, and with a bruised lower back from a fall hampering my movement, it fell to me to go out to umpire. Our new opening bat rather eye-openingly hit his first ball for 6 with a lovely lazy flick over square leg, which gave me a chance to stretch my arms up and stay warm, but in the main it was a hard slog for out batters on a slightly up and down wicket against good accurate bowling. 

Getting the ball away was very difficult, and at 50 for 5 things were looking very dicey indeed. But our young all rounder partnered our older all rounder, and supported him well as he blasted a 50 against the support bowlers. 

The third team captain blasted a big 6 too. I thought I'd mention that so he lets me bowl in the next third team game. 

I did have a bat, as usual against the rampant returning opening bowler, but I managed to survive two whole deliveries without too much difficulty or physical injury and suggested to my batting partner that he should now take the bowling apart. 

He was caught out two balls later, but it was the right plan! 

We closed on 129, which at least was something to bowl at. Alas Coddington's batters were talented and experienced, and our bowlers were very young. Or very old and rubbish in my case. Or new player looked the part though with a sharp spell that removed one of the openers LBW, but otherwise in the sunshine now it seemed like a different wicket. 

I fielded ok by my lamentable standards, and I did get a bowl, which was unexpected. But I was too slow and a little short, and all I did was finish the game a little quicker. 

Still, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I wold, and it was good to be out there again. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 03.05.25 

Tawny Mining Bee, Among Others

 Well, we are in a spell of lovely weather, and spring feels like it has properly sprung now, with butterflies on the wing today - of which more in another post. 

I've been loving visiting Sconce Park, reading and drinking tea at the cafe while listening to cricket on the radio, before walking through the park wildlife hunting. This weekend has been superb, with the highlight being my first ever capture of a tawny mining bee feeding off blossom. 

These stunning yellow and deep gold solitary bees are usually seen flying around at low level around the patches of dry dirt where they make their mini-volcano like homes, but I managed to catch one on the lovely crisp white blossom, and somehow got decent photographs despite my phone camera really struggling with the sun. 

There were other small bees about too, one in the old oak wood being a suspected short fringed mining bee, while another on blossom being perhaps an early mining bee. 

All hail iNaturalist!

Well, I hope you are finding some rewarding spring sights as well!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 07.04.25