Sunbathing Dragonflies

 For some reason, the cycle track bridge over the A1 becomes a favourite sunbathing spot for dragonflies this time of year. 

More specifically, common darters, and even more specifically today, female common darters, three of which were out enjoying autumn sun on the bridge today, their huge brown eyes following me as I tried to get photographs. 

Most of the time, dragonflies are pretty skittish and hard to photograph, but at this time of the year with colder nights - and it was chilly last night - they take a while to warm up and are a bit more amenable to posing for irritating photographers.

The coralberry bushes were busy too today, lots of bees going like hooligans at the last of the flowers. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 23.09.25

The Last of late Season Colour

 The warm weather disappeared largely very quickly, replaced by unsettled weather and occasionally heavy rain that blocked my guttering and caused water to run down my kitchen and living room walls. 

Plaster wrecked, good job I'm renting. 

Back issues have eased, but sciatica remains an issue some mornings when I wake up. I get into some mad positions when I sleep. 

So, what's out there?

White butterflies are still around, honey bees too and bufftailed and common carder bumblebees. All feeding of the last flowers in bloom - hawkbut, bristly oxe tongue, the occasional creeping thistle. Ivy mining bees have also been around feeding off guess what ivy flowers. 

I'll show you what I've found. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 20.09.25

Photo Dump amid more Health Issues

 Summer's over, Autumn begins, and with that I've had a sudden spike in Tourettes, IBS and eczema symptoms. Joyous stuff. Goes to show how neurodiverse conditions, GI issues and skin troubles are all linked. 

That being said, I've still got out there briefly, to take photos at the library gardens or on my work campus, waving my Pixel 6A around and getting strange looks from a few folk as always!

Let's see what we found, starting with a small white butterfly I found in the library gardens nature reserve today. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 04.09.25 

Idle Valley Nature Reserve

 My stepfather and I recently took a trip out to Retford to visit Idle Valley Nature reserve, the biggest Notts Wildlife Trust reserve, larger even than Attenborough. It was a typically blustery September day for 2024, although the rain just about stayed off us for the afternoon. 

After a wrong turn, we arrived at the site with its colourful mural, and, er, sculpture of a beaver made out of drinks cans. For beavers are the big stars here, introduced in the last few years but kept in a corner of the reserve where visitors are only allowed on special occasions. 

Perhaps to be fed to the beavers, I have no idea. 

After a sausage sandwich in the cafe, it was time to head off for a circuit of the large main lake. As ever with these sorts of places, the more interesting the wildlife, the further you have to trek to find it and the harder it is to see, so we just kept to the short path through a farm of chunky black sheep and viking horned cattle, and then around the water. 

There wasn't a huge amount to see out there, just the standard canada geese, swans and mallards with a few tufted duck thrown in, but what there was in large numbers where the lake is skirted by the clean flowing River Idle, by golly were there lots of dragonflies. 

The rulers of the dragonfly clans are the emperors, large neon blue creations with the ability to fly seemingly faster than the eye can see. One minute they would be eyeing you up from a few metres away, then they'd immediately be on the other side of the river as if they'd been teleported. 

Then there are the inquisitive southern hawkers, nearly as large but a bright yellow-green colour. They like to fly up close to you and give you a good going over with their eerie large eyes. The migrant hawkers, a slightly less vivid blue than the emperors are the most numerous big dragonfly species in the area, and the blood red common darters like to pretend to allow you to photograph them before cheekily flying off when you get near enough to get a shot off. 

A new species to me was a delicate, glittering willow emerald damselfly, but these things are like ghosts, you just can't get them in focus. 

Lack of quality photos aside, we had a lovely afternoon, and I'd love to visit again to explore the further reaches of the reserve. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 02.10.24

The Ivy Mining Bees are Back

 It's hard to believe that Saturday was a beautiful day, seeing as rain has now been falling continuously for over 24 hours, but I got out for a trip down the park to read "Dune" - well, it had to be done eventually - and also to scan the flowering ivy to see if any ivy bees were about. 

I found a bush near the park, and the bees were all over it! Beautiful bees, with their gleaming yellow bands on the abdomen and in my view second only to the tawny mining bee in terms of their good looks. 

With it having been such a grim summer for pollinators - I can't remember seeing a single tree bumblebee this year - it is nice to see some insects in decent numbers. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 22.09.24

Tiny Moths and Tiny Hoverflies

 A few days of very pleasant weather this week, which has brought out various insects to the remaining flowers in parks and gardens around town.

One such specimen, a tiny pepper type moth, found its way to random groundsel growing in one of my planters, while an equally tiny glodetail hoverfly visited cranesbill in a church planter. 

In the park, there's been shield bugs reading my book, and ladybirds watching me drink shandy.

It has been a rare good week for nature this week, I'd say. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 19.09.24

A Silver Y in my Marigolds

 Went into my little stamp sized garden this morning, and immediately my attention was drawn to the planter where I repotted marigolds I bought from the local flower shop a couple of months ago. 

They've done very well, but they are fading now. Best £2.40 I've spent on plants. 

What I initially thought was a bit of dead flower on the edge of the planter turned out to be a sleepy silver y moth! It went and hid under the flowers for a little while, before coming out to sun itself on a flower head, fibrillating its wings as it warmed up, before flying off. 

However, before it did so, I did manage to get a decent photograph of this day flying moth. 

It was a busy day, flutterer wise. The top flowers on my buddleia are being visited by red admirals, and I found a small tortoiseshell sunning itself on my wall, leaving a very gothic looking shadow on the brickwork. 

I add in a few pictures from the library gardens yesterday too. We've had a couple of nice days since the hailstorm insanity earlier in the week. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 14.09.24

Rare to see Colourful Butterflies this Year

 The weather we've had over the last few seasons, with so much flooding and wet weather around, certainly seems to have affected our butterflies for the worse. 

Not the high summer species like meadow brown, ringlet and small skipper - there's been plenty of those about - but the butterfly species that hibernate in their imago state that also tend to be the most colourful. Barely a brimstone, small tortoiseshell, peacock and comma to be seen in the spring, which has had a knock on effect on the butterflies seen in late summer. 

Hardly surprising!

However, I did come across this small tortoiseshell, a very vivid and beautiful one, that brightened up my day rather.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 09.09.24

Life on the Sedum

 There's nothing at work but bristly ox tongue, but on Sconce Park there are still plants in bloom that the pollinators love. 

The deep pink sedum that grows in the "Mini Sconce" in front of the cafe is proving particularly attractive to honey bees, and after I have had my cup of tea and old school can of Barr's lemonade, I like to go over and have a look and see who is having dinner there.

This post then, is just an excuse to put up a lovely photo I managed to get of two bees. I hope you like it.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 24.09.23