Saturday 4 September 2010

The River Arun, rabbits, a cemetery and a squirrel

Common Ragwort, Senecio jacobaea
Yesterday I ventured to new local areas to survey for butterflies as part of the Sussex Butterfly Atlas 2010-14. The county is divided into squares 2 kilometres by 2 kilometres, called tetrads and I have been allocated seven nearby squares. The first was around Lyminster and I parked near the church and discovered a new walk. I found a Red Admiral, two Small Whites and a Speckled Wood.
Meadow Brown
Next stop was Warningcamp where I found a wonderful new walk by the River Arun. I saw two rabbits with myxomatosis, one appeared to be blind and deaf. By the time I walked back this one was dead and I believe that it was finished off by a spaniel.
I saw Small Whites (above), Holly Blues, a Red Admiral, Speckled Woods and Meadow Brown.
Sue accompanied me on today’s surveys. She had excellent eyes for butterflies, I would have missed some without he. First stop was Littlehampton Cemetery where we saw Small Whites, Holly Blues and Speckled Woods and a squirrel.
Rowantree with berries, a sign of Autumn

mushroom
crow
Then we went to the River Arun where the same species as yesterday were seen, minus the Red Admiral.
Arundel Castle from the River Arun
bluebottle
lichen covered bushes
Marsh Mallow, Althaea officinalis, whose root has great medicinal properties

rabbit with myxomatosis

6 comments:

  1. Hi Colin and Sue from Campbell River on Vancouver Island - we are visiting one of Jacqueline's sisters. Is this a new strain of myxomatosis? I thought all bunnies that survived this illness many years ago were immune? The Australians developed a new biological weapon against rabbits on an offshore island a few years ago. Somehow it got to the mainland before the authorities were ready to release it - an inside job?... Malcolm.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Malcolm & Jacqueline, must be fabulous on Vancouver Island, look forward to photos. Myxomatosis is still around apparently even though some of the rabbit population is immune - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myxomatosis
    Colin

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amazing bluebottle pic. Poor rabbits. And weren't you legally obliged to fall upon that ragwort and tear it up?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Pen. Perhaps you are thinking of Japanese knotweed...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Colin, can´t resist to leave a message this time. The bluebottle photo is fantastic, its brilliant colours hit my eyes...

    Seppi

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks Seppi, I keep taking photos of bluebottles hoping to get one that really shows off the amazing colurs. I haven't finished yet...

    ReplyDelete

Please select 'Name/URL' from 'Comment as' drop down box and add your name, thanks.