Thorncombe Village Trust - caring for Thorncombe's environment
A new addition to the site - please send in or tell us about things you have seen
in the area, anything to do with nature, from toads to toadstools, and herons to
hailstones. Photos will be a great help and can be uploaded onto the site.
As items are added they will gradually build up a picture of the changing seasons………
To start us off - a member sent this in ( March 2013)
“at the end of February we went for a lovely walk along the footpaths next to Synderford
River and Stonelake Brook and saw fantastic displays of snowdrops.”
April 2013:
The unusually cold weather has held back early spring flowers, but they can now be
seen, especially in sheltered spots around the parish:
April 2013:
“alongside the usual siskins, greenfinches and goldfinches, we have also been getting
bullfinches and redpolls on the birdfeeders too - as well as very tame black-caps!”
With
thanks to www.birdguides.com for image of black-cap
If you would like to hear what a black-cap sounds like, you can hear it here on the
RSPB site as well as dozens of other bird songs.
May 2013:
“ fabulous display of bluebells in the woods and along the hedgerows…”
July 2013:
Seen in July in a Thorncombe garden:
The skin of a dragonfly nymph after it has been shed and the adult dragonfly has
flown
July 2013 at Chard Junction Nature Reserve
Mating damselflies by Lewis Bates
Mating damselflies by Lewis Bates
Seen in August in Thorncombe
a Speckled Wood butterfly feeding on brambles, and a promise of the berries to come
this autumn.
The dramatic sight of a beautifully made wasp’s nest - this has been built next
to an imitation swallow’s nest - was it in fact built over an adjoining plastic
swallow’s nest? All made of chewed up wood, turned into pulp and sculpted into this
intricate and wonderful object.
Seen in September in Thorncombe:
The Robin's Pincushion (also known as the 'Bedeguar Gall') is a gall caused by the
larvae of a tiny gall wasp, Dipoloepis rosae. It is widespread and common, and can
be found developing on the stems of wild roses during late summer, acquiring its
reddish colour as it matures in autumn. The grubs inside the gall feed on the host
plant throughout the winter and emerge in spring as adults. The adults reproduce
asexually and only a tiny number are male. (www.wildlifetrusts.org)
Thorncombe Village Trust - caring for Thorncombe's environment
