Allotment Female Orange Tip

Down on the allotment, I saw the first female Orange Tip of the year nectaring on the flowers of Comfrey and Chive. All of the Orange Tips I've seen so far this year have been male so this little lady was a welcome visitor. It provided a pleasant break from removing bindweed amongst the fruit bushes. 

The males have bold orange patches on the tip of each forewing, whereas the orange colour is lacking in the female which have similar upperwing markings to a Small White. Both male and female have the delicately mottled green and white pattern on the underwing.  

I also glimpsed a male Brimstone zipping around the hawthorn border but it shot off as quick as it appeared, well before I could grab the camera.

Headingley Station Allotment Butterflies

A few more hours on the allotment today brought out more butterflies with two new species making an appearance thanks to the glorious sunshine. This Comma spent a bit of time on the Gooseberries (not a great pic, but needs must), and a male Orange Tip passed through briefly. The single Small White that's been around for the last two days was joined by another, and two Small Tortoiseshells visited a variety of spots around the allotment, a Peacock made an appearance later in the afternoon.

I've started a butterfly sightings list for 2012 with the aim that it'll encourage me to be a little more organised about recording my sightings for the year. Thanks to a week off work I've made a good start so far.

Dragonfly on the allotment fence

Passing by the side of the Headingley Station allotments at lunchtime , my attention was drawn to a cluster of tiny raspberries peeping through the fence. Reaching for a berry, I was surprised to see a dragonfly perched on the foliage. On closer inspection I think its a Brown Hawker, looking a little lop-sided. There's a small stream that runs the length of the fence on the allotment side, I've seen damselflies here before but never a dragonfly, they can be seen in numbers in certain spots along the canal.

Not having a camera on me I had to resort to a pic on my phone, so apologies for the awful quality.

Allotment and garden sightings

After the excitement of the Kirkstall Festival, we popped over to the allotment to weed, water and harvest, returning home with broad beans, turnips, gooseberries and raspberries. Lovely to see a Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) in the herb patch, feeding on Marjoram flowers.

The broad beans were lightly steamed and served alongside a nice piece of Salmon, the gooseberries transformed into a gooseberry cheesecake, the raspberries sat on top of a generous dollop of fresh cream on top of a fruit scone purchased earlier at the festival. Yum!

Back in the house, from the back door I spotted this Comma sunning itself on a potted hosta in the back garden.

Allotment wildlife

Come the weekend I frequently find myself torn between spending time on the allotment or venturing further afield. More often than not the allotment takes second place in favour of pastures new or maybe not so new but certainly requiring less physically demanding activity. So opting for some much needed allotment time I enjoyed a few hours gardening and was rewarded with some lovely butterfly sightings, resulting in a new high of 6 species on the plot in one day.


The first visitor to appear was this Ringlet, coming to rest on a comfrey leaf. Later we counted three Ringlets chasing each other, the next one looks fresher than the first and settled in view after flitting around the Raspberry canes. Green Veined Whites were on the wing throughout the day.

In my corner plot, where it meets the perimeter fence we've let the brambles grow in a bid to deter some of our more destructive and unwelcome local visitors. Its a mix of grasses, brambles, hawthorn, climbing rose, thistles and comfrey, which combine to create a pretty sturdy green barrier and prime real estate for wildlife which seems to be working.

Next to appear was this Red Admiral that spiralled in over the hedgerow, significantly bigger, bolder and brighter than the Ringlets.

This Comma initially investigated the brambles before settling on bare earth.

One of three Large Skippers, checking out the comfrey and bramble flowers.

A Robin, fresh from a refreshing bath perched on a post to inspect a patch of newly turned soil before swooping down to pick up a mouthful of insects.

A Small Tortoiseshell basks in the sunshine.

Its the first time Ive noticed Damselflies in our stream near the entrance to the allotments. Its great to see the stream turn into a real wildlife magnet and I'm looking forward to see how it progresses.

Kirkstall creatures

Taking a meandering walk home from work, I passed by the allotments where something in the hedgerow caught my eye, initially I was slightly confused.


But then it shook and righted itself, I think its a male Great Tit, but I'd welcome a second opinion. My guess is that its just taken a bath and is preening and drying out in the sunshine. It's sat on our allotment perimeter fence, a stream runs directly behind this spot. Earlier in the year the stream was cleared and relevelled to maintain a more constant water level. A couple of years earlier hawthorns and roses were planted along the fence to create a barrier and provide shelter and food for wildlife. Great to see the local Kirkstall creatures are making use of the facilities.

Also on the hedgerow I noticed a familiar 7 Spot Ladybird on a Hawthorn leaf, the blossom held in tight bundles ready to burst any day.

Less familiar, could anybody help identify these two, would I be correct in thinking they're both Harlequin Ladybirds? UK Ladybird Survey has lots of information about Ladybirds species.

As some of the earlier flowering trees in the area lose their blossom, others come into bloom, this one in a hedgerow behind Queenswood Social Club car park.

Kirkstall stroll

A couple of inches of snow fell during the early hours of Sunday morning here in Leeds. Its starting to clear today, so thankfully it won't be around for quite as long as the last lot. On Sunday afternoon, after restocking the bird feeders and clearing snow from the hill outside the house we strolled over to the allotment.

Here the blue-green leaves of daffodils and yellow-green leaves of overwintering onions poked through the snow.

Although the Redwing failed to put in an appearance on the allotment, there were planty of Goldfinch chattering noisily in the back hedgerow. Continuing on we noticed potential Redwing silhouettes in the trees on the patch behind Queenswood Drive. Sure enough the Redwing were gathered, 5 perched in nearby branches and 15-ish joined them from the ground, and another flock of 20 were in the treetops about 100metres away, I wonder how much longer they'll stick around in this area? Also spotted, Nuthatch, Robin, Wren, Mistle Thrush, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Blackbird, oh and a female Kestrel flying South.

Here's one of the Redwing, just to confirm the sighting.

Redwing, Headingley Station Allotments

At lunchtime I wandered back down across Beckett Park to see if there was any sign of the 30 or so Redwing I'd seen on my way to work. The weather was still overcast with a little drizzle. Taking a detour around by the allotments I spotted a few in the trees at the back of the plots. Luckily I had my key to hand & popped into the allotments to get a closer look. To my surprise I flushed about 40 from the plots & they retreated to the safety of the treetops a little distance away. Added to the 15 or so that were already perched in the branches they must have totalled about 55 Redwing, great to see such a number so close to home.


You can just about make out the orange-red flank patch on the bird in flight on the left.

Allotment sightings

During Sunday’s trip to the allotment I heard a tell-tale screech & turned suddenly to catch a glimpse of a Kestrel flying directly overhead & out of sight. It reappeared a few minutes later with a second Kestrel & the pair soared high above the far allotments on the opposite side of the path. The pair continued to fly in & out of view, occasionally mobbed by Crows. Then one of the birds descended to a height above the tallest poplar, hovering repeatedly whilst scanning for prey before heading Westwards. Perhaps one of these was the bird that Andrea spotted a few months ago in a hedgerow near the entrance of the allotment having enjoyed a more successful hunting outcome.

An inquisitive Robin settled within a spades distance whilst Andrea weeded the vegetable bed. It eagerly hopped down from its perch amongst the gooseberries to collect worms from recently turned soil. It’s a regular autumn visitor & this year I’ll try to get some pics. The hedgerow running one side of the plot is well established & consists of Hawthorn, Poplar, Field Maple, Climbing Rose & some pretty ferocious brambles. It provides food & shelter for a number of visitors, today a squirrel scurried acrobatically from branch to branch, feathered inhabitants included Blue Tits, Long Tailed Tits, Goldfinch, Blackbird & Wood Pigeon.

Kirkstall Allotment Sightings

Taking time out from weeding to look out over the allotments I attempted a tally of the white butteflies in the area. Across the 300m stretch I easily counted 40 in two seperate counts but I expect the actual number was much higher, they proved elusive to photograph.
I noted a mixture of Large Whites, Green Veined Whites and Small Whites. A great sight to see but couldn’t quite capture it with the camera. The uninterrupted sunshine and a light breeze made for very busy butterflies, resting for the briefest of brief intervals before zipping off again & often converging in 4s & 5s & engaging in aerial tussles. Favoured pitstops included Lavender, Verbena, Brambles & for savoury interest vegetables such as french beans, potatoes & courgettes.

Here's a Green Veined White on Lavender


Back to a spot of weeding & a small/medium sized orange brown butterfly passed by & rested momentarily amongst brambles on the perimeter fence. On first glance & without reference I mistook it for a Meadow Brown but later recognised it as a Gatekeeper. As well as a first for the allotment, its a first for me too. Result!

Here's a closer view of the Gatekeeper.

I rescued this moth struggling to escape from a bucket of water. Its right wing looked damaged & I left it in shade uncertain about its chances, minutes later it dried off & recovered sufficiently to test its wings which appeared fully functional before settling under nearby raspberry plants for protection, it was gone 10 minutes later so maybe it regained its ability to fly. I’d appreciate help to identify this one.

Kirkstall butterflies, moths & others

On Friday we spotted this Small Magpie moth (Eurrhypara hortulata) inside my mini greenhouse, with a little help it managed to free itself minutes later. Its widespread in the UK favouring hedgerows, roadside verges and gardens. Orange-yellow patches where the wings meet the body.

This one's is taken through the plastic, from the outside looking in.

A popular Kirkstall butterfly the Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria). This one was on the allotment & has a little damage to the its right wing. UK Butterflies states one of the main foodplants as Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus) which there's plenty of today! Also Common Couch (Elytrigia repens) Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum).

And on the gooseberries

A Common Hoverfly (Melangyna viridiceps) on a vivid magenta flower of the Rose campion (Lychnis coronaria). Their larvae are the predator of aphids of which are in abundance on my allotment, boo hoo!

On the grassy bank oppostite Kirkstall Abbey this Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) looking very much travel-worn with faded colors and frayed wings.

This looks interesting, after a bit of reasearch I wonder whether its a Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius), a common species across the UK, the larvae are the producers of 'cuckoo-spit'. Whilst I was taking the picture I thought it was a moth but on closer inspection it so obviously isn't, oh the wonders of digital photography!

Close Encounters of the Feathered Kind

Andrea has kindly contributed her close encounter. The pics were taken the following day at Rodley.

First thing Saturday morning I headed to our allotment to do some weeding and watering. On entering through the front gate I saw one of the resident wood pigeons lazing on the grass, having a well earned rest from eating all of our crops. I cursed in its direction and then heard a commotion of wings in the hedgerow 10 feet to my right. I looked up, expecting to see the pigeon’s equally chubby mate. To my surprise, what I saw was the largest kestrel I have ever seen, grabbing an unsuspecting bird from the hedge and taking flight with it in its talons. The smaller bird was doing its best to escape but it was no match for the kestrel, who flew off over the allotment closely followed by one of the magpies who have decided that this is their territory. Not only have I never seen this happen before, I have never even seen a kestrel in the vicinity of the allotment before, so it was something of a surprise, to say the least… Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me, although it happened so quickly I would have struggled to get a shot.

Coincidentally, we visited Rodley Local Nature Reserve the next morning and noticed that a healthy looking kestrel couple had taken up residence in one of the barn owl nest boxes. Could the daddy kestrel be my allotment marauder? Not sure of the distance between Headingley railway station and Rodley LNR as the kestrel flies, but it is a strong possibility…

Allotment sightings

On an overcast afternoon at the allotment I noticed 3 bees settled on the flowerhead of a Centaurea montana, on closer inspection they appeared sluggish, one collected nectar in slow motion whilst the other two sat almost motionless. The briefest of downpours did little to spur them into action. I wondered whether Centaurea montana is a bee intoxicant, responsible for their soporific state. I don’t know whether this is standard bee behaviour, any feedback would be appreciated. There was plenty of bee activity elsewhere on the allotment amogst the Comfrey, Cranesbill, & the raspberry patch. In their lethargic state I managed a couple of close ups.

Elsewhere on the allotment a few common butterflies settled on foliage. Small white (Pieris rapae) Common & widespread throughout Britain & Ireland. White wings, forewings have one or two spots & small black tips. Adults attracted to white flowers, well camouflaged. Although this one settled for a while on Centaurea Montana.

Male Orange tip (Anthocharis cardamines) Males have white wings orange tips whilst the females have white wings with black tips. Mottled yellow & black underwings. Widespread in Ireland S Britain.

And finally, my first Ladybird of the year (Coccinellidae septempunctata).