100 Days of Nature: Days 29 to 33!

Day 29: A common striped woodlouse, Philoscia muscorum, in Great Ashby District Park, near Stevenage. This is the fourth photo taken on the same log. Unfortunately, the next day I discovered some people had had a party the night before, as there was evidence of a fire, and litter (and clothing) strewn around, and the log was gone - perhaps burnt - which is a real shame as I think ants and other creatures had been nesting inside it.

Day 30: Spearmint, Mentha spicata, in Great Ashby District Park, near Stevenage. I'd not seen this plant before this year, though I was aware of it. It smells amazing and is very popular with flies.

Day 31: A black slug, Arion ater, near Weston Hills, Baldock. This specimen is about 15cm long, probably the largest one I've ever seen.

Day 32: A seven-spot ladybird, Coccinella septempunctata, in Jersey Farm Woodland Park, Sandridge. My first beetle of the project. I've seen very few ladybirds this year.

Day 33: A garden snail, Cornu aspersum, in Sandridge. It was the wettest day of the project, with constant drizzle all day, but I braved the rain and found several active snails climbing the laburnum.

100 Days of Nature: Days 1 to 28!

28 days ago, @BBCSpringwatch on Twitter set the challenge of photographing nature for 100 days. So I decided to take up the challenge. After 28 days, it occured to me that I should be placing these photos on my blog. So here they come.

Day 1: A hoverfly, Volucella bombylans, that mimics a bumblebee. This is the first time I've seen this species. It was on a Buddleja bush near my home in Stevenage.

Day 2: A juvenile Blue Tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, on the bird feeder in my front garden.

Day 3: A Lesser Water Boatman, Corixa punctata, in a pond at Heartwood Forest, Sandridge.

Day 4: A Beech, Fagus sylvatica, near Nettleden, Hertfordshire.

Day 5: A Wood Avens, Geum urbanum, in my front garden.

Day 6: A Common Blue Damselfly, Enallagma cyathigerum, at Fairlands Valley Park, Stevenage.

Day 7: A Riband Wave, Idaea aversata, in my house.

Day 8: A Wild Teasel, Dipsacus fullonum, at Fairlands Valley Park, Stevenage.

Day 9: A fungus on an English Oak, at Gunnels Wood, Stevenage.

Day 10: A Comma, Polygonia c-album, at St Leonard's Church, Sandridge.

Day 11: A Great Mullein, Verbascum thapsus, near Luton Airport.

Day 12: Greenbottles, Lucilia sp., at Fairlands Valley Park, Stevenage.

Day 13: A Harebell, Campanula rotundifolia, at Six Hills Common, Stevenage.

Day 14: A White-lipped Snail, Cepaea hortensis, at Great Ashby District Park, near Stevenage.

Day 15: A Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos, at Fairlands Valley Park, Stevenage.

Day 16: A bug at Fairlands Valley Park, Stevenage.

Day 17: Hawthorn berries, Crataegus monogyna, near Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire.

Day 18: Sawfly larvae, in Sandridge, Hertfordshire.

Day 19: A grasshopper, at Fairlands Valley Park, Stevenage.

Day 20: A Pill Woodlouse, Armadillidium vulgare, at Great Ashby District Park, near Stevenage. My first ever photo of a crustacean.

Day 21: A moth at Great Ashby District Park, near Stevenage.

Day 22: A female Wood Duck, Aix sponsa, at Barclay Park, Hoddesdon. The first time I've seen this bird.

Day 23: A male tachinind fly, Phasia hemiptera, at Great Ashby District Park, near Stevenage. Another first for me.

Day 24: A Damson, Prunus domestica subsp. insititia, near Rushden.

Day 25: A Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria, at Jersey Farm, Sandridge.

Day 26: A Small Tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae, near my home in Stevenage.

Day 27: A small earthworm at Great Ashby District Park, near Stevenage.

Day 28: A bug, Corizus hyoscyami, at Fairlands Valley Park, Stevenage.

Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus)

Wooburn Green-Little Marlow 060: Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus), a photo by Peter aka anemoneprojectors on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
22 September 2013 was the first day I've ever seen an Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus). I was walking along the River Thames in Buckinghamshire, and there were a few on the river, and then this was posed quite nicely at the water's edge. I've since seen this species in London, near Osterley.

Lime-speck Pug (Eupithecia centaureata)

Lime-speck Pug (Eupithecia centaureata), a photo by Peter aka anemoneprojectors on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
This Lime-speck Pug (Eupithecia centaureata) was in my house (possibly in my bathroom) on 21 August 2013. I rescued it and it landed on a plant in the garden, giving me time to fetch my camera and take photos in the daylight.

Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis)

Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis), a photo by Peter aka anemoneprojectors on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Apologies for the delay, I shall hopefully be blogging more regularly from now on, and for now, posting some of the things I missed!

I photographed thisw Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis) near Hitchin, Hertfordshire, on 3 August 2013. I had actually walked straight past it, and a friend stopped me and pointed it out. It was the first time I've seen a reptile in the wild, but I knew straight away what it was. I was very happy! I was able to get nice and close, and I even touched it to see what it felt like!

Skylark (Alauda arvensis)

Skylark (Alauda arvensis), a photo by Peter aka anemoneprojectors on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I see Skylarks (Alauda arvensis) a lot. Usually in the sky, as fairly faint dots, singing their pretty song. I usually hear them before I can see them. Occasionally, I see a blur of one taking off from a field I'm waking past. On 16 June 2013, I visited Heartwood Forest, Sandridge, Hertfordshire, I saw lots of Skylarks in flight and wondered if I went slowly and scanned the tops of the grass and tree saplings, I might see one at rest. I was lucky enough to spot this one and I took a series of shots. It was quite far away but I was very happy.

Grass Vetchling (Lathyrus nissolia)

Grass Vetchling (Lathyrus nissolia), a photo by Peter aka anemoneprojectors on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I saw this Grass Vetchling (Lathyrus nissolia) in Shackledell Grassland, Stevenage, on 31 May 2013. I've done some volunteer work in Shackledell in the winter time, and had only heard about the wide range of flowers that grow there, so I decided to pay it a spring-time visit. This is a flower I'd never seen before, but I just thought it was one of the prettiest flowers I've ever seen. In fact, the pea family (Fabaceae), of which this is a member, is my favourite flower family.

Muntjac Deer (Muntiacus reevesi)

Muntjac Deer (Muntiacus reevesi), a photo by Peter aka anemoneprojectors on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I spotted this Muntjac Deer (Muntiacus reevesi) in a field between Holwell, Hertfordshire and Lower Stondon, Bedfordshire on 27 May 2013. At first, it was quite far away but it didn't run when it saw it. It just calmly walked along its path while we stayed completely still and I took photos. It didn't seem at all bothered and it walked by fairly closely. It wasn't until it had fully passed that it (probably) caught a smell of human in the wind and ran away! A bit late! But I think I have the wind direction to thank for this amazing shot, only my second of a Muntjac.

Jay (Garrulus glandarius)

Jay (Garrulus glandarius), a photo by Peter aka anemoneprojectors on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I was photographing some Speedwells in District Park, Great Ashby, Hertfordshire, on 26 May 2013, when I got up to look at a Scorpion Fly. As I stood up, I saw this Jay (Garrulus glandarius) and then spent a good six minutes photographing it. I was so pleased to get a shot of a Jay because I think they tend to be quite shy. My book says they're "wary" and they are more often heard than seen. I was surprised by how close I could get.

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Large White (Pieris brassicae) and Green-veined White (Pieris napi)

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), a photo by Peter aka anemoneprojectors on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
This year I signed up to survey butterflies at two sites in Stevenage for the local council and the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust. These butterflies were seen on one of my sites on 25 May 2013. Above is the Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), which flew into trees where I was able to get this shot.

Here is a Large White (Pieris brassicae) that was feeding on some Hawthorn. I was able to get closer to this one.


And this one is the Green-veined White (Pieris napi).