The rough around the course is a fantastic natural habitat this year, particularly for flowers - but more challenging for golfers. There are lots of pink flowers out at the moment, quite a few of which are members of the thistle family:
 |
| Spear Thistle Cirsium vulgare [Doghouse range] |
 |
| Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra [Doghouse range] |
 |
| Greater Knapweed Centaurea scabiosa [6th Red] |
 |
| Teasel Dipsacus fulonum [3rd Blue] |
 |
| Common Centaury Centaurium erythraea [5th Red] |
 |
| Great Willowherb Epilobium hirsutum [3rd Blue] |
There are also various types of umbellifers in various places. Two very similar ones growing in water are Lesser Water Parsnip, which grows in the stream on the 4th Green and Fool's Watercress, which grows in the ditch on the 2nd Blue
 |
| Lesser Water Parsnip Berula erecta [4th Green] |
 |
| Fool's Watercress Apium nodiflorum [2nd Blue] |
Rather yellow and growing on the 7th Green is Wild Parsnip.
 |
| Wild Parsnip Pastinaca sativa [7th Green] |
The most common butterflies this weekend were Marbled White, this one has settled on a Musk Thistle.
 |
| Marbled White Melanargia galathea [Doghouse range] |
Ringlets were also very common in the rough. Their dark colouring means that they warm up more quickly than most butterflies and can fly in cloudier conditions.
 |
| Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus [12th Green] |
There were a couple of Cormorants on the reservoir. Cormorants feathers are less water-repellent than most birds so that their buoyancy is reduced, enabling them to swim more easily - hence the need to hold them out to dry in this characteristic posture.
 |
| Cormorant [Reservoir] |
Also beside the reservoir was this large gaggle of Greylag Geese.
 |
| Greylag Geese [Reservoir] |
No comments:
Post a Comment