CloseEyeOnJuly

This Blue-tailed Damselfly, recognisable by the tiny blue abdominal segment, is one of several species to be found along the Crane in July.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:34 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
This Blue-tailed Damselfly, recognisable by the tiny blue abdominal segment, is one of several species to be found along the Crane in July.

Seeds spill forth from this Rough (Prickly) Sow-thistle, one of several species that is in bloom in July. This is a month of regeneration for many of the plants of the Crane Valley.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:56 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Seeds spill forth from this Rough (Prickly) Sow-thistle, one of several species that is in bloom in July. This is a month of regeneration for many of the plants of the Crane Valley.

After several months of growth the Lesser Burdock is preparing to bloom in July. The large hooked heads are capable of firmly latching onto almost anything and are said to be the inspiration ...

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:52 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
After several months of growth the Lesser Burdock is preparing to bloom in July. The large hooked heads are capable of firmly latching onto almost anything and are said to be the inspiration ...

In a case of batesian mimicry this fly Chrysotoxum bicinctum is sporting the colouration of a more dangerous wasp, presumably to fool any possible predators.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:35 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
In a case of batesian mimicry this fly Chrysotoxum bicinctum is sporting the colouration of a more dangerous wasp, presumably to fool any possible predators.

For most of the season Greater Plantain just looks like a small column sticking up from the grass. However in July close inspection reveals that it is clad in delicate blossoms.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:38 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
For most of the season Greater Plantain just looks like a small column sticking up from the grass. However in July close inspection reveals that it is clad in delicate blossoms.

July sees the first berries appearing along the Crane. These ripening fruits of Guelder Rose provide a sight in July that is normally associated with later in the year.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:40 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
July sees the first berries appearing along the Crane. These ripening fruits of Guelder Rose provide a sight in July that is normally associated with later in the year.

Open verges on woodland margins are a good place to seek out the Gatekeeper in July, uniquely identifiable by the pairs of white dots on each wing.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:32:28 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Open verges on woodland margins are a good place to seek out the Gatekeeper in July, uniquely identifiable by the pairs of white dots on each wing.

The seedheads of Herb Bennet have dropped their petals in July and now the once-pretty yellow woodland flowers sport aggressively hooked seeds, which are inevitably destined for the clothing ...

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:42 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The seedheads of Herb Bennet have dropped their petals in July and now the once-pretty yellow woodland flowers sport aggressively hooked seeds, which are inevitably destined for the clothing ...

Hogweed is one plant that has largely finished blooming in July. The large dry flowerheads are now coated in chunky seeds that are awaiting dispersal.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:43 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Hogweed is one plant that has largely finished blooming in July. The large dry flowerheads are now coated in chunky seeds that are awaiting dispersal.

Only the very fortunate encounter a snake in Crane Park. This Grass snake is superbly camouflaged against the leaf litter on an early July evening on Crane Park Island.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:37 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Only the very fortunate encounter a snake in Crane Park. This Grass snake is superbly camouflaged against the leaf litter on an early July evening on Crane Park Island.

The first brambles of the year attract creatures great and small.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:31:17 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The first brambles of the year attract creatures great and small.

July sees some of our warmest, brightest and clearest days. The undergrowth is dappled in every imaginable shade of green.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:55 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
July sees some of our warmest, brightest and clearest days. The undergrowth is dappled in every imaginable shade of green.

The Holly Blue is in flight in July and easily seen along the Crane. It is the commonest blue butterly in the area but rarely rests with its wings open. This specimen is feeding on the flowe ...

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:45 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The Holly Blue is in flight in July and easily seen along the Crane. It is the commonest blue butterly in the area but rarely rests with its wings open. This specimen is feeding on the flowe ...

The Spear Thistle is the most classical thistle along the Crane. The large spiny heads are breaking into bloom in July.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:29:03 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The Spear Thistle is the most classical thistle along the Crane. The large spiny heads are breaking into bloom in July.

A hoverfly feeds in the welcoming embrace of an open Common Poppy as the flower trades nectar for pollen.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:47 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
A hoverfly feeds in the welcoming embrace of an open Common Poppy as the flower trades nectar for pollen.

In July the slender tendrils of the creeper White Bryony loop and twist in exquisite geometrical patterns through the shady understorey of woodland areas along the Crane.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:29:05 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
In July the slender tendrils of the creeper White Bryony loop and twist in exquisite geometrical patterns through the shady understorey of woodland areas along the Crane.

This might look like a moth but in fact the Large Skipper is one of the Crane's more unusual butterfly species and is in flight in July. This one is feeding on a Creeping Thistle.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:49 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
This might look like a moth but in fact the Large Skipper is one of the Crane's more unusual butterfly species and is in flight in July. This one is feeding on a Creeping Thistle.

Willows are one of the fastest growing trees along the Crane. This branch was cut at the end of June and within days a fresh shoot emerged and the process of regeneration began.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:29:07 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Willows are one of the fastest growing trees along the Crane. This branch was cut at the end of June and within days a fresh shoot emerged and the process of regeneration began.

Oak Bush-crickets emerge in July and are perhaps just as likely to be found on the walls of a house whose windows are kept open overnight than on the foliage along the Crane.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:53 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Oak Bush-crickets emerge in July and are perhaps just as likely to be found on the walls of a house whose windows are kept open overnight than on the foliage along the Crane.

Great Willowherb is a waterside plant that can be found in July by the edge of the Crane or, as in this case, the Duke of Northumberland's River.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:29:11 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Great Willowherb is a waterside plant that can be found in July by the edge of the Crane or, as in this case, the Duke of Northumberland's River.

The Red Campion season is pretty much over by July. This plant still manages to hold its elegance as it starts to die back in the summer sunshine.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:28:58 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The Red Campion season is pretty much over by July. This plant still manages to hold its elegance as it starts to die back in the summer sunshine.

Insects abound in July and there are few more eyecatching than this aptly named Scorpion fly, Panorpa germanica. The fierce looking abdomen is all show and no substance, so there is no need ...

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:29:01 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Insects abound in July and there are few more eyecatching than this aptly named Scorpion fly, Panorpa germanica. The fierce looking abdomen is all show and no substance, so there is no need ...

Horse-radish is a wayside plant that grows in the Crane Valley. In July this plant is easy to find along the roadside verges of Mereway Nature Park, where its healthy population is almost ce ...

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:29:13 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Horse-radish is a wayside plant that grows in the Crane Valley. In July this plant is easy to find along the roadside verges of Mereway Nature Park, where its healthy population is almost ce ...

A soldier beetle (rhagonycha fulva) springs from a head of cow parsley and takes to the air.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:29:17 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
A soldier beetle (rhagonycha fulva) springs from a head of cow parsley and takes to the air.

One of the most unusal common flowers in the Crane Valley is the Tansy. These umbrella bouquets are not going to open much further as the Tansy has a very tight flower.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:49:36 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
One of the most unusal common flowers in the Crane Valley is the Tansy. These umbrella bouquets are not going to open much further as the Tansy has a very tight flower.

This is not a decaying spider's web but is in fact the seed of Goatsbeard, one of the tallest "dandelions" growing in the Crane Valley. Goatsbeard can be found in July in areas of rank grass ...

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:29:09 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
This is not a decaying spider's web but is in fact the seed of Goatsbeard, one of the tallest "dandelions" growing in the Crane Valley. Goatsbeard can be found in July in areas of rank grass ...

The black tips of the antennae are all that identifies this small butterfly as an Essex Skipper, as it rests in a meadow in Mereway Nature Park.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:31:44 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The black tips of the antennae are all that identifies this small butterfly as an Essex Skipper, as it rests in a meadow in Mereway Nature Park.

This is Black Horehound, which flowers in July. The distinctive purple trumpet-shaped sepal tubes are a reliable means of identification and remain empty once the flowers are finished.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:29:14 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
This is Black Horehound, which flowers in July. The distinctive purple trumpet-shaped sepal tubes are a reliable means of identification and remain empty once the flowers are finished.

Native grassland is a habitat in short supply along the lower reaches of the Crane Valley. This patch surrounds the ranges of the Twickenham Rifle Club and is thus of local interest and rari ...

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:29:16 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Native grassland is a habitat in short supply along the lower reaches of the Crane Valley. This patch surrounds the ranges of the Twickenham Rifle Club and is thus of local interest and rari ...

The sounds of a summer July day are often defined by the chirps and whistles of crickets. Roesel's bush-cricket is one of several species that can be found along the Crane. This one is happy ...

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:29:18 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The sounds of a summer July day are often defined by the chirps and whistles of crickets. Roesel's bush-cricket is one of several species that can be found along the Crane. This one is happy ...

Crickets and grasshoppers don't always just like grass. This animal is leaping around a patch of brambles at Twickenham Rifle Club.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:49:31 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Crickets and grasshoppers don't always just like grass. This animal is leaping around a patch of brambles at Twickenham Rifle Club.

It should be more than apparent where the Comma takes its name from in this underwing view of one feasting on a banquet of buddleia.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:21:21 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
It should be more than apparent where the Comma takes its name from in this underwing view of one feasting on a banquet of buddleia.

This 7-spot ladybird is no longer the commonest species along the Crane as it is threatened by the onwards march of the invasive, and larger, Harlequin.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:21:42 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
This 7-spot ladybird is no longer the commonest species along the Crane as it is threatened by the onwards march of the invasive, and larger, Harlequin.

The profileration and bitter scent of banks of Himalayan Balsam along the Crane sometimes take away from the fact that it is exquisite flower, adored by the local bees.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:22:08 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The profileration and bitter scent of banks of Himalayan Balsam along the Crane sometimes take away from the fact that it is exquisite flower, adored by the local bees.

The summer months often bring otherwise unseen Crane residents into homes - this gorgeous Swallowtailed Moth is a common garden species, but have you ever seen one?

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:28:48 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The summer months often bring otherwise unseen Crane residents into homes - this gorgeous Swallowtailed Moth is a common garden species, but have you ever seen one?

July along the Crane can be a tempestuous month, where blue skies quickly fill and darken.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:22:39 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
July along the Crane can be a tempestuous month, where blue skies quickly fill and darken.

The grasslands along the Crane resound to the zit zit song of the Field Grasshopper on sunny July afternoons.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:32:12 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The grasslands along the Crane resound to the zit zit song of the Field Grasshopper on sunny July afternoons.

July brims with a vigorous blend of chlorophyll and summer light.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:23:25 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
July brims with a vigorous blend of chlorophyll and summer light.

July is the best month to see our smaller butterflies, with the delicate Small Copper being a relatively scarce resident of grassland.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:32:55 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
July is the best month to see our smaller butterflies, with the delicate Small Copper being a relatively scarce resident of grassland.

The graceful Common Knapweed is far from common along the Crane and most easily found in flower in July on Crane Park Island.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:25:19 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The graceful Common Knapweed is far from common along the Crane and most easily found in flower in July on Crane Park Island.

The first Woodpigeon brood of the year, recognisable by the absence of a white collar, are reaching adulthood in July.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:24:06 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The first Woodpigeon brood of the year, recognisable by the absence of a white collar, are reaching adulthood in July.

Bulrush is a dominant plant of aquatic margins and is at its finest during the mid-summer months.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:25:51 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Bulrush is a dominant plant of aquatic margins and is at its finest during the mid-summer months.

Barely bigger than a thumb tip, by July Common Frog spawn has become tadpoles has become froglets has become frogs.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:24:41 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Barely bigger than a thumb tip, by July Common Frog spawn has become tadpoles has become froglets has become frogs.

A tale of two balsams: both these introduced species can be found by the margins of the Crane, Himalayan is the tall pink one and Orange the short fiery one.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:27:52 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
A tale of two balsams: both these introduced species can be found by the margins of the Crane, Himalayan is the tall pink one and Orange the short fiery one.

The 22-spot Ladybird is so tiny that it is dwarfed by a fresh leaf of ivy.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:28:15 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The 22-spot Ladybird is so tiny that it is dwarfed by a fresh leaf of ivy.

This crab spider hides beneath some tiny thistle leaves ready to enagage passing prey.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:31:02 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
This crab spider hides beneath some tiny thistle leaves ready to enagage passing prey.

Photogenic throughout the year, teasels are just coming into flower in July.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:30:41 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Photogenic throughout the year, teasels are just coming into flower in July.

Small Skipper can be separated from Essex Skipper, only if you gain a view (which is never better than this!) of the lower antennae tips, which should be orange.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:33:10 -0700

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Small Skipper can be separated from Essex Skipper, only if you gain a view (which is never better than this!) of the lower antennae tips, which should be orange.