Figgate Flowers

We had a lovely trip to Figgate Park today, it's looking very colourful with all the flowers at the moment

The burn is full of water crowfoot

The pictorial flower meadow is looking beautiful

the insect hotel is currently in bloom too, offering plenty of foods for the hotel's residents

 though this Syrphus hoverfly preferred the thistles

and this marmalade hoverfly preferred a dandelion

The water lilies are in flower

and being enjoyed by insects, including this common wasp

This common spotted orchid was tucked away in  the undergrowth - I seem to be seeing more of these orchids than usual this year!

There weren't as many birds around as normal, but we enjoyed watching this family of mute swans, with greylag geese and a family of mallards in the background

You may find it difficult to find male mallards at this time of year, this is because they are in eclipse - they're moulting and have taken on plumage very similar to the females, but if you look carefully you can see a little bit of green in this male's head

We didn't see many smaller birds at all, but they are well provided for with this new bird feeder

Sheltering from the rain

It was raining at lunchtime but Crafty Green Boyfriend and I braved Corstorphine Hill. Many creatures were hiding from the rain, like these snails, who seem to have found something to do together to while away the time until the rain stops

Then there was this burnet moth, which didn't want to reveal the number of spots it has and crept around the petals of the rosebay willow herb carefully staying partially hidden all the time

And meanwhile if you're a fairy, what better way to shelter from the rain than with one of these fairy bonnets (that is, if I'm correct in my identification the actual name of this fungus!)?

Ammonites and Leaping Fish by Penelope Lively

This is a memoir about ageing from one of the UK's best loved novelists. In this book, Penelope Lively muses on the ageing process, memory, the importance of reading and the historical times she has lived through. She also takes six objects from her home and uses them to muse on topics that mean a lot to her.

It's this last section, that for the purposes of this blog, I found most interesting. The first item she chooses is a pair of duck kettle holders that she bought in Maine. She uses them as a starting point to muse about her birdwatching experiences - she claims to not be a particularly competent birdwatcher, but she seems to know far more than the average person in the street! She also briefly muses about what is it that attracts so many people to birds.

Next she looks at a rock she has that contains two ammonites. From this she thinks about the wealth of prehistoric life and the human need to name and categorise things:

"The world and its life are the abiding delight and fascination, and to savour them to the full you want to have things labelled, named, classified: a tree is not just a tree, it is a particular tree or you are only enjoying it as an agreeable sight."

This an excellent, insightful (though sometimes rambling) meditation on ageing and what life means as you grow older. Well worth reading.

Ammonites and Leaping Fish: A Life in Time by Penelope Lively published by Penguin

Moths and More at Musselburgh

Two beautiful moths alongside the John Muir Walkway near Musselburgh today, both of which were happy to pose for the camera! This is a six spot burnet moth, a species which I have seen several times and sometimes in number. It is beautifully irridescent and has magnificent antennae! Corrected to state: in fact if you look carefully this is 'missing a spot' and is therefore a narrow bordered 5 spot burnet moth!  

and this second species, which is apparently quite common, but I've never noticed it before, is an antler moth, look at it's beautiful patterning! (Thanks to the Edinburgh Natural  History Society Facebook Group for identifying this for me).

 Plenty of other insects around today, including these red soldier beetles busily making the next generation of red soldier beetles!

And of course, as ever there were plenty of birds around! I enjoyed watching this family of red breasted mergansers, the mother has done well to get so many chicks to this stage, with all the predators around!

Two modern classics about evolution

The Diversity of Life by E O Wilson

The Diversity of Life is a classic of evolutionary literature from the renowned biologist Edward O Wilson. The first section of the book concentrates on ways in which life on earth has diversified to fit into all the niches that the planet offers. Wilson (no relation by the way!) looks at how small creatures are able to take advantage of tiny differences in soil or vegetation and thus diversify into a greater number of species than larger creatures. He cites lots of examples, but the one that will always stick in my mind is the species of rainforest ant (Wilson is a specialist in ant biology and ecology) which has a specialised species of mite that lives on the ants' feet. The ants don't let this bother them and in fact use the mites as 'shoes' and walk on them!

The second part of the book focuses on the human impact on life on earth and is both depressing in its cataloguing of the damage we're doing and already out of date (the book dates from 1992). This section isn't without hope, Wilson outlines numerous ways in which we can help to halt or at least lessen the biodiversity crisis, but it's still a slower read than the first section, which is so full of fascinating insights into the beauty of the natural world.

The Diversity of Life by Edward O Wilson published by Penguin (1992)

After Man by Dougal Dixon

Dougal Dixon is a widely respected expert on dinosaurs but he also casts his eyes into the future! This book from 1981 is a classic in speculative evolution.

After Man is a beautiful large format book that looks at possible ways that life on earth may evolve after humankind becomes extinct. It starts by discussing elements of how evolution works alongside how the landmasses of the earth may rearrange themselves in the future. The main body of the book looks at the earth 50 million years into the future, continent by continent and habitat by habitat exploring the animals that may one day be here to replace us.

It's a timely read, as many scientists now consider the earth to be in the midst of the sixth extinction, an extinction event largely (though not entirely) driven by humankind's encroachment on and destruction of wildlands. It's also a fascinating theoretical look at how evolution could work in the future, there are some wonderfully weird animals in here, all of them beautifully illustrated and described in detail, both in terms of appearance and also how they might behave and what current animals they might replace.

A fascinating book for anyone interested in evolutionary zoology or in invented animals!

After Man: A Zoology of the Future by Dougal Dixon published by Granada (1981).

Feathery earrings

I made these two pairs of earrings using feathers and beads from pre-loved jewellery and brand new nickel free earring hooks - both can be found in the Crafty Green Poet Etsy shop:

 this pair is in my Etsy shop here

and you can find this pair here.

In Colinton Dell

They're not called umbellifers for nothing - bee hiding from the rain

Snail sliming along

Epistrophe grossulariae hoverfly basking in the sun