Thursday, 30 July 2020

Reliving Childhood Memories

We had arranged to meet up of a socially distanced lunch with friends at Woodhall Spa's Teahouse in the Woods. As well as a very enjoyable lunch and catch-up it gave me an opportunity to revisit some childhood haunts and make some images for a project on 'Childhood and Memory' that I am working on in which I am combining images of today with family archive shots and historical photographs.

We began with a walk through the town where I particularly wanted some shots of the site of the old Woodhall Spa Station and level crossing, especially with the post office, the original building, in the background.

From the 'crossroads' now a roundabout we wandered through the woods where we used to play. After photographing the Spa Baths, now derelict and waiting restoration, and the Kinema in the Woods, we drove down Green Lane to Mill Lane to photograph the house where my parents lived when I was born. There is an old family photo of me as a toddler sitting in the field opposite with the old mill tower in the background. Although a row of bungalows has been build in front of the field, it is still possibe to get into and we enjoyed recreating the photo. We were also able to walk down to the river.

Next came Kirkby Lane and the old reservoir where I used to go and play with a friend whose father managed the waterworks. This is now Kirkby Moor LWT nature reserve and the old scots pine tree on the moor that we used to climb has now died and fallen over, but I am pleased to say that it is still there. As an added bonus the heather was just coming into flower.

Finally it was time for a brew of tea by the car and then home for fish cake chips and mushy peas.

To view large, please click on an image.

Common Darter

'The House, Mill Lane'

Tea House in the Woods

Looking along the old railway to the station

St Peter's Church

The site of Woodhall Spa Station

Site of the level crossing with the post office to the left

Station Road

Janet's was once Hundleby's Grocers where mum used to shop

St Andrew's Church Yard

Station Road from 'The Crossroads'

'The Woods'

The Spa Baths

The Kinema in the Woods

The Newt Pond

River Witham

'The House, Mill Lane'

Path along the edge of Ostler's Plantation

The Climbing Tree

Monday, 27 July 2020

A Breezy Day at Rimac

A Breezy Day at Rimac.

As a good day was forecast for Sunday, we decided to head for Rimac, part of the Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe National Nature Reserve on the Lincolnshire coast. Although it was a warm and pleasant day it turned out to be very breezy which made insect photography challenging (20C and 13mph SW wind). On arrival I made for the large pond on the freshwater marsh, hoping for dragonflies, particularly emperor. There were plenty of dragonflies about but only darters. Damselflies were on the wing as well and I was pleased to get a shot of an emerald.

Floristically, the reserve was looking very attractive, the grassy old dunes a riot of colour and studded with yellows, blues, pinks and purples. Flowers included catsear, hawkbits, birdsfoot trefoil, lots of common centaury, vipers bugloss, eyebright, red clover, white campion, yarrow, mignonette and ladies bedstraw. Dewberries were starting to produce their luscious blackberry-like fruits and on the freshwater marsh were marsh helleborine with marsh and pyramidal orchids well past their best.

Butterflies included meadow browns, ringlet small skippers, peacocks, gatekeeper and male and female common blue. We enjoyed watching a marsh harrier for a brief spell before returning to the car for a brew and some lunch.

Refreshed we made another sortie before driving back to Saltfleet to have a look at Paradise Lagoon. I was well pleased to find 11 black-tailed godwit, replendent in summer plumage. I even managed some photographs, although they were quite distant.

Before returning home we called in at Howden's Pullover and I was delighted to see a stunning display of sea lavender turning the salt marsh into a haze of lilac. Who needs Provencal lavender? Well, maybe, but the Lincolnshire coast at this time of year is as good as it gets. There was even a whimbrel calling.

A magical day.

To view large please click on an image.

Male common Blue

Female Common Blue

Male common Blue

Emerald Damselfly

Gatekeeper

Ruddy Darter, Male

Ruddy Darter, Female

Ruddy Darter, Male

Black-Tailed Godwit

Sea Levender

Wednesday, 22 July 2020

A Butterfly Conservation Big Butterfly Count

Big Butterfly Count on the Horsefield

I was hoping today to be able to carry out my first Butterfly Conservation count of the season on the Horsefield so I was delighted when the day turned out to be warm and sunny, albeit with an indifferent start. It turned out to be, perhaps, one of my best butterfly days on my edgeland patch.

As I squeezed through the fence behind the lockup garages and crossed the first field of barley it was very dry and the crop is just showing the first hint of gold as it ripens. Hoepfully it will be a good harvest as we have had plenty of rain but sun too. It will be fingers crossed, though, as spring was very dry. In fact I was amazed when the seed was drilled, to see green shoots only a few days later; I couldn't believe at that time that there was enough moisture in the ground. When I reached the Horsefield it could be seen that we are definitely in high summer: gone are the fresh greens of spring and the meadow grasses have grown up and produced ripening seed stalks, the meadow a riot of purples, golds, bronzes and fawns with a sprinkling of yellows from buttercups, mouse-ears and trefoils as well as the bright purple of large clumps of tufted vetch. The hedges are a tangle of bramble with some still in flower, whilst others are laden with full, ripe and juicy blackberries. Either way they are a wonderful attraction for butterflies. Sloes are forming in the blackthorn hedges and it looks like being a good year for these too. Large patches of knapweed are grown up now and the flowers beginning to open; these too are attractive to butterflies. I was pleased also to find a patch of figwort and, nearby, tall yellow spikes of mignonette.

Butterflies were numerous, especially meadow browns and ringlets. I have been waiting patiently (or, perhaps, not so patiently!) for gatekeeprs to emerge and today they were on the wing in very good numbers; in fact more than I can remember on the patch. I am used to seeing them more often in the woodland burial ground over the fence. A few yellow shell moths were flying and I found singles of comma, small white and peacock. I am hoping for more peacocks soon as in the middle of June there were large tangled masses of peacock caterpillars, black and spiky, on the brambles. Several burnet moths were busy on birds foot trefoil and knapweed and a large southern hawker dragonfly helicoptered past but didn't stay for a photograph. Goldfinches must have been successful as I saw a couple of charms of both young and adult birds. Hopefully they will feed on the plentiful teasels when they are in seed and pose for some photos. At one point I stood on a mound of soil in order to secure a better angle on a meadow brown butterfly - to my cost. Suddenly I was aware that I was being bitten by ants who were not appreciative of my standing on their nest. Good news to find it though.

During my 15 minute butterfly count I found the following:

Gatekeeper 6
Small skipper 3
Meadow brown 18
Ringlet 5
Yellow shell moth 3
Large white 2
Small white 1
Comma 1

My most exciting find of the day, though, was essex skipper. Looking very much like small skippers they are difficult to differentiate, so I was delighted to find a definite two so there must be more there.

To view large, please click on an image.