Wildlife July 2010

[Maggi Young]

I hope they prefer the willowherbs to my fuchsias .   But they belong to the same family, don't they ?

Well, I never new that - you are absolutely correct   Would never have guessed that they were the same family - I will now look at Willowherbs in a new way!

Maggi - in the name of science I will sample both tonight and report back. If I don't report back....

 Gulp! What have I done? 

[mark smyth]

both Fushia and Epilobium are in the same family - Onograceae

[fleurbleue]

Please all people  what are the botanical names of bedstraws and willowherbs ? 
 

[Maggi Young]

Bedstraws are Galium, mentioned earlier and willowherbs are Epilobium

[Anthony Darby]

I wonder if they feed on sticky willy?

[fleurbleue]

Thanks Maggi 

[Maggi Young]

I wonder if they feed on sticky willy?

Well, if they do there would be plenty here for them of that this year  ( Galium aparine or G. tricorne  ?) as well as my quantity of Galium odoratum

[Anthony Darby]

There are two other hawkmoths found in the UK that feed on bedstraws: the bedstraw hawkmoth (Hyles gallii) - eigth UK hawkmoths are named after their food plants - and the hummingbird hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum). The latter certainly does feed on sticky willy, aka goosegrass or cleavers (Galium aparine). My tortoises love it.

[Peter Maguire]

I thought I'd post a few pictures of bigger wildlife from earlier this month. I was fortunate to able to accompany my wife on a business trip to southern France - she spent several days working in Montpellier and I spent the time exploring the Carmargue and surrounding countryside. Not much in the way of interesting plantlife (it was hot and the vegetation was very crispy  ), but the wildlife was fabulous.
First some of the birds:
- European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster). Not the best of  photos, but the only one I manged to take.
- Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus). 2 photos - this individual was 'stalked' in the car and did not object to being photographed at close range. I was fortunate to find very quiet roads.
- Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis). 2 photos. Small wihte herons seemed commoner than gulls. This was one of six heron species I found in the two days I spent in the Camarmgue 'proper'.

[Peter Maguire]

- Greater Flamingo ( Phoenicopterus ruber) x3. The Carmargue is noted for its breeding population of flamingoes and they are fairly easily spotted up and down the coast, generally at a distance. This individual was incredibly confiding, and did not seem to mind me getting out of the car. The first picture was taken when it was Etang de Vaccarès (a very large lagoon, hence the waves) and then it decided to come closer and explore a smaller lagoon.
- Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus). The first time I have seen this species, and it happened to be in the camera viewfinder.
- Red Kite (Milvus milvus). This individual was flying down the road towards me, so I had time to stop, change lenses and take several photos. It was carrying something in its talons, possibly a small bird.

[Peter Maguire]

- Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) x2. Generally fairly shy birds, but there were lots of them, so you couldn't fail to get a reasonable picture eventually.
- Little and Cattle Egrets together (the little egrets have the black bills). It makes a change from having starlings on the roof.
- a couple of mammals! The Carmargue is noted for its stocky black bulls which take part in bullfights (the bull isn't killed, I gather, the trick is to get it very annoyed and then place small rossettes on the horns as it charges past!  ) Rather them than me - these bulls were photographed with a long lens from the far side of a canal  

[Peter Maguire]

And now for something smaller - butterflies.
- Marbled White (Melanargia galathea lachensis). Yes it was a subspecies!
- Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathseba pardilloi). Another subspecies - it's the identification of the insects that has taken me so long to post these photographs.
- Swallowtail (Papillio machaon). a very active butterfly, fortunately the moving wings disguised the fact that they were a bit worn.
Dragonflies:
- Black-tailed skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum)
- Dainty Bluet (Coenagrion scitlum). Caught in flagrante delicto - for all you Latin scholars out there!

[Peter Maguire]

More dragonflies/damselflies:
- Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum foncolombii). 3 pictures, two females, then a male.
- Scarlet Darter (Crocthemis erythaea). Male, it has to be with a colour like that! 
- Small Redeye (Erythromma viridulum). Apparently these damselflies occur in the UK, but I've yet to see a a blue damselfly with red eyes here.

[Peter Maguire]

Final couple:
- Edible Frog (Rana esculenta). He was quite safe from me, there wasn't much meat on him and I didn't have any garlic and butter handy.  
- The other large animals of the Carmargue are the white horses. Those UK residents of 'a certain age' may remember a TV programme from the 60s that was filmed here - the title shot shot showed white horses galloping towards the camera through shallow water to a great theme tune. Inspiring stuff, but I have no recollection of what the programme was about!

[Maggi Young]

Wonderful photos, Peter, thank you.
I am glad you finally got round to the horse! Here's a youtube link to the opening sequence...

the programme was about "White Horses", oddly enough.....though the Camargue is famous for its white horses those of the 1960s TV programme of that name was about the  Lippizaner horses ( famous for the Spanish Riding School of Vienna) who  are raised in Lipica in  Slovenia.....