Why did the viper vipe her nose?

Cos the adder 'ad 'er hankerchief!

Considering I am not a big fan of snakes, I seem to spend a fair amount of time either looking for them or stumbling across them.  We did a reptile survey at Brenchley Wood and Cinderhill last week with the hope that we might find adders on site.  Sadly (for conservation, not so much for me) there weren't any but the site may not be dry enough for them.  We did record plenty of slow worms and a few grass snakes though so it wasn't a total loss.

Slow worm (legless lizard)

Today, we were at Kiln Wood Nature Reserve doing a bit of path cutting.  Whilst having a break from the heat, I was rummaging around the pond trying to get pictures of the damselflies and got startled by something in the water.  Fortunately it was not an anaconda, but instead a grass snake happily swimming along.  Once I had recovered from the mild shock, I remembered I had my camera in my hand and tried to get some photos.  Not brilliant, but you can just about make out Britain's longest snake...

I did also manage to get a picture of the Large red damselfly, but be warned, it is x-rated.

Other shots from today...

Red campion

Common Spotted-orchid avec spider

Speckled Wood

Our new neighbour

See if you can locate the world's smallest bird house in this picture...

This was a gift from Tom and Laura following its brutal rejection from their wedding favour shortlist and now makes an attractive little decoration for our balcony.  We were hoping to wake up one morning to find a blue tit's bum sticking out of it following a mis-judgement on potential nest sites.  Alas, we have resorted to accepting its mere ornamental status.

However, as I was munching my lunch today I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye, only to watch a small creature enter the teeny house.  Surely not I hear you cry.  But yes, this splendid little gimic has now become the nesting ground of what I can only assume is a solitary bee...

She is in and out of there pretty quick but I know it isnt a wasp (phew) and maybe it is a Red Mason Bee?

Frolicking in the meadows

I spent a splendid morning last week basically frolicking in a meadow.  My task was to count the Green-winged orchids at Marden Meadows so we can check that their numbers are staying up.  What a beautiful place - if you want to see a fine example an unimproved hay meadow (very rare habitat these days) I would suggest a visit to this reserve near Maidstone.  There are thousands of these orchids as well as many other wild flowers.  Naturally, I had my trusty camera with me and it didn't let me down...

Water-violets

Bugle

Yellow-rattle

So Maidstone actually does have something good to offer!

To bee, or not to bee

I am considering joining Buglife (the Invertebrate Conservation Trust) when I finally transform back to tax-paying pleb from student, sooner rather than later hopefully.  Despite being somewhat freaked out by insects on a regular basis, they are undoubtedly very important little monsters.  Sir David Attenborough quite rightly said:

"If we and the rest of the back-boned animals were to disappear over night, the rest of the world would get on pretty well.  But if the invertebrates were to disappear, the world's ecosystems would collapse."

It's amazing what is down there in the depths of the underworld.  I spotted this little chap on Saturday whilst hunting for adders on the heath at Brenchley Wood...

Green Tiger Beetle

So I think I would like to be an advocate for bug conservation, as long as mother nature keeps them small.  I may have to re-consider my position should films like "Them" come true.

Sycamore gets the blues

So the season for cutting things down is over, boo. I have just spent the day painting Quarry Wood blue following a whole lotta cutting down of Sycamore over the winter.  To stop the regrowth we treat the stumps with a weedkiller with added dye so we can see what we've done.

Picasso at work

Pretty!

The dye does go away, so the reserve doesnt remain looking like you'd expect to see a Tellytubby appear round the corner at any moment.  And we were cutting trees down in the name of conservation.  Sycamore spreads like wildfire so by clearing sections of it, the other native species get a chance to return to the site.

There are some beautiful woodland flowers out at the moment (not painted blue)...

Dog Violet

Dogs Mercury, Wood Anemone, Lords and Ladies

Wild Primrose

Bluebell

Early Purple Orchid

Herb-Paris

Lesser Celandine

"The river. Its my world, and I don't know any other."

Hopefully you can see little Ratty in these pictures.  Well, perhaps he isn't the famous character from Wind in the Willows as this is not actually Toad Hall, but Pulborough Brooks in Sussex.  Instead we shall call him Barry.  It is not every day you get to see the illusive water vole so this was a great treat during Sunday's visit to the RSPB reserve near Storrington.  We were in a hide, hence why I could take pictures without him disappearing.  There has been a huge decline in water vole populations over the last few years due to habitat loss and the introduced American mink which predates them.  So rock on Barry!

We were also privileged to see this Water rail close up from the visitor centre window.  You don't normally see these little fellas but the staff there had been putting feed out. Not quite as legitimate a birdspot as it should be but who cares!

The final good spot of the day was a lovely pub at Bolney on the way home!

Beauty and the beast

So right now it couldn't be raining more but that is a good thing.  Earlier in the week we've had some lovely warm sunny weather and signs of spring have been emerging.  I could plaster a load of photos of lichens on here but I've found that not everyone finds them as interesting as I do strangely.  So I've bunged a couple of ladybirds in to make them more interesting!

During the same survey in Brocks Wood at college, I picked up a leaf from the ground to help me identify the tree.  The leaf was curled up and much to my utter horror I touched something soft...

Gerrrroossssss! I do not know what creature left that little surprise for me but I assume it is a spider's egg?  Fortunately no one was around to hear me shriek and launch it into the woods! I obviously then had to find it again so I could take a picture.  Der.

On another survey this week I found this pretty cool fungus called Yellow Brain Fungus...