Pilewort or Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna), flowering between January and April; these lovers of damp woodland pathways, stream banks and ditches, can be found in gardens, meadows and shady hedgerows, and even Narnia, yes, Narnia! โจ
Ficaria verna growing on the bank of a field edge
An important nectar source for early emerging insects from hibernation, such as Queen Bumblebees ๐
Lesser celandine were used to treat haemorrhoids, hence “Pilewort” and scurvy, due to being high in Vitamin C.
Dwelling in moist places; Alder grow near rivers, ponds, lakes and in wet, swampy woods, also known as Carrs.
Their flowers were used as green dye, to colour and camouflage the clothes of outlaws, like Robin Hood and to also colour the clothes of fairies ๐ง๐ปโโ๏ธ
Flowering between February and April, Alder catkins provide an early source of nectar and pollen for Bees, and the seeds are eaten by Goldfinches, Siskins and Redpolls.
Alder catkins
The pale wood turns a deep orange after being cut, giving the impression of bleeding. So, in the past, many people feared them and the Irish thought it was unlucky to pass one on a journey ๐
The roots have nitrogen-fixing nodules, conditioning the soil and improving soil fertility on former industrial wasteland and brownfield sites.
Alder leaf beetles (Agelastica alni) feed on the leaves of alder trees. They’ve become common in parts of England and Wales since 2004.
It was said that a few Alder leaves placed in the shoes before a long journey would cool the feet and prevent swelling ๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ
Being a tough species of tree, their wood doesnโt rot when waterlogged, instead it makes them harder and stronger. Plus, mature trees can reach a height of approximately 28 metres and live to around 60 years.
Most of the day was chilly & grey, but when there was a warm sunny spell, the Bees came out in force to feed on the Cranesbill Geraniums etc in the garden ๐ ๐ ๐ธ
For a couple of weeks, since the bottom part of the flowerbed was dug over, I have observed House Sparrows having sand / dust baths & I thought to myself, I must get footage of this!
My attempts failed, at first, because they either didn’t turn up or I had just missed them, or it was raining ๐
However, today I thought I would give it another go and within about 5 minutes into recording they showed up & I got footage! ๐๐ป
I plan on getting closer & better footage very soon!
After a lovely walk around my local wood & a wee heritage site, I got back to find a beautiful Butterfly basking in the sun, in the garden, & I managed get some lovely footage of it! ๐
Gotta love Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies ๐ฆ ๐
On Monday, whilst walking passed some Foxgloves with my Mom up the Waseley Hills Country Park, I remembered that we had some seeds at the back of one of the kitchen cupboards ๐
It is an Araniella sp. Also known as a Cucumber Spider ๐ฅ (Thank you Emma Woolley)
From Googling, I suspect it’s an Araniella opisthographa ๐ท๏ธ But you can only determine that by having it under a microscope (cheers Rory Dimond & Luke Anderson) ๐
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