A common dragonfly of canals, marshes, reedbeds and lakes, the Brown hawker can be seen patrolling the water or 'hawking' through woodland rides. It is easily distinguished by its chocolate-brown body.
Nuthatch
 |
| 1 February 2018 |
2019
2018/January/ November
2018/January/ November
2016
2015
2014
2013/December
 |
| 11 November 2018 |
 |
| 1 February 2018 |
The nuthatch is a plump bird about the size of a great tit that resembles a small woodpecker. It is blue-grey above and whitish below, with chestnut on its sides and under its tail. It has a black stripe on its head, a long black pointed bill and short legs.
It breeds throughout England and Wales and has recently began to breed in southern Scotland. It is a resident, with birds seldom travelling far from the woods where they hatch.
Read more at RSPB
 |
| 1 December 2013 |
Brooklime (Veronica beccabunga)
Wild flower
Spikes of pretty blue flowers ascending in pairs from the leaf base are a clue that this plant is a member of the Speedwell family. This is a perennial sprawling herb with a dense mass of succulent leaves. Like many water plants, it has hollow stems which help to transfer oxygen to the roots.
Solomon's Seal (polygonatum)
Wildflower Asparagaceae
23 June 2015 Park
Fish-Stickleback (Gasterosteidae)
A diminutive but aggressive predator, the three-spined stickleback hunts tadpoles and small fish. It is also known for fiercely protecting its nest of eggs until they hatch. Look for it in ponds, lakes and rivers.
Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
 |
| 18/10/17 |
Date recorded:
11 May 2021
9 August 2020
6 June 2020
18/11/17
13/6/15
Two species of green shield bug now occur in Britain. The common green shield bug is native to Britain, and of widespread occurrence. The southern green shield bug is a recent arrival from elsewhere in Europe that became established in the London area in 2003.
Common names
Common green shield bug and southern green shield bug
Scientific names
Palomena prasina and Nezara viridula
Plants affected
Common green shield bug: various plants. Southern green shield bug: runner bean, tomato and raspberry; also found on the seed heads of ornamental plants, including Caryopteris, Hibiscus, Agapanthus and Verbena
Main symptoms No damage is caused by the common green shield bug. The southern green shield bug may cause distorted bean pods and damaged fruits
Most active April to October (LINK)
9 August 2020
 |
| 20 May 2019 |
 |
| 6 June 2020 |
 |
| 13/6/15 |
True Bug (Grypocoris stysi)
Bug
The Miridae are a large and diverse insect family at one time known by the taxonomic synonym Capsidae. Species in the family may be referred to as capsid bugs or "mirid bugs". Common names include plant bugs, leaf bugs, and grass bugs.
Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
Butterfly
 |
| 17/July/15 |
29 July 2019
24 July 2016
17 July 2015
13 June 2015*
The ringlet gets its name from the small rings on the undersides of its wings. These rings show variation in the different forms of this species, even elongating into a teardrop shape.
 |
| 29 July 2019 |
 |
| 24/7/16 |
Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae)
Moth
 |
| July |
July 2015
2014
These pretty black and red moths are often confused for butterflies! Their black and yellow caterpillars are a common sight on ragwort plants. The caterpillar’s bright colours warn predators not to eat them, giving a strong signal that they are poisonous!
 |
| Caterpillar/ July |
Parent Shieldbug ( Elasmucha grisea)
25/8/15
Shieldbug
 |
| 2014 |
A medium-sized reddish shieldbug with a black and white connexivum. There is usually an obvious black patch on the scutellum.
This species overwinters as an adult, emerging and mating in the spring. The smaller male dies soon after, but the female surives for some time, brooding the eggs and young larvae, which feed on birch and alder. New adults may be found from August onwards. Common and widespread across Britain and Ireland.
(LINK)
Common Darter Dragonfly (Sympetrum striolatum)
2015
The Common darter is a red, narrow-bodied dragonfly that can be seen throughout summer and autumn. It is hovers around all kinds of waterbodies, darting out to surprise its prey.
Small Copper Butterfly (Lycaena phlaeas)
Butterfly
Dates recorded.
9 August 2020
 |
| 17/8/17 |
9 August 2020
17/8/17
17/8/15
2014
17/8/15
2014
9 August 2020
 |
| 17/8/17 |
 |
| 17/8/17 |
 |
| 2014 |
Garden Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus)
Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
In high summer and autumn the beautiful orb webs of the Garden Spider, Araneus diadematus, can be found strung across paths, between shrubs and even in front of doors.
During the night the industrious spider spins its silk and weaves it into a web ready for the following day. This is one of our largest British spiders and a very common resident of gardens. The distinctive white cross mark on the abdomen has given rise to the alternative names of 'Cross spider' and 'Diadem spider'. Colours vary and include sandy brown, fox-red and almost black.
Adult female grow to 15mm (body length), and males to 9mm. They are commonly seen between June and November when the first frosts kill them off. Garden spiders are found in Europe and much of Asia across to Japan. They are now also found in parts of North America.(LINK)
 |
| 1/6/2015 |
Lombardy Poplar (Populus nigra)
Tree
Lombardy Poplar
Lombardy poplar trees grow rapidly. They could grow to a mature height of up to 60 feet, spreading around 12 feet. However, most are killed by canker disease within 15 years, so large specimens are hard to find. Lombardy poplar tree facts tell you that the trees are deciduous.
Other common names
Lombardy poplar
lady poplar
see more
Family
Salicaceae
Genus
Populus are deciduous trees, mostly very fast-growing and large, with male and female catkins on separate trees, opening before the leaves. Male catkins are the more ornamental, female ones can be a nuisance from the cottony, wind-blown seeds
Details
'Italica' is a large, vigorous, narrowly columnar deciduous tree to 30m tall, with bright green ovate leaves and crimson male catkins before the leaves open in early spring
Ash Key Gall (Aceria fraxinivora)
Gall
Pemphigus spyrothecae is an aphid that causes galls to form in the leaf petioles of its host trees. The galls are seen more often than the aphid.
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