Colwell and Totland Bays, Isle of Wight

Staying on the Isle of White for a week. We are 3 mins walk from the beach and the coastal walk. Yesterday was grey and overcast when we started out walk to Totland but the sun came out later though not a great sunset. The area has had large landslides over several years so the area is full of skeleton trees and shell containing coat and rocks.

Dawn in the Meadow and Alice Holt Forest

Further images from Wednesday starting with a prebreakfast wander round the meadows at Petersfield. After the visit to Frensham Pond, we moved to Alice Holt forest for a short walk in the conifers. As everywhere else on this trip, butterflies were in very short supply - just a Speckled Wood and Red Admiral. 

Oxeye Daisies at Buriton Churchyard

Buriton churchyard near Petersfield is a mass of Oxeye daisies at the moment. St. Mary’s Church was built between 1150 and 1200, but was preceded by a smaller one that is listed in Domesday Book of 1086.  I wonder if the church then was surrounded by these daisies as it is a native species though widely naturalised in many parts of the world. Considered an invasive weed as it can destroy pastures when too active and causes unpleasant taste to milk from cows that graze it.

Orchids and Their Pollination

The meadows here in Hampshire are full of Common Spotted Orchids often with some Pyramidal Orchids. As with many other flowers, they rely on insects for pollination but they have a trick to try and ensure that this is more successful. They hold their pollen in aggregates called pollinia connected to elongate stipes. These are attached to the flower by a sticky viscidium. When certaininsects such as Bees visit the flower they stick to the head or tongue and are then trnasported to the next flower it visits. The club-shaped pollinia are clearly visible in the photos or the Red-Tailed Bumble Bee.

Wildlife at Uppark Meadows

 On Sunday we visited Uppark, a National Trust Site near Petersfield. The house has very restricted visiting but the grounds are wonderful with formal gardens and meadows. The weather improved during our visit and we found lots of macro subjects to exercise our cameras. The first image is of a Robber fly attacking and eating an ichneumon wasp.