Above - Jane and Bunty taking it easy in the sunshine...
Above - Bygate, Upper Coquetdale.
Above - Quickening Cote, Upper Coquetdale.
Above - Hay Meadow, Quickening Cote.
Above - Yellow Rattle et al in the Hay Meadow picture above.
Above - Ichneumon Wasp Lissonota setosa. I think.
After our stop at Callaly for the Orchids we carried on up the Coquet valley beyond Alwinton. It was nice and quiet up here with few visitors. The hay meadows are looking well with large amounts of flowing plants including Yellow Rattle, Pignut, Red and White Clover, Meadow Buttercup, Germander Speedwell plus many more. They were absolutely buzzing with many insects, unlike our coastal monoculture.
On the streams were a few pairs of agitated Common Sandpipers that must have small young hidden nearby plus a few Grey Wagtails, Reed Buntings and Meadow Pipits.
The insect above is one of the parasitic Ichneumon Wasps that lives around dead timber. Its impossibly long 'tail' is an ovipositor for laying eggs in timber boring larvae living in the dead wood.
4 comments:
coquet valley is one of our favourite spots too..nice and quiet as you say as theres not too many visitors up there apart from fishermen. Did you see the dippers beside the organic farm there?
You're going to have to stop doing this BB :-) You're making me very homesick for the peace and quiet of the Upper Coquet Valey.. God's Own Country. Great posting too of the mole and orchid
Have to say that Jane is a lovely looking woman. Great pictures.
SO - No I didnt see any Dippers today...strange.
BR - Ta BR
OC - Don't tell her that for goodness sake, I'll never hear the end of it! :)
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