Glass-winged Drone Fly

Glass-winged Drone Fly Eristalis similis is an abundant hover fly usually encountered in damp woodland habitat. The trick naturalists have to learn is how to distinguish from its lookalike Eristalis spp cousins, especially the even more abundant (ubiquitous even) Tapered Drone Fly E. pertinax and Common Drone Fly E. tenax.

 

Male Glass-winged Drone Fly, photographed by me in early March this year on vegetation alongside the voie verte (greenway) at Chaumussay.

 

The key differences require taking careful note of the colour (light or dark) of each leg, and certain details of the wing markings. 

• E. similis has dark front and middle feet. So does E. tenax, but E. pertinax has pale front and middle feet.
• E. similis has bicoloured hind tibiae. E. tenax has dark hind tibiae but E. pertinax has bicoloured hind tibae. This feature is surprisingly easy to spot, so worth bearing in mind.
• E. similis has a long lightish brown pterostigma (a rectangular mark near the middle of the leading edge of the wing). E. tenax and E. pertinax have small squarish dark brown pterostigma.
• E. similis never has a wing shade (a dark smudge on the transparent wings). E. tenax and E. pertinax often have wing shades.
• E. similis has black hind femora, bands of hairs on the eyes, a dark abdomen with triangular orange marks on the second segment, plumose (feathery) arista (a bristle that projects off the antenna) and a black stripe down the middle of the face. Other Eristalis spp have some or other of these characters too, but not all of them together in combination. 
• E. similis and its lookalikes are about 15 mm long. The species is on the wing from March to September, whilst the lookalikes can be seen in any month. Apart from these three there are a number of other Eristalis spp present in France, and they do all look rather alike. To know if you have a fly in the Eristalini tribe (Drone flies and their relatives) look for the loop in the median vein on the wing. Other flies do not have this.
  

Drone flies are all mimicking honey bees, and they are frequently mistaken for bees by the public. The news media will often publish a stock image of a drone fly to illustrate an article about bees, much to the exasperation of entomologists. Drone flies are terrific and very active pollinators. They spend much of their time as adults visiting flowers, but their life cycle is very different to bees. Drone fly larvae develop in wet pockets that form in rot holes in mature tree trunks, and sometimes they can be found in gardens in containers which have accumulated a mixture of water and rotting vegetation. The larvae are known as rat-tailed maggots, on account of their long thin breathing tubes, which they use like a snorkel while under water and consuming decaying plant material in a bucket, a ditch or a rot hole.

 

For comparison, a male Common Drone Fly photographed by me in early May 2023 at la Cabane, a Zone d'Interêt Ecologique, Floristique et Faunistique (ZNIEFF) that I monitor.

 

For comparison, a male Tapered Drone Fly that I photographed in April 2004 in London, England.

This is how a biodiversity surveyor spends their time -- making sure they can accurately identify creatures that others overlook and disregard.

Walking Around Chaumussay in Early Spring

On Friday 20 February Simon and I did a 2 kilometre circuit at Chaumussay. We wanted to check on the river water level of the Claise and the colony of wild daffodils that grows by the voie verte (greenway). The temperature was 12°C, there was no wind to speak of, and it wasn't raining. Since France has been experiencing the longest period of continuous rain since records began (36 days and counting) having an afternoon when it wasn't raining was noteworthy. The walk took us about half an hour.

 

The Claise is high but not unusually so for this time of year. Some riverside gardens and fields are flooded, but there is no real threat to life or property.

Silky Wall Feather Moss Homalothecium sericeum (Fr. Homalothécie soyeuse) on a low garden wall.

Grey Cushioned Grimmia moss Grimmia pulvinata on a low garden wall.

Colony of Wild Daffodil Narcissus pseudonarcissus (Fr. Narcisse jaune).

Primrose Primula vulgaris (Fr. Primavère acaule).

Lesser Celandine Ficaria verna (Fr. Ficaire fausse-renoncule), one of the most important sources of pollen for early emerging bees.

Cherry-plum Prunus cerasifera (Fr. Prunellier de Myrobolan) blossom, with a male non-biting midge from the Chironomidae family of flies. The larvae of these midges are known as blood worms (Fr. vers de vase).

European Ash Fraxinus exelsior (Fr. Frêne élevé) flowers.

Crocuses in a public garden.

Dovecotes in the Touraine

Dovecotes in French are colombiers, or more often, pigeonniers. They are buildings in which to house and raise domestic pigeons.

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

 

The word colombier comes from the Latin, but since the 18th century the term pigeonnier has more commonly been used and colombier has become obsolete. The term colombier is restricted to free standing towers, or housing for homing pigeons. They generally date from the Renaissance up to the 20th century. Modern changes in agriculture, especially the increasing cultivation of crops such as sugarbeet, have led to the raising of pigeons becoming obsolete (ie farms were not necessarily raising enough cereal to feed pigeons).

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

 

There is a third word in French to designate a dovecote -- sometimes, especially in the Touraine, they are called a fuie. The term dates from the early 12th century and implies a refuge. They are small scale and able to be closed with a shutter, mainly used more domestically for personal consumption of a modest individual household. These dovecotes are modifications to existing buildings rather than freestanding purpose built constructions.

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

Dovecotes come in quite a range of sizes and architectural styles. Amongst a dozen other areas scattered across France the Touraine is rather well known for its extant dovecotes. The most common style in the Touraine is the cylindrical tower, dating from the 14th to the 16th century. These were generally topped with tiles, but may have a cupola and a lantern. They have a single dormer entrance, and exterior ledges for the pigeons to land and take off from.

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

The interior of a pigeonnier has niches known in French as boulins. Each niche houses a pair of birds. The boulins can be made of stone, brick or daub, and made as part of the construction, or they can be ceramic or wicker and added later. There are several dovecotes in France with 2000 or more niches. The number of niches is a sign of wealth and indicates how much land the owner is cultivating. It was not unknown for socially climbing dovecote owners to add fake niches, to try to hoodwink the families they wished to marry into.

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

Inside the dovecote is a honeycomb of niches. Up to about 80 cm from the ground is empty, to prevent predators from climbing up. In the centre is a mechanism to which one or two ladders are attached, and it can be swung all the way around to give access to the nests at any height, so they can be cleaned, and the 4-5 week old squabs taken for the table. Troughs for water and food were placed on the floor. The entry window opening could be closed by a wooden grill operated from the ground by a pulley.

 

Chaumussay.

It seems to have been the Romans who introduced the practice of raising pigeons in France. In the Middle Ages dovecotes supplied a luxury food, but also an important source of fertiliser, that could help enrich the local Lord. Pigeon guano was used up until the mid-20th century as fertiliser. At the end of the 19th century it was estimated that 2 million pigeons were consumed in the City of Paris per year.

 

Private garden, Chinon.

Property owners had to apply for the right to erect a dovecote, and its size had to reflect the importance of the property. They were often placed over a chook shed, a kennel, a bread oven or a pantry. Generally the smaller ones were integrated into a stable, barn, or shed. Owners had to prove a minimum of 25 hectares of land was being cultivated if they wanted up to 120 niches.  

 

Boussay.

Whilst the pigeons produced an excellent fertiliser, they were still viewed as a menace at seed sowing time. During that season the birds were shut up in their dovecotes.

 

Fortified farm, Vesvre (Neuilly Deux Clochers).

After the Revolution raising pigeons by commoners became a symbol of what had been won, and niches were added to many houses.

 

 Les Louroux.

Dovecotes need to be positioned away from large trees to prevent raptors from staking them out. Likewise they need features to discourage predation by rodents and mustelids (martens and weasels), for example smooth tiled or plastered surrounds to the entrances, or being elevated off the ground on a central pole.

 

Chateau de Valencay, Antan.

Nowadays, small dovecotes are erected by municipalities who want to encourage pigeons to nest somewhere convenient and not on street lights and window ledges. The municipal dovecotes are usually managed so eggs are systematically sterilised, in order to reduce and control the urban pigeon population.

Checking Out the Early Orchids

I needed cheering up the other day so Simon and I went for a drive around our various local orchid sites to see what was out yet. 

 

Early Purple Orchid Orchis mascula (Fr. Orchis mâle).

Early Purple Orchids.

Knitting bombed bicycles over the voie verte (greenway) in Bossay sur Claise.

Monkey Orchid Orchis simia (Fr. Orchis singe).

Country road.

Lady Orchid Orchis purpurea (Fr. Orchis pourpre).

Early Spider Orchid Ophrys sphegodes (Fr. Ophrys araignée)

Lupin crop.

Canola pollen on the road.

Look Out For Wild Daffodils in the Touraine Loire Valley

There is a big colony of Wild Daffodils Narcissus pseudonarcissus (Fr. Narcisse jaune) that flower reliably around this date in Chaumussay. They are easily visible from the greenway (Fr. voie verte) so there will be lots of people enjoying them as they pass. I was impressed to see that there is no sign of flowers being picked, so they are being left to be shared by everyone.

Wild Daffodils are the most abundant wild Narcissus species in Europe and they have dozens of vernacular names. The term 'jonquille' in French for this species was introduced for tourist promotion reasons in the Vosges, but it more properly applies to N. jonquilla, a different species with a southern (Mediterranean) distribution. Unfortunately the French media persist in using 'jonquille' when they mean the Narcisse jaune.

Wild Daffodils can form large colonies, growing in the forests and meadows, on grassy banks and roadsides. They are abundant in some areas, rare in others. Nevertheless they grow throughout France, up to about 2000 metres above sea level. The Vosges and Alsace are famous for their meadows covered in Wild Daffodils.

They are widely cultivated in gardens and the bulbs live for a long time if conditions are a bit damp. They are fully protected in the wild, or picking is regulated, in some areas of France. Garden varieties are usually hybrids, produced to give bigger flowers, more robust plants and a greater range of colours.

The plants contain a number of quite dangerous toxins. In bad cases, ingestion of the bulb can be fatal, and just sucking a stem can result in nausea and vomiting. The plants contain sharply pointed calcium oxalate crystals which irritate the digestive system and can cause skin rashes on contact. As a consequence they are not eaten by grazing stock. 

Since the leaves disappear as soon as seeds have set they don't pose a hazard if hay is cut in the summer from a meadow where they grow. The roots can form an important element of stabilising banks, slopes, ditches and streams.  

The perfume seems to have a narcotic effect on some people, but this has never been scientifically investigated.

Local Flooding

It has rained and rained, ceasing on Monday after weeks of wet and windy weather. The Claise is carrying a lot of water, and many trees have been damaged. Here are some photos I took between Preuilly and Chaumussay on Friday, during the peak of the water levels.

 

Once again the terrace of the guinguette was under water. 

Downstream from the bridge and weir at Chaumussay.

The bridge at Chaumussay.

From the bridge at Humeau.

The mill stream at Humeau is overflowing onto the island and draining into the river.

A Calvary Emerges

We have mention in passing that in the 19th century a Calvary was erected on the hill behind Chaumussay. We assumed that it had disappeared, because we've neither see it, nor trespassed up the mosquito infested path to find it.

Imagine our surprise, then, when on visiting just before we left for Australia, we noticed a cross at the top of the hill.

Whether this is because trees have died or been removed, or we have never been there in winter (unlikely) I don't know. But I assume it is one of the original crosses emerging from the undergrowth rather than a new erection.

Walking From Chaumussay

Here are some photos from a walk I took on a fairly hot day in August. It was two and a half kilometres around Chaumussay, and took me half an hour.

 

European Peacock Inachis io (Fr. Paon-du-jour) and Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Fr. Vulcain) butterflies nectaring on Hemp-agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum (Fr. Eupatoire à feuilles de chanvre) by the side of the greenway (Fr. voie verte).

Naturalised apple tree by the side of the voie verte.

Soapwort Saponaria officinalis (Fr. Saponaire), a wild plant once used to make suds to wash hands and delicate embroidery and lace in the Touraine.

The village church.

A charming garden gate, made by Michel for his house in the village.

This rose was feeling the heat.

Public planting at the end of the bridge.

Post-War Rural Reminiscences

On Sunday I spent time with my friends Jean and Ninon. They are in their 90s, she was born here, he arrived soon after the War. The discussion at one point was the length of the grass out the back of their place, which led to the merits and disadvantages of various grazing animals and then a description of how grazing animals were managed in their village in the years just after the War. 

 

Farmers were often women, and they lived in or near the village. They had small herds of perhaps 8 or 9 cows. Twice a day the cows were taken to the river to drink as there were no 'abreuvoirs'* on farm at that time. The cows walked through the village to get to the river, and knew their own way. Too bad if you were growing anything within reach in your front garden -- it was likely to get munched. Pasture was not fenced. The cows were taken out in the morning, along the road to their allocated pasture, and guarded by someone (often a child) then brought back in the evening. Jean says that one of his regrets is never taking a photo of one particular elderly farmer, who always took an enormous black umbrella, about the size and shape of one of those one man pop up tents from his description, when she accompanied the cows. The umbrella was mostly for the sun, but sometimes for rain. Once out at the pasture these women embroidered or similar.

 

The description was *exactly* like a painting by Lucien Porcheron, who was from another nearby village but a couple of generations earlier than Jean and Ninon. The woman in the painting is knitting, and wearing a heavy woollen cloak and sabots (clogs). I've seen such a cloak, owned by someone I know and still occasionally worn on very cold market days. Every village would have had a sabotier in this period (late 19th century or early 20th century). This painting hangs in the the mairie (town hall) in le Grand Pressigny, where Porcheron lived for most of his life. 

Ninon said that none of the local epiceries (grocery stores) sold bottled milk at that time. Everyone bought milk direct from a farm.

*abreuvoir translates as 'trough', and it can be a large trough, but more usually an abreuvoir is a rectangular shallow pond with a ramp for entering and leaving so the stock can walk in and drink, or you can drive a cart in and wash it.

Out and About in the Claise Valley in mid-April

To check on the progress of the orchids around Chaumussay I invited my friend Carolyn to come out with me one Sunday morning in mid-April. Here is a selection of what we saw, which was not restricted to orchids.

 

The entry holes to the nest tunnels of a species of sweat bees, maybe Lasioglossum marginatum. You can see a trail of pollen into the hole at the bottom. 

Carolyn entranced by these little bees' activities.

A male Green Fairy Longhorn moth Adela reaumurella (Fr. Adele verdoyante) hanging around on a Wayfaring Tree Viburnum lantana (Fr. Viorne lantane) waiting for a female to turn up.

Female Great Banded Furrow Bee Halictus scabiosae (Fr. Halicte de la scabieuse), a good 'gateway' bee, since it is easy to identify and abundant.

This Apple Blossom Beetle Tropinota hirta (Fr. Cétoine hérissée) appeared to be fighting a rival on a Monkey Orchid Orchis simia (Fr. Orchis singe).

Great Banded Furrow Bee, showing her distinctive 'furrowed' abdomen tip.

Look out for Great Banded Furrow Bees, which are on the wing from April to September, when they are busy making nests in hard compacted soil, often in the middle of paths.

Bush Vetch Vicia sepium (Fr. Vesce des haies), growing on the far side of a roadside ditch.

Common Carder Bumble Bee Bombus pascuorum (Fr. Bourdons des champs) feeding on Ground Ivy Glechoma hederacea (Fr. lierre terrestre) along the roadside.

Small-leaved Helleborine Epipactis microphylla (Fr. épipactis à petites feuilles), an uncommon and under-recorded small orchid.

Wild Madder Rubia peregrina (Fr. Garance voyageuse), not to be confused with its relative R. tinctorum, which is a source of red dye.