Sparrowhawks: The sparrowhawks are back and the squealing of the chicks means they have nested. The nest is not as close as it was  but the young are still over flying the house, the small birds have gone into hiding and the pigeons are having to watch out.

Swallows and House Martins. I was in the horse field the other day filling the water trough and had time to watch the Swallows and House Martins swooping, and diving, and very low flying over the ground to catch insects (I estimate only two inches above the ground at times) and marvelled at their agility.

Wood Mouse. While working in the garden I noticed a bulge to one of the flowers of a Globe Thistle; it looked like a bird from a distance but didn't fly away. I took a closer look and found it to be a small mouse clinging to the flower head which was about three feet above the ground. It stayed like this and we left it alone. Later it had gone. A look in the book confirmed that it was a Wood Mouse; they live on seeds which is why it was up there, and they also eat snails which is a good thing; we have a lot of snails.
This also reminded us not to be too hasty to chop down and dispose of the seed heads as wildlife rely on the seeds for food.

Grasshoppers. The grasshoppers are very abundant this year as they like dry sunny weather and eat young grasses. Born in May they emerge from eggs that have overwintered, as nymphs.  The nymphs resemble the adults but have no wings. After several months they change into adults. They do not have a chrysalis state.
Although there are over 30 different species of grass hopper in the world, about ten of the more common ones are found in Britain. The females are generally larger than the male but it is the male that 'chirps' by rubbing his back legs together to attract the female.
Bush Crickets are much larger and have longer antennae. They feed on soft bodied insects as well as grass and lay single eggs in rotting wood or under bark. The eggs hatch out in the spring and during the summer they change into adults and will live until the autumn frosts kill them, as do grasshoppers.

Lily Beetle. I had been closely watching the Lily Beetle a small red beetle whose larvae eat the leaves of the Lily Flower. In May, two of them produced a batch of bright red eggs. These hatched into slimy black blobs that look like bird droppings. one of them quickly ate a lily leaf leaving behind the skeleton of the leaf.. After a few weeks they changed into a grey bodied, caterpillar creature with distinct legs. Then a bit later into a rosy red lump (I assume this was the chrysalis stage). By this time the lily flower had dropped and I had cut down the tall plant with it's much eaten leaves. I have not seen these in the garden before and so have never had the chance to study them in detail. My insect book doesn't have much reference to them except to say that they are leaf eating beetles, (chrysomelidae) and are to be found on lilies. Whether they eat anything else I cannot say. So I guess that they are not very common which will be a relief to the lily growers.

Apples and all That. We have a good crop of apples this year but many are dropping off, possibly because of the dry weather. I have found a useful recipe to use up the wind falls that doesn't require peeling them.

Apple Cheese
  Requirements: 2 lb of windfall apples
                     
  2 lbs apples - cut into pieces after removing the rotten or bruised parts.

  1/2 pt water - the juice of a lemon.

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