Buddleja, Buddleja davidii. This extremely successful shrub (sometimes referred to as the butterfly bush) is frequently seen beside railway lines, but has the ability to self seed and establish with no difficulty on brick structures such as bridges where its roots break up masonry over a quite short period of time. It is very popular with bees, butterflies, moths and […]
Buff-tailed bumble bee, Bombus terrestris. One of the more abundant bumble bees that can even be seen through the winter. Large species with light buff tails or white in the case of worker bees which makes them difficult to distinguish from the White-tailed bumblebee. If you see one, it’s probably a buff tailed worker. The queen’s tail is definitely buff […]
Bullfinch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula. The male is unmistakable with his bright pinkish-red breast and cheeks, grey back, black cap and tail, and bright white rump. The flash of the rump in flight and the sad call note are usually the first signs of bullfinches being present. They feed voraciously on the buds of various trees in spring and were once a ‘pest’ […]
Canadian Goldenrod, Solidago canadensis. As its name suggests it is native to northeastern and north-central North America. It forms colonies of upright growing plants, with many small yellow flowers in a branching inflorescence held above the foliage. It is an invasive plant that was imported to be grown as an ornamental in flower gardens. It is highly popular with a […]
Carrion crow, Corvus corone. The all-black carrion crow is one of the cleverest, most adaptable of our birds. It is often quite fearless, although it can be wary of man. They are fairly solitary, usually found alone or in pairs. The closely related hooded crow has recently been split as a separate species. Carrion crows will come to gardens for food […]
Chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs. The chaffinch is the UK’s second commonest breeding bird, and is arguably the most colourful of the UK’s finches. Its patterned plumage helps it to blend in when feeding on the ground and it becomes most obvious when it flies, revealing a flash of white on the wings and white outer tail feathers. It does not feed openly […]
Chiffchaff, Phylloscopus collybita. A small olive-brown warbler which actively flits through trees and shrubs, with a distinctive tail-wagging movement. Less bright than the similar willow warbler and readily distinguished by its song, from where it gets its name. Picks insects from trees and also flies out to snap them up in flight. Seen all year round, but most arrive in late […]
Cinquefoil, Potentilla. Typical cinquefoil looks similar to wild strawberry but has dry inedible fruit. Flowers are usually yellow but may be pinkish, white or even red. In heraldry the cinquefoil emblem was used to signify strength, power, honour and loyalty and was used in the architecture of many churches throughout the 15th century. WT
Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara. Flowering as early as February, Coltsfoot has large Dandelion like flowers but it’s the round middle of the flower that is almost daisy-like that makes it easy to identify. The shape of the leaves were thought to resemble a colt’s foot and local variations carry this on – ass’s foot and horse-hoof being two such names. Photo: […]
Comma, Polygonia c-album. A sudden decline meant that in 1920 there were only two sightings in the UK. By 1930 the population recovered and it is now one of the more familiar butterflies. The species survives the winter in the adult stage or can hibernate. Larvae that develop early in the season go on to produce another generation. It gets its […]
