July Wildlife Sightings from a garden in Annan

The variety of birds in the garden is still quite disappointing again this month. Summer is always a quiet time for birds but the number of sparrows is encouraging  - they seem to enjoy sitting next to one another around the top of the holly bush! Some baby sparrows are even still being fed by parents.

We have enjoyed watching the goldfinches feeding too. 

 

 

Monthly max of birds is as follows:

Blackbird - 1 Male, 1 female, 2 young

Blue tit - 1 young

Collared dove - 1

Dunnock - 2 adult, 2 young

Goldfinch - 4 adult, 1 young

House sparrow - 30 adults and young

Rook - 1

Starling - 8

Swift - 45

Woodpigeon - 2

Wren - 1

Moths have finally started to appear in greater numbers this month:

3rd July saw 64 moths of 32 different species.

11th July saw 43 moths of 22 different species.

16th July saw 80 moths of 41 different species.

20th July saw 58 moths of 33 different species.

25th July saw 72 moths of 26 different species.

3 new micro moths for the garden this year in July are Archips podana, Spilonota ocellana and Carcina quercana.

 

 

We were out mothing one evening this month when we heard a loud rustling in the hedge, and there was our hedgehog again! We don't see it very often but it is lovely when we do. We watched it wandering up and down the path before it disappeared back under the hedge and then all we could hear was loud snuffling. Surprise, surprise it then returned with a young hoglet! (Have now learned that a young hedgehog is known as a hoglet.) The pair of them wandered about for a short while before disappearing again.

With the sunny days we have finally had this month, and the blooming of the buddleias, the butterflies have started to appear too!

Green-veined white - 1

Large white - 3

Peacock - 1

Red Admiral - 1

Small tortoiseshell - 3

Small white - 1

 

There are loads of bees around however, which is lovely to see.We have seen white/buff-tailed bees, red-tailed bees, honey bees, carder bees and wool-carder bees in numbers that are increasing.

DGERC species to look out for:

 

Japanese knotweed

Fallopia japonica is probably the most well-known invasive non-native plant in the UK. Originally from E. Asia it is a tall bamboo-like plant that grows in dense thickets. The stems grow in a zig-zag fashion and the leaves are large and shield-shaped with a flat base. In late summer they produce a froth of white flowers. The dead stems persist into winter, regrowing the following year from underground rhizomes. Efforts are ongoing to control it.

 

Grass of parnassus

Parnassia palustris is not actually a grass, but a saxifrage! It flowers from Jun to Sep often growing in groups in boggy areas. The flowers grow on the top of an unbranched stem, 6-12 inches in height. They are white with 5 petals, and each petal is grooved with greenish veins.

 

American skunk cabbage

Lysichiton americanum is an invasive non-native species with large yellow flowers (can be up to 45cm) resembling Wild Arum. They can be identified by the strong odour they emit - from which they get their common name. They can grow up to 1.5m high and can make dense stands, overshadowing native species. Often associated with wetland sites, but can be found in other soils too.

 

Common soldier beetle

Rhagonycha fulva is the commonest of about 40 different soldier beetles in the UK. It is a narrow, oblong-shaped beetle about 1cm long, orange-red in colour, with dark tips at the ends of their wing cases. There are other similar red soldier beetles but none have the dark tips to the wing cases. They are usually found feeding on Hogweed or other umbellifers during the summer - often in large numbers. Their habit of copulating on these flower heads has given them the alternative name of Hogweed Bonking Beetles!

Send any records to DGERC.

Thanks to ARKive.org and DGERC for photos.