At our November meeting David Boulton made a welcome return to demonstrate his photographic skills on the great variety of natural life which can be found in our gardens.
In 2010 he began to excavate a large pond in his garden of his suburban bungalow, initially to attract frogs. After 5 years the spring count had reached over 200. He also encouraged aquatic plants and wild flowers. A wonderful variety of butterflies, moths, bees, and hover-flies (of which there are over 200 species) were attracted. A great surprise was a Common Spotted Orchid. Buddleia was ever popular with butterflies, and seven species were recorded on a Water Mint plant. Cosmos and Lavender were equally attractive. A Grass Snake, a toad and several newts also visited.
A moth trap brought a variety of species including Eyed Hawk Moth, Poplar and Privet Hawk Moths, and an astonishing find of twelve Elephant Hawk Moths together.
Also attracted was a variety of uncommon Dragonflies including an adult Emperor. David was then able to make a sequence of close-up photographs, over several hours of darkness, recording the emergence of an adult Emperor Dragonfly from its pupal case. A Norfolk Hawker, usually confined to the Broads, Scarce and Emerald Damselflies also visited A Southern Hawker dragonfly attempted to lay eggs in his knee and having been removed then proceeded to do the same on a breeze block! A Mud Dauber Wasp was found, being only the third record of this species in the UK. One plain brown larva has defied identification by the top experts.
Hard winters brought in Redwings, Fieldfares, and an occasional Waxwing to feed on berries. A Whitethroat and a Grey Wagtail were visiting species not normally found in a garden. The wonderful presentation ended with a smile from a friendly Fox.
Ray Jones