Saturday 10 April 2021

Wall Speedwell?


I think this is Wall Speedwell but the tiny flowers look way more mauve than anything I can find online. I'd really help any help/suggestions.

Again, nothing bird-wise but yesterday there were 4 Wheatears and a Willow Warbler on Orcombe, marking a mini-upsurge in migration!


Musk Stork's-bill


Bee species - Edit - thank you to Nick for the id - Grey-patched Mining Bee.


Pond Snail


Bush Vetch


Small Tortoiseshell


I don't know what it is about this flower but I just love it - Rue-leaved Saxifrage on the Maer this afternoon.

This lone Snake's-head Fritillary is underneath the public footpath sign, nearest the Geoneedle.

8 comments:

  1. Just catching up with some of your posts Matt. I would agree with Wall Speedwell which is certainly common here.

    Your bee is a male Andrena sp, but I'd hesitate going further as I'm only just getting into these & the males (longer antennae than females) are trickier than the fair sex.

    I'm getting fed up with the near constant cold at the moment.

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  2. Hi Neil - I'm getting fed up with the cold too. Migration has been put on hold down here. I've got a feeling I've been seeing Wall Speedwell and passing it off as Early Forget-me-not. Have learned you've got to get down really low and look really hard! Planning a trip to Dorset, for the Early Spiders, next week. Fingers crossed. All the best. Matt

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  3. Hi Matt, pretty sure your bee is a male Andrena nitida - Grey patched mining bee. See https://www.flickr.com/photos/63075200@N07/12021385646/in/album-72157639922243985/

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  4. Ah - thanks Nick. I really need to work on Bees! Good to hear from you, as always. All the best. Matt

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  5. Hi Matt, a flower species worth looking out for at the time of the year until end of May on The Maer is Spring Beauty (Claytonia perfoliata). There is an old record of it at SY007802 in 1994 and 2001. I have looked three times in vain. (Andrew Cunningham)

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  6. Hi Andrew - there's at least one fairly decent-sized patch on the Maer - see my post for 5/4. I hadn't appreciated the significance of the record. Please let me know if you're keen to see it and I can try and direct you to it, or perhaps meet you there. All the best. Matt

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  7. Hello Matt, I must apologise. I wrote that comment then completely forgot about it until today. I expect the flowers have finished by now. The irony is that we went to Exmouth sea front on the 21st to look at the sea for the first time since February 2020! Next year.

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  8. They were in flower when we saw them in Brittany a few years ago so, if you could let us know then we may try again this week.

    Regards,
    Andrew.

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