Wild Words from the Ground - August

Welcome to our blogs featuring the photos and sightings of wildlife in the garden (and outreach sites like Chattowood, and the Meanwhile Garden and Albert Roundabout in Colchester) by our staff, whether in the office, shop, tea-room, nursery or garden. The images are curated and commented upon by Dr Chris Gibson, our Wildlife Advocate.

The summer heatwave may have subsided through August, but the drought remained at least until just before the month end. Yes, the rain that poured down on us on 29 August was VERY welcome, but did it really have to coincide with the day the delegates from our two-yearly symposium descended upon us for a final day of fun building ‘Connections through Time’?

A combination perhaps of the effects of the prolonged drought, with summer holidays and preparations for the symposium has meant that this month’s Wild Words are rather few. But as at least a bit of rain has returned to our scene, so we have seen an increase in activity in those things that may have been taking a summer recess. Ollie, Matt and Nicola together enjoyed finding a hedgehog by day, perhaps on the hunt for the first slugs and earthworms venturing out after the first shower…

… while Kirsten had help from a Common frog. Who was teaching who?!

But most spectacularly, Gill filmed this Grass Snake zooming across the nursery on the morning after the drought broke:

Extreme weather like we have seen is always a great opportunity for learning. One of the main impacts of this summer has been that the floriferousness of the higher, drier parts of the garden has peaked early. The eryngium is a case in point, almost wholly over by the end of the first week, when usually they would go on through the month. But as long as there were flowers, there were also insect visitors. Found by Jo and photographed by Rob, here is a parasite-fly Tachina fera visiting the flowerheads for nectar. Around the same time, throughout the garden I saw more of them, hundreds or thousands, than I have ever seen before, anywhere. No idea why, but if I was moth caterpillar I would be worried. The female fly lays pre-incubated eggs on a leaf; when a caterpillar approaches, its vibrations stimulate the eggs to hatch and seek out the host. One larva burrows inside, and spends its whole larval life feeding there, taking care to avoid the caterpillar’s vital organs until the end, so keeping its meat fresh. Another wonderful critter that helps bring ecological balance to the garden, though numbers were such that if I was a moth caterpillar this year I might just be worried!

As the month progressed and these flowers faded, the insects simply decamped down the slope on to moisture-retentive clay soils where rudbeckia, eupatorium and especially bistorta were still blooming strongly. Often weaving its way among the stems was a Hornet on the hunt, and the same was true around other flowers as Rob found around the Hydrangea viburnoides.  

When Cathy posted a picture of a large gathering of adult Dock Bugs, the only collective noun I could offer was ‘a Dixon of Dock Bugs’.  Until I realised that would go over the heads of anyone under 50 and so exclude most of our team!

Presumably because we have so many ‘natural pesticides’ like ladybirds, lacewings, hoverflies and birds, aphids do not often feature in these blogs. This one, found by Rob, seems to be the Crimson-tipped Monk’s-hood Aphid Brachycaudus napelli, although I can find very little information regarding its presence or distribution in the UK.

Finally, a couple of moths. Leanne came across a new moth for the garden list, the beautifully camouflaged Small Ranunculus, which despite its name feeds as a caterpillar on Lactuca species. Wild Lettuces are certainly present in the extension area where the piggies are, and maybe elsewhere. The caterpillars do a remarkable impression of lettuce buds and so are hard to spot, though we have seen them for example in the Meanwhile Garden. The moth became extinct in Britain in the early part of 20th century but returned to Kent in 1997; since then it has spread through most of Essex especially in gardens and brownfield sites.

And the sight of ‘Emily the Hummingbird Hawkmoth Whisperer’ will remain long in the minds of those who witnessed it. We have seen lots of the moths this summer, but none has had as warm a welcome as this!

For a different perspective on this month’s wildlife, have a look at my personal blog:

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the WildSide walks of August | Chris Gibson Wildlife

Indeed, you could look at the whole archive of my blogs relating to Beth Chatto Gardens, going right back to 2018, all listed on the page Beth Chatto Gardens – activities, events and blogs | Chris Gibson Wildlife

It seems likely that with the start of meteorological autumn, the temperature and drought excesses of this summer are now in the past. At least for a few months: the building of a ‘Super El Niño’ in the Pacific is forecast to impact upon global weather cycles, bringing more extremes. Extremes of heat, or drought, or rain, or wind…. who knows? But whatever is in store, our teams will still be out there helping maintain our very special ‘garden nature reserve’, and if anyone wants to join me on a WildSide Walk around the garden, the final planned events will be on 11^th September, bookable through our website at Courses & Workshops - Beth Chatto's Plants & Gardens.