Wild Notes

Summer Highs and Lows

| jaclyn

Poor weather has not made it easy to get out and find butterflies.

The Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillaries were spotted only on Blantyre Muir as there was no opportunity to try and look for them on other sites.

Suitable weather conditions to find Large Heath Butterflies did not occur on the days when I was available.

With the cool weather in the spring, I only managed to spot Green Hairstreak Butterflies on Langlands Moss and nowhere else. The opportunity was not there to see how they were doing on Blantyre Muir.

Green-Veined Whites and Orange Tips were also spotted, with Orange Tips being more numerous, in my view, than last year.

The other common butterflies spotted were the Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Comma, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, and Peacock. Sadly, the number of sightings was down from last year.
As for the Cabbage Whites, both Small and Large White, the best place to see them was on allotments.

On a more positive note, the Small Copper Butterfly, a tiny butterfly that is hard to spot, was seen along with Burnet Moths at Glen Esk Pocket Park.

However, the biggest surprise was the Speckled Wood Butterfly, with sightings at Calderwood, Brancumhall, and West Mains. This butterfly does appear to be increasing its range.

While Butterflies may have been disappointing, Dragonflies were not, with sightings of the Common Darter, 4 Spot Chaser, and Common Hawker all spotted around our wetlands along with red and blue damselflies.

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary
Large Heath
Green Hairstreak
Green Veined White
Orange Tip
Small Tortoiseshell
Red Admiral
Peacock
Comma Butterfly
Ringlet
Meadow Brown
Small Heath
Small White
Burnet Moth
Small Copper Butterfly
Speckled Wood
Red Darter
Blue Damselfly
Four Spot Chaser Dragonfly
Common Hawker

On The Hunt For The Small Pearl- Bordered Fritillary

| jaclyn

We are on the hunt!

Butterfly Conservation- Glasgow & South West Scotland Branch are conducting surveys to find Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillaries. These Butterflies are declining but it would appear they are doing a bit better in Scotland.

But are they?

Well, today on the edge of Blantyre Muir, East Kilbride I can say that here at least they are doing well. I saw about a dozen.

I had spotted the marsh violets that the caterpillars feed on earlier in the year so I knew there was a good chance of spotting them.

The adult likes to take nectar from Marsh Thistles and there was plenty of these.

In otherwards an ideal site.

If you spot any of these butterflies in the marshy areas around East Kilbride then please message me as it would be good to get them properly recorded.

Alternatively you could record them on I-Record

3 images that show a Marsh Violet, a Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, and a Marsh Thistle

Planting for eggs

| jaclyn

Planting for Pollinators is Important.

Providing Nectar for Energy and Pollen for Protein should maintain a healthy, viable adult insect population able to provide pollination services to plants to enable them to produce seeds.

Doing this is beneficial to the food production that we rely on. Where would we be without strawberries and apples and so many other crops?

But without the plants for the larval stages to thrive we face a dwindling insect population no matter how many plants are provided for pollination.

Growing Cuckoo Flowers for orange-tip butterflies is easy. Take the leaves from the base of a well-established Cuckoo Flower Plant and lay them on wet soil.

Keep it damp, and soon, shoots will grow.

A year later, there will be flowers.

Then, plant them where they will attract orange-tip butterflies.

One other benefit is the plant is a member of the mustard family, so they are edible. A handy winter addition to a sandwich!

The above image shows progress from the leaves to tiny shoots to flowering plant.

The above image shows an orange tip egg, the male butterflies on the cuckoo flower and cuckoo flower growing in amongst daffodils. Daffodils are usually left to die back before being mown. This is important to allow the caterpillars to find a safe place to overwinter. A nearby hedge is ideal.

So plant not just for pollination but also for Eggs.

For Orange Tips it is Easy.

Where Did All the Frogs Come From?

| jaclyn

It was quite a surprise!

Frog spawn has mysteriously appeared every year since work finished on the Glen Esk Pocket Park in the Calderwood Area of East Kilbride.
There were no sightings of frogs initially.
Then, last year, a couple of posts appeared on social media highlighting the rescue of a frog on a road or a path.
Meanwhile, those interested monitored the progress as the tadpoles appeared.
However, nobody saw the tadpoles develop into frogs, and last year, there was concern that as summer approached, the ponds seemed to dry out.
The fear was that the tadpoles had not survived.
It could only be a matter of time before there would be no frogs.
Well, thankfully not.
This year, the frogs spent a few days in the ponds, allowing people of all ages to see and photograph them.

There were not just a few frogs, there were loads.

Quite how they managed to survive is a bit of a mystery.

Also, why this year they have decided to hang about letting the local community see and photograph them for a few days when in previous years they appeared to be quite secretive is also a bit of a mystery.

I am glad they did as a lot of people particularly children got a lot of pleasure from seeing them.

So fingers crossed, the ponds don’t dry out and we see lots of froglets.

A collage of 3 pictures showing a close up of a frog, a frog swimming and a crowd of frogs

Wildlife Highlights of 2023

| jaclyn

There are a lot of gloomy predictions about the state of wildlife, and it is easy to get depressed, but last year, I was pleased to be involved in positive action.

Butterfly Recording and Out with the Bog Squad

Until now, I have been a reluctant recorder as all I felt I was doing was observing decline. Previously, it did not appear to lead to action. However, after joining Butterfly Conservation this year, I started using the I-Record App for butterflies. It is very straightforward to use, with your records accessible after submitting them.

For the first time, I spotted Green Hairstreak, Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, and Large Heath butterflies. These are all found in and around peatland sites on the edge of town such as Blantyre Muir, Langlands Moss, and Ardochrig.

Visit the Butterflies of East Kilbride Page to find out more.

Last year, I hoped to see Speckled Woods locally, and much to my surprise, they turned up in Calderglen Country Park.

I am not sure I would have spotted any of these had I not been out recording.

The other benefit of being a member of Butterfly Conservation is being out with the bog squad.

At Langlands Moss, invasive trees that could dry the bog out were removed. Numerous Bog specialists will benefit, such as the Large Heath butterfly. Targeting where to concentrate effort can be achieved by looking at the records supplied by volunteers. So now there is more of an incentive to get involved. Recording need not just be about observing decline, it can lead to positive action.

Snowberry Clearing

Clearing Snowberry bushes appears to be never-ending, and it is hard to see if you are making any impact. But, this year, the Calderglen Volunteer Group did start to see results for all their efforts. After removing a lot of Snowberry from the path heading north to the expressway, there are now views of the river, making the walk more enjoyable.
Another area where there has been significant clearance is the area above Castle Falls. Wildflowers are flourishing, and walking along the trail, the bell pits are much more evident. These are the remains of an early method of mining for lime.
With Scottish Water felling some trees to help divert a drain, more light is now penetrating the woodland.
Could this create an opportunity for Speckled Wood butterflies to move into this area? Now, that would be fantastic.
The Council has also been clearing Snowberry. They have concentrated their efforts in the woods at Morrishall Road. If Speckled Wood Butterflies were to take up residence there as well, that would also be fantastic.
I am optimistic as Speckled Wood Butterflies appear to be increasing their range within Scotland, so fingers crossed.
The woodland also attracted a flycatcher. Being a migratory bird, it was probably a stopover on its flight south.
Like the Speckled Wood Butterfly, flycatchers like open woodland with plenty of light.
With increasing space for native flora and fauna to recover, could a pair be tempted to raise their brood in a local woodland?

A Garden Water Feature is Worth it.

Adding a water feature is a great way to improve your garden for wildlife, but as I created it in mid-summer, I did not expect a lot to happen immediately. The expected drone fly larvae appeared and then the snails and beetles followed. Next was a beautiful damselfly and then a grey wagtail. Also, the reclusive willow warbler was now not so shy. The risk of being out in the open was worthwhile as emerging adult insects were proving to be a tasty snack.
What was a real surprise was a visit from a frog. I was not expecting that quite so soon. Will there be any frog spawn in the spring?
It will not be long before I find out.

Imbolc

featuring three images showing a lighted candle, snowdrops, and brigid's cross made of reeds.
| jaclyn

Imbolc falls on the first of February, half way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It is a pagan festival associated with the pagan goddess Brigid also known as Saint Bride by Christians.
The town of East Kilbride in Scotland, south of Glasgow has an association with Bride as Kilbride means the Church of Bride.
Lighting candles and making crosses were traditional ways to celebrate this day.
The festival celebrated increasing daylight, snowdrops, lambing, and anything to do with spring.
On my walk today, I noticed snowdrops for the first time at the riverside downstream of Castle Falls in Calderwood.

Two images showing garlic leaves and young shoots under leaf litter.


They grow more prolifically upstream at the Torrance House end of the Rotten Calder Gorge, where large drifts of them in the woods form quite an impressive sight.
Despite it still being very chilly, I noticed, while out on my walk, little shoots appearing from under the leaf litter, woodland plants ready to burst out and flower before the leaves of the trees come out and cast them into the shade.
Check out what looks like the leaves of wild garlic.
In this situation, they are well advanced, not wasting any time, taking advantage of the heat trapped in this sheltered and, particularly, sunny spot.
It may have just turned February, but spring is definitely around the corner.

Winter is the time to appreciate lichens.

| jaclyn

Look at the dog lichen in the frost.

Dog lichen with frost and Dog lichen with fruiting bodies


On the underside of a dog lichen there are white root-like structures. They are supposed to resemble the teeth of a dog. Although, the orange-red fruiting bodies, in my view, are more indicative as they look like blood dripping from fangs. It was due to having associations with dogs that, historically, these lichens were considered as a cure for rabies. Nowadays, they are indicative of wet places.

There are many different lichens, growing on almost any surface, including trees, rocks, soil, and artificial surfaces such as concrete and tarmac.

At this time of year, they are more noticeable because there are no leaves on the trees.

Lichens are a partnership between a fungus and one or two types of algae.

The fungus gives the lichen structure providing a layer around the algae protecting it from extremes of temperature and drought.
In return, algae through photosynthesis provides carbohydrate nutrition for both partners.

There are three distinctive types of Lichen

Crustose lichens are the first type to consider, and their name comes from their crust-like appearance on a surface. They are too hard to dislodge, even when scratching them with a fingernail.

Crusty lichen on a fence

The second type is the leafy lichens, often referred to as Foliose lichens, and unlike the group above, you can lift them off their surface with the scratch of a fingernail.

A leafy lichen on bark

Finally, the third type is the Fruticose lichens. Bushy in appearance, these lichens are usually only attached by one sucker-like hold fast.

Bushy lichen on a twig

Lichens are highly sensitive to air quality, and as a result, they are good indicators of air pollution.

In the past, sulphur dioxide affected air quality, and because of this, very few lichens could survive, but as air quality improved, lichens started to reappear.

The rule was the fluffier the lichen, the cleaner the air.

It will be interesting to see if, in the future, increasing levels of nitrogen from car use and farming will have a detrimental impact on lichens as not all lichens can tolerate high levels of this type of pollution.

Velvety Green, Icy White and Vivid Copper 

Three images of the different colours of winter. Mossy green on trees, white hair ice in a rosette pattern and copper beech leaves against the slate grey of water.
| jaclyn

If asked to describe the colours of winter, I would come up with drab greys and browns, which are not very inspiring.
However, I have noticed on recent walks that these drab tones are merely the backdrop for more vivid colours to pop.

The first colour to pop was the velvety green cloaking the trees.
Not a colour you associate with trees in winter.
Green is the colour you notice in spring as fresh new leaves burst out their buds.
Yet here we are in the middle of winter, and I see green trees.
At this time of year, it is not leafy green but instead mossy green.
But is it just mossy green?
On closer examination, different lichens and ferns also play their part in brightening a winter’s walk through the woods.

The next colour to pop was icy white, in the form of white clumps forming on the dead branches of trees scattered on the woodland floor.
Closer examination revealed delicate strands of ice forming beautiful intricate patterns, a phenomenon known as hair ice.

For this to occur, the conditions required are specific.
Rotting wood from broad-leaved trees in a moist atmosphere where the temperature is below freezing enables water to push out of the pores. Then if a specific fungus is present, stable strands of ice will form that can create beautiful formations.
If you are interested in a more detailed description, it is worth visiting the Met Office website for more information.

Finally, the vivid copper tones of the leaves from young beech trees go well with the velvety green of the moss, and when viewed next to the river, they stand out.
Beech trees, particularly young ones, hang onto their withered leaves during winter.
They are not the only trees to do this, as oaks also do it as part of a phenomenon called marcesence.
There appear to be different explanations as to why trees do this.
One explanation is that it could be to protect leaf buds as they form during winter, another is that it provides a source of nutrients for the tree when they eventually fall off.

Whatever the reason, the vivid copper of the beech and the velvety green of the moss, together with the icy white of hair ice when it is around, all brighten up what could be a drab walk in winter.


Wildlife Highlights of 2022

A graphic showing a Kidney spot ladybird, figwort, chimneysweep moth, bird's nest orchid, a dipper, a speckled wood Butterfly, a nuthatch bird, and a Broad Leaved Helleborine.
| jaclyn

It has been an interesting year for wildlife spotting, from tiny ladybirds to ugly flowers. Here are some highlights local to East Kilbride:

Chimney Sweep Moth

This moth is unusual as it flies during the day. I initially thought it was a butterfly. However, on closer examination, the antennae were not shaped like clubs, as you would expect with butterflies. I have often seen them in other places, but this was the first time I had seen one in Calderwood amongst pignut.

Bird’s Nest Orchid

I was walking through dense woodland and nearly stepped on one of a cluster of about twelve plants. These plants lack the green pigment Chlorophyll, which is why they are brown in color, making them perfectly camouflaged against the beech leaves that I happened to be walking through at the time of my discovery. Their name comes from the tangle of a root-like system that is said to resemble a bird’s nest. They get their nutrition from being a parasite on other plants, such as trees.

Speckled Wood Butterfly

This butterfly flies along sunny woodland rides. Its range has been expanding north. I saw this butterfly for the first time in the woods around Dumfries, but I have heard that there have been sightings locally. I saw a report of a sighting in K-woodlands near Hairmyres, which is fantastic. So next year, the aim is to try and spot it locally.

Figwort

The plant I found was probably the common figwort, and just like the Bird’s Nest Orchid, it is also quite ugly. It was extremely tall and had a distinctively square stem.
This year was the first time I had seen it on the main nature trail heading north in the Calderglen Gorge Woodland near the Black Linn Waterfall.

Kidney Spot Ladybird

A tiny ladybird that had it not been for another visitor to Cathkin Marsh, I would have walked by and never would have known it was there. This ladybird is only about 4-5mm in length, with two distinct red spots, one on each wing case. If you look carefully, there is a distinctive rim around the wing cases. If I remember correctly, it, along with several others, was on Willow (Salix spp).

Broad-Leaved Helleborine

This flower is not the prettiest of orchids, but for me, this was the first year that I had spotted it in East Kilbride along path edges. It flowers from July to September and likes disturbed places, particularly around the Glasgow area, and because of this, it has become known as the Glasgow Orchid.

Dipper

This incredible little bird can hunt underwater, and a day by the Rotten Calder River is not complete without seeing a Dipper. In previous years, I was worried that numbers were dwindling. They probably still are, but at least this year, I had more sightings than I have in previous years, and I also saw had sightings below Newhousemill Bridge and even below Castle Falls. So that is hopeful.

Nuthatch

It was once the case that this bird was resident mainly in England, but in recent years it has spread north. I saw it for the first time last year, and now it is visiting the garden. It is an incredibly agile little bird with the ability to descend head first down the trunk of trees.