Cornfield Flowers

Common Poppies Papaver rhoeas and Cornflowers Centaurea cyanus (14/06/2008)

These plants were all photographed at the College Lake Cornfield project, which is an attempt to conserve several rare and plants, such as Corncockle and Pheasants Eye, both sadly extinct in the wild in Britain. The small cornfield, which is cultivated traditionally using vintage farm equipment, is at it's most colourful in June and July, and it is a sobering thought that not so long ago our arable fields were full of these beautiful plants. Tragically, intensive agriculture and the relentless drive for cheaper food means that sights like this have been lost forever from our countryside.

Common Corncockle Agrostemma githago (26/06/2008)

Pheasant's Eye Adonis annua (06/06/2010)

Cornflower Centaurea cyanus (20/06/2008)

Crested Cow-wheat Melampyrum cristatum (06/06/2010)

Yellow Bird's-nest

Yellow Bird's-nest Monotropa hypopitys, also known as Dutchman's Pipe or Pinesap, is a strange herbaceous plant completely devoid of functional leaves and unlike most plants, containing no chlorophyll. It is a saprophyte, obtaining it's food from decaying organic material in the soil by forming a mycorrhiza (symbiotic relationship) with fungi that have formed a mycorrhiza with nearby trees. In this way the Yellow Bird's-nest is able to feed without the need for photosynthesis. The tiny fleshy plants are between 10cm to 35cm, flowering in woodland from early summer to mid autumn, the small bell-like flowers drooping before becoming erect as the plant begins to fruit. Plants that flower in summer are tinged yellow, whereas those that flower in autumn are coloured pink. I found this lone plant whilst attempting to photograph Narrow-lipped Helleborines on a steep, slippery roadside bank near Princes Risborough. The tiny plant was just peeping through the leaf litter and could have been easily overlooked - in fact I nearly trod on it. I revisited the site a week later and the plant had grown to about 3 cms and I was able to confirm it's I.D and take a few photographs.

Yellow Bird's-nest Monotropa hypopitys (August 2011)

Great Green Bush-cricket

I came across this beast a couple of weeks ago, whilst hunting fruitlessly for Adonis Blues on the grassy slopes above Radnage village. I was surprised to bump into a friend whom I had not seen for some time, also searching for butterflies. Confidently claiming that he could hear a Great Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima singing above the hum of Meadow and Field Grasshoppers he set about tracking one down and soon found one clinging to a tangle of grass stems. Grudgingly, I had to admit to being rather impressed! It was a good lesson in the importance of learning the songs of Grasshoppers and Crickets if you want to find and identify them. Frustratingly, it took me ages to tune in to the loud, high pitched song, especially as high above us two Red Kites were screaming furiously as they harried and chased a Common Buzzard. At about 5 centimetres long the Great Green Bush-cricket is Britain's largest insect and is found sporadically throughout the south on rough grassland, overgrown scrub and hedgerows. The stridulation (song) of the this vivid green cricket sounds like a sewing machine or maybe a bicycle free-wheeling downhill and can be heard up to 50 metres away, but is ventriloquial, making the insect frustratingly difficult to track down. The Great Green Bush-cricket is a poor flier and relies on excellent camouflage and an impressive jump of up to a metre to escape danger. It also has a fierce bite and is quite capable of drawing blood!

Great Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima - Radnage ( 01/08/2011)

Great Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima - Radnage ( 01/08/2011)

Great Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima - Radnage ( 01/08/2011)

Great Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima - Radnage ( 01/08/2011)

Common Toad

One of the real characters of the British countryside, how could anyone not love a Toad?

Common Toad Bufo bufo (26/09/2009)

Chalkhill Blue

I have been spending quite a bit of time recently chasing Adonis Blues over the dry chalky slopes above the tiny village of Radnage, near Princes Risborough. Unfortunately the recent dull and windy weather has made butterfly photography incredibly difficult. and at times virtually impossible. Trying to take a picture of an Adonis Blue, in low light, as it clings on for dear life to a wind tossed flower can be a bit of a challenge and the poor weather is especially frustrating as I have a new 105mm macro lens to play with! Luckily there were hundreds of Chalkhill Blues to keep me occupied in between sporadic Adonis sightings. As I tramped across the slope they rose in their dozens from the short grass, glittering and spinning away from me before disappearing, just as suddenly, back into the vegetation. Every so often the sun would break through the low clouds and the nagging wind would briefly drop, encouraging a few butterflies to climb the stems of plants and grasses to bask in the transitory warmth.

It seems only moments ago that I was anticipating the first Brimstone of the year and now the butterfly season is drawing inexorably to a close. The second brood of Brimstones are flying and Red Admirals are haunting gardens and orchards waiting for Autumn's rotting fruit. I always get a bit melancholic at this time of year as the butterflies slowly fade away, like lights being switched off one by one. It seems sad that all that colour and beauty should brighten our lives for such a short time. The party is coming to an end for another year.

Chalkhill Blue Lysandra coridon, mating pair - Radnage (15/08/2011)

Chalkhill Blue Lysandra coridon, female - Radnage (15/08/2011)