A spider and a slug.

I have been wondering what is the species of spider that I often see in my greenhouse - it particularly seems to like hiding between stacks of thin wooden strips that I use as shelving to rest my pots and trays on stacked up. When I am not using the strips I pile them up so that they don't cast too much shade of the borders below, and it is here that I find the spiders. They are present throughout the year.

Then, the other day I went in my greenhouse and a few minutes later I realised I had a spider in my hair. When I got it out I took this photo (below). Today I have used the Collins Field Guide to Spiders by Michael J. Roberts to identify the species. It looks as if it is Nuctenea umbratica - an orb web spider that specialises in catching moths. Apparently they make a fresh web every day. By day they shelter in crevices, which, in "nature" would have been under loose bark. Since humans have created many other sorts of "man-made" crevices the spiders now use items such as rotting window frames, fence posts and road signs; or in my example, greenhouse shelves.

The spiders themselves are distinctive for looking leathery and flattened; making them well adapted to access their daytime refuges. Males and females look similar, and I am not sure which this is. These spiders are capable of biting people, though I'm glad to say my passenger didn't bother me - it just had a ride in to my house and back! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuctenea_umbratica

Nuctenea umbratica

This is a photo that I took a few years ago. It shows the flattened body of this spider species, and the beautiful markings on its abdomen.

Another species which I often see in my garden is this slug. It is a Green Cellar Slug  Limacus maculatus. There are often groups of this species in the damp, warm atmosphere of  my plastic compost bin where I assume they feed on rotting kitchen waste.

Four new first of the year sightings in Endon.

Another warm day brought four species of bee into my garden for the first time this year. The first three were queens which were searching for nectar in order that they may feed up after enduring winter without food; they survived by living on fat stores in their bodies which were built up at the end on last year's flowering season. These female bees are full of fertilized eggs and will be looking for a place where they can build their nest. It is a frequent sight at this time of year to see a large bumblebee flying close to the ground, investigating holes amongst the grasses and other low vegetation. Unlike with Hive (or Honey) bees, bumblebee queens rear the first batch of daughter bees by themselves; this means she must build enough cells for a several eggs and then provision them with food. The resultant young bees will then become worker bees who are dedicated to rear their sisters and look after their mother. By this stage their mother's sole role is to stay in the nest and lay eggs. 

Tree Bumblebee. Sometimes found nesting in bird boxes which are a substitute for holes in trees (taken June 2011). 

Red-tailed Bumblebees nest in holes in the ground or walls etc. (taken April 2009)

 Common Carder Bumblebees nest in holes in the ground covered with moss (taken May 2010). 

The tawny Mining Bee, pictured below has a different life-cycle to the bumblebee. She is one of the many solitary bee species that live in the British Isles. In this species the female is fertilized in spring by a male that is smaller and dark brown. Once she has mated she makes a nest in well-drained soil and her "mining" leaves a little volcano of soil on the surface. As this species is solitary the mother bee does all the nest-building, egg-laying and nest-provisioning. In my garden this species feeds on nectar and/or pollen from gooseberry plants. However the clayey soil appears to deter them from building nests.

Female Tawny Mining bee (taken April 2010). 

Buff-tailed Bumblebees became active in my garden towards the end of March. 

Buff-tailed Bumblebee, generally the earliest bumblebee to emerge in spring (taken August 2011). 

Three species of butterflies on one April day.

Today was the first day of this year I have seen butterflies in my garden. Butterflies may have been in the garden over the previous couple of days as we had lovely sunny afternoons on Saturday and Sunday, but I was in places other than my garden for most of those days, so I wouldn't have seen them. Anyway from about midday today I saw a Brimstone first, then a Comma and finally a Peacock. All these species overwinter as adults, and if they survive predation by small mammals, spiders etc., they start to feed and look for a mate once the weather warms to a sufficient temperature for them to fly. The photos below were taken at the end of last year.  

Brimstone.

Comma.

Peacock. 

Environmental Degradation - Number 7.

There are many ways in by which people can act to harm the environment (either for other people or the wildlife that lives in it). Here is an example of a careless action that could have a number of consequences for both people and wildlife; its a mechanical digger left to rust away in the back garden of a large house between Ladderedge and Longsdon. 

So, what is wrong with this?

1. Its unsightly; and if it was left be a resident of an inner city housing estate or a member of the travelling community there would probably be some disapproval by people living local to the location of the eyesore (and who knows, maybe some of their neighbours do complain).

2. If its left long enough it will leak diesel, oils and other noxious fluids from the rusting fuel tank and hydraulic system. And who knows where that could end up? Whether it is from seeping through the surrounding soil (which in itself is likely to be detrimental to soil organisms) to running off over the surface - it could end up in a stream, pond or some other wildlife habitat. 

3. Eventually the paint, plastic seals, glass etc. will decay and in the process may pollute the soil on which the digger is standing and, as with the liquid toxins mentioned above, ultimately into water courses. 

There are other examples of this type of activity in our area. Currently there is a green car (a Citroen I think) abandoned in a field at the gateway in to Bagnall (travelling from Endon in to Bagnall). Presumably the owner of the field parked it there with the intention of leaving it to rot (it has been there several months). Neither Bagnall or Longsdon are poor areas and I expect the residents of those two places choose to live there in part because of the natural assets, i.e. the attractiveness of the surrounding countryside. So why do they allow some of their neighbour's to leave large objects that look horrible and cause avoidable pollution? One would think in a place like inconsiderate, and possibly law-breaking, neighbours, would meet the opprobrium from the local community.

Here are a further six examples of environmental degradation in the Endon area which I have blogged about:

http://endonwildlife.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/from-litter-to-lunch.html

http://endonwildlife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/letter-to-endon-with-stanley-parish.html

http://endonwildlife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/reply-from-defra-to-my-letter-asking.html

http://endonwildlife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/end-result-curlew-habitat-lost-and.html

http://endonwildlife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/tidiness-or-trashing.html

http://endonwildlife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/balloon-races-fundraising-fun-or.htm