2015

2015, January We have winter flowers in the form of Winter Heliotrope (Aldington road by the Wild Animal park) and Gorse (Airfield) in flower.

.(click on images to enlarge, all pictures taken by Nick Hollands)

the bird count for January was around 40.

Stonechats, a pair have been wintering on the Airfield

Stonechat

February, the bird count is 46 and the Grey Herons are starting to nest in Lympne Park wood

Some fungi have come through the winter the Jews ear fungus can be seen on dead wood (these on the footpath near Lympne Place school)

Turkey tail bracket fungus  (Aldington road near Lympne industrial park)

The winter Heliotrope and Gorse flower all winter and are still in flower. Snowdrops are up and on mild days visited by early bees.(Lympne church)

 

 

 

A Common Buzzard.   (Wild Animal Park, car park)

 

 March    With Spring around the corner wild flowers are becoming more abundant. Primroses, Violets, and Snowdrops are now joined by Coltsfoot,(Lympne Airfield)  Lesser Celandine and Red Dead Nettle(Lympne Airfield).

These Turkey tail Fungus were found on fallen timber on Lympne Airfield by Frances Jordan

The Chiffchaff is migrating warbler, although some overwinter, is a sign of spring.

 

The Early Bumblebee is one of the first of the Bumblebees to be seen in Spring

Bees and other insects are taking advantage of the early pollen and nectar source from Alexanders a green/yellow flower now blooming.

The leaves of the Bee Orchids are just beginning to show.

(lympne Airfield)

Song Thrush pictured through patio doors in a house on Stone street Lympne.

The early Dog violet can be seen in the old quarry between Isis close/Octavian drive and Roseacre wood.

The Forest Cuckoo bee was pictured on Alexanders along the path overlooking Portus Lemanis

The first Wasp of 2015, because of the date 18/03/2015 this is probably a Queen

A regular visitor to a garden in Stone St  Lympne, Britain’s smallest bird, a Goldcrest

April

Spring is well on its way with spells of warm sunshine and early flowers in bloom Solitary bees are emerging and feeding on nectar and pollen from Alexanders and Lesser Celandine, also around are a parasite of the solitary bee the Bee-fly.

Seven Spot Ladybirds are coming out of their winter hiding places.

Goat willow/Pussy willow and other Willows are flowering attracting Honey bees and Bumblebees. The first Swallows are around in neighboring West Hythe, so it will not be long before they are seen here.

While looking for Early Purple Orchids in some woodland I came across some Blue Anemones, according to my wild flower books they are an introduced species, but really spectacular when seen in large spreads.

Late April, more wild flowers can be found including Early Purple Orchids

Green Alkanet and Honesty

On warm sunny days look out for Common Lizards basking on exposed rock or timber,

A Northern Wheatear on Lympne Airfield

Tawny mining bee from my garden.

Some more flowers from around lympne

May/June More wild flowers are evident Blackthorn has given way to Hawthorn. Another member of the Orchid family the Common Twayblade can be found in a couple of areas in our village,

Common Twayblade

A Southern Marsh Orchid is showing, not quite at its best yet.

Daylight flying moths like the Cinnabar Moth are searching out Ragwort to lay their eggs on.

Grassland Butterflies like the Common Blue are on the wing, as are Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell which can be found sunning themselves on paths and roads.

More pictures of reptiles from the former Airfield, Grass Snakes,  2 colour variations from the green and black to the plain green.

More invertebrates about include Damselflies and Dragonflies

The Bee Orchids are just coming into flower the recent rain has saved the Southern Marsh Orchid which was looking a bit sorry for itself, and new for me 2 Common Spotted Orchids also on the former Lympne Airfield.

(click on images to enlarge)

With the discovery of the first Pyramidal Orchid this year  by Frances Jordan, the village has 6 Orchid species, 4 of which can be found on the former Lympne Airfield

More wild flowers

June/July

More Butterfly species are on the wing now these include Skippers Meadow Brown and Marbled White.

More flowers and wildlife about Lympne now,

Autumn

The last of our Bee species to emerge is with us, busily feeding on Ivy flowers for the main.

The Ivy bee (Colletes hederae) is a solitary mining bee that looks like a ginger Honey bee. These bees were first recorded in the UK in 2001

Another recent arrival in the UK is the colourful Wasp Spider, September through to the early winter is the best time to find these Spiders low down in long grass, the 20mm spiders are the mature females.

Other wildlife still to seen on warm days basking in the sun on rocks or fallen timber are Common Lizards and Dragonflies like Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers.

Fungi   The time of the Toadstool is with us, here are some seen in October, including one rare Devil`s finger or Octopus Stinkhorn

Another unusual fungi has turned up on Lympne Airfield, found by Frances Jordan, Fairy Fingers or White Spindles.

30/12/2015 Mid Winter.

The mild weather continues garden plants continue to flower early Daffodils are out, wildflowers are showing well, the Winter Heliotrope are in full bloom as expected, Violets and lesser Celandine, spring flowers, are blooming early. Honey Bees are foraging on the Winter Heliotrope, and my first Snowdrop of the season was seen at Lympne Church.