Friday, 31 July 2020

Wildlife Rich Walk, Part II


These are some photos from a walk we did near Yzeures-sur-Creuse on 1 July. [Link to Part I.]

Wild blackberries Rubus fruiticosus complex (Fr. les mûres).
We were quite surprised to find ripe, tasty blackberries so early.
Wild blackberries Rubus fruiticosus complex. Indre et Loire. France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Rampion Bellflower Campanula rapunculus (Fr. Campanule raiponce).
Rampion Bellflower Campanula rapunculus. Indre et Loire. France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

A carpenter ant worker Camponotus sp.
A carpenter ant worker Camponotus sp. Indre et Loire. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Until recently both sides of the track would have been lined with a ditch and a wild hedge like this forming the field boundary. This side remains intact...
Field boundary wild hedge. Indre et Loire. France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Teneral (juvenile) male Common Darter dragonfly Sympetrum striolatum (Fr. le Sympétrum fascié).
Teneral male Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum. Indre et Loire. France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

The hedge has been grubbed up and the field converted from being mown for hay to being ploughed and sown with maize. This is a sad loss for the environment and for biodiversity.
Hedge removed along field boundary and field converted from hay to maize. Indre et Loire. France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Male Small Pincertail dragonfly Onychogomphus forcipatus (Fr. le Gomphe à forceps).
Male Small Pincertail Onychogomphus forcipatus. Indre et Loire. France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Fiery Clearwing moth Pyropteron chrysidiforme (Fr. la Sésie de l'Oseille).
Fiery Clearwing Pyropteron chrysidiforme. Indre et Loire. France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

The tumbling flower beetle Variimorda villosa (Fr. la Mordelle veloutée à pointe).
Tumbling flower beetle Variimorda villosa. Indre et Loire. France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

European Hornet Vespa crabro (Fr. le Frelon européene) gathering wood pulp from a burnt stump.
European Hornet Vespa crabro. Indre et Loire. France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


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6 comments:

Le Pré de la Forge said...

Very nice couple of posts
And a very richly coloured Fiery Clearwing

Susan said...

Thank you. That clearwing was a nice one.

chm said...

Ditto what Tim said.

Susan said...

Thanks.

Simon Leather said...

Excellent tightly packed drupes on those blackberries - our hedgerow blackberries, although ripe, are rather disappointing, uneven sized drupes and some of the fruit only have about six or seven drupes - pollinators being very inefficient?

Susan said...

It seems to me that blackberries are greatly affected by hot dry weather.

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