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The Natural History Of Staffordshire: Fauna and Flora (1 Viewer)

U

Upland Birder

Birding On The Edge
For a while now there has been a need for a dedicated thread to Staffordshire's bats, butterflies, Moths, Dragonflies, and other insects. Oh and what about those mammals out there that frequent this the creative county.

There are a number of Staffs BF members who have a deep interest so I thought I would start this thread as a way of finding out more about what is out there and enabling reporting on these creatures and mammals. I'm curious about their lives, how there lives depend on the flora round them and it would be good to see some photo's. Some may want to post pictures of their scetches and art work.

Of course there may be some locations that need to be kept secret for obvious reasons but hey I look forward to reading your reports and sightings.

Dean:t:
 
Get the ball rolling

Just in case anyone is interested in a local population of Common Blue and Small Copper Butterflies, (you tend to find Small copper along with Common Blues) there is a small but stable population at Huntley Quarry, I frequented there several times over a short period of time this year , and apart from the insect life there is a good population of birds too which include Hobby and Lesser spotted woodpecker.

To show a size comparison for the Small copper, the first picture shows one with a hoverfly. The Common blue is around the same size.

Many thanks to Dean for starting this thread. Neil.
 

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nice idea dean, we did tend to get alot of butterfly photos and posts over summer so its nice they have got their 'own' thread. new addition to my favourites me thinks.

first thing to report, i saw a red admiral today at uni. has anyone else seen one this late? i know its been pretty mild and the sun was beaming today, but im still pretty sure they should have gone by now. any reports of them being out this late nationally?
 
valiantbirder said:
nice idea dean, we did tend to get alot of butterfly photos and posts over summer so its nice they have got their 'own' thread. new addition to my favourites me thinks.

first thing to report, i saw a red admiral today at uni. has anyone else seen one this late? i know its been pretty mild and the sun was beaming today, but im still pretty sure they should have gone by now. any reports of them being out this late nationally?
Click to expand...

I always put fruit out what the kids leave in the fruit bowl and I had a Red Admiral yesterday enjoying an overipe pear I hung in the now well trimmed buddleia.in fact Ive done it a most of the late summer get some interesting butterflies.flies,and moths,(the bats are still hunting in the garden yesterday too)
 
A positive start to this thread and I think it will become increasingly interesting over time. I look forward to reading future posts and seeing photo's that will come this way. It will also be interesting to learn more about how these creatures are bound by the flora and habitat around them.

Dean:t:
 
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i was wondering if any of you berry hill regulars have seen the stoat that hangs around the back of fenton cemetery,over the last two weeks ive seen it 4 times,on two occasions it has done a great impersonation of a mere cat.
thanks for starting this thread Dean great idea :t: stuart
 
Not everyones favorite mammal but she was posing nice for me at Manifold valley last week.
 

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nice idea for a new thread dean,seen plenty of bats about this year,still a few about now around the house at dusk.
 
Red Admirals do tend to dominate late summer, and will hibernate. Weather has been quite conducive to activity, and windfall fruit a ready supply of sugars.

Anyone spotted/reported Harlequin ladybirds in Staffordshire? Saw first at Trent last summer, had one in garden this summer and seen 2 at work in recent works. Don't forget to send sightings to http://www.harlequin-survey.org/
 
to be honest carl i think i've seen 3 maybe 4 laybirds all summer. which is shocking as we used to get load in the garden when i was a kid. i was thinking about what i can do to attract more, then remembered they feed on aphids and that if the ladybirds still dont turn up i'll be over ran with greenfly, back to the drawing board (google) i think.

really trying to get an insect friendly garden going next year, some plants already planted ready for next spring, others are still in their packets. it'll be so good if it works and i attract alot more butterflies, moths (which im hoping to start trapping next spring) bees, ladybirds etc etc. if it goes well i can hopefully get a few more people to try it out as well, family, neighbours and friends mostly.
 
Get some old wood, starting to rot a little, with flaky bark and build a loose log pile. Great for all insects. Even bamboo rolls, tied up will give a little shelter too.

It's a great little lifecycle you begin. More insects (pests/predators) generally means more birds, especially spring breeders, which in turn attract their own predators. Don't forget that snails and slugs are welcomed by hedgehogs, so don't pluck everyone you see as you could end up with a very welcome visitor!
Carl
 
our garden is covered in slugs and we dont actually remove any of them, just let them be really, yet we have only even had one hedgehog in the garden and only ever one song thrush as well. our main problem is we are fenced in on all sides and with our neighbours kids running riot i doubt we'll be replacing six foot fences with privet sapplings anytime soon.
 
This threads coming on nicely and is already very interesting and informative. Its going to be good to read and also to contribute to over the coming weeks and months.

Dean:t:
 
Adam,

Always a problem. We're in a more difficult position, but have planted pollinators, and have acquired a buddleia, which keeps the shieldbugs happy, as well as the butterflies and bees. Wasps visit regularly, and we've a couple of stunning Garden Cross webs between stems.

Walls stop hedgehogs, but as winter bites, our family of mistle's should come a-calling soon!
Carl
 
Dean Powell said:
For a while now there has been a need for a dedicated thread to Staffordshire's bats, butterflies, Moths, Dragonflies, and other insects. Oh and what about those mammals out there that frequent this the creative county.
Click to expand...

Bats are a type of mammal so why differentiate them in your thread title? It makes a much sense as having a thread entitled "Warblers and Birds". Neither does it make any sense to lump any chordate in with invertebrates. What I would ask is that people forward their mammal sightings to the county recorder. Species such as stoats and weasels are believed to be common but no-one is really sure so any sightings can be of immense help in building a more complete picture of their distribution.

It's also worth mentioning that many mammal species are subject to human persecution. Badger diggers are active throughout the county so PLEASE DO NOT POST ANY INFORMATION WHICH COULD HELP ANYONE LOCATE A BADGER SETT.
 
Paul,

Thanks for educating me. I was hoping to learn more through this thread. Perhaps you can suggest a title? I am no expert. Others on here may be able to assist in this. Its quite simple to change via the mods.

On the latter point about human persecution I think it is fair to say that those already using this thread are already aware of this problem and would not disclose such sites here. However, it is an important reminder for BF members who may use the thread in the future.

Dean:t:
 
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bat still feeding at central forest park last weekend cant imagine seen it feeding for much longer

and excuse ingnorance and lazyness to go look but i dont actually know who county mammal recorder is( have think imight know who it is but not sure ) and of anyway to contact them , as i do come across stoats and weasels quite often has i have seen both on my patch which could get built on in the near future
 
How about "Flora and Fauna" for a title excluding birds of course. I see no mention of flowers and fungi of which I am interested. Neil.
 
Paul,Badger digging is no where near as attractive to these people anymore its far two dangerous for them,the vast majority of these people now own pit bull greyhounds and go lamping with these dogs in the country side in the early hours,lamping is responsible for the death of thousands of badgers a year and not digging.
Stuart.
 
think it's the same as we have with rare birds in spring time or in possible breeding locations, a little common sense and a quick thought about what should and shouldn't be posted and we'll be alright. however, if something does get posted that shouldn't, a nice polite pm can be sent and the message edited, simples.

i would love to see a badger and know of two places to do so, but with them only coming out at night and one of the places being on somewhat uneven ground, it's not too safe to go stumbling around fields like that in the dark. the other place is in north wales where they can be found on a caravan site, might be the better, and warmer, option. also keep meaning to look for water voles on the uni, only found out which stretch they get on a couple of weeks ago, which was the other end of the campus to where i had been looking.

carl, we already get large numbers of bees and white butterflies in the garden (mainly both on the nasturtiums that were taking over the garden), along with the odd different thing, i.e red admiral, wasps, dragonflies, hoverflies etc. i just really want the air to be filled with all different types of butterflies, the plants be crawling with caterpillars and other insects and helping bees is something of a priority given their importance to human survival and their current decline.

as for titles, 'fauna and flora of staffordshire' seems a good bet, but wouldn't that include birds? how about unfeathered organisms of staffordshire :-O

adam
 
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