Cardinal Beetle, clothed in red
Fills it’s predators with dread
Through its colour a message is spread
If you eat me, then you’ll be dead
I’ve done some more research on yesterday’s mystery mushroom. The most likely candidate seems to be a Trooping Funnel, but I’m still not 100% positive.
As I set out over the meadows I noted the presence of a few Teasel plants, growing enthusiastically outside the Learning Centre. When in bloom they are both very pretty and a haven for wildlife of all kinds. Dunnocks and Chiffchaffs were singing above, with the purple flowers of Common Vetch on the ground.
The harsh call of a Carrion Crow cut through the air as I entered Skipworth Meadow. It was host to an impressive array of Lepidoptera, with Meadow Browns, Painted Ladies and 5 Spotted Burnets on the wing. The distinctive call of a Green Woodpecker rang out as I walked, it’s been a little while since I heard one of those. On the stem of a Yellow Rattle, I spotted a pair of 7-Spotted Ladybirds, no doubt on the hunt for Aphids.
Large Copse resonated with the calls of Blackcaps, and beyond it Saxon Field housed a choir of Whitethroats, chirruping away their scratchy song. Kidney Vetch grew in abundance, but its numbers were dwarfed by the swathes of yellow Birds Foot Trefoil flowers that predominate the grassland.
Ox Eye Daisy and Centenary meadows both had Skylarks displaying above them as I passed, heading to Brian Johnson Meadow. On the way I spotted a Speckled Wood butterfly, as well as another Cardinal Beetle and a Small Skipper.
The path back to base took my past the Upper Gulley, home to a sizable Burdock plant. This species is credited with being the inspiration for the invention of Velcro, and you can also make a tasty drink out of its roots and some Dandelions. The perfect thing for a hot day.