Thread by @BradleyNealEnv

Welcome to my #OUFamily Giving Day contribution! Details, thread & donation link below. Follow along for lots of #plant, #wildflower, #butterfly & #nature photos to raise money for @OpenUniversity Giving Day! @OU_EEE @OUGradSch @OUstudents @OU_STEM

Full detail of what I'm doing: learn1.open.ac.uk/mod/oublog/vie…
Donation link (Choose Futuremaker - Bradley Neal): openuniversity.scalefunder.co.uk/gday/giving-da… #OUFamily

Starting in my own garden is a Neetle-Leaved Bellflower (Campanula trachelium). This is a native wildflower in England but maybe not to MK, I planted it because I liked it! Very hairy tube-shaped flowers makes this well adapted for bee pollination, and they seem to love it.

In I’m the Tattenhoe Valley now, a lovely placed managed by @TheParksTrust. I spend a lot of time here!

Self-heal (Prunella vuglaris), so named as it was once used as a medicinal herb, which will likely be a common theme today! That striking purple is stunning and always reminds me of a very important friend (but you don’t need to remember that)

Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor) here, abundant and how this meadow was established. It’s a parasitic species which feeds on grass. Less grass means less competition for the other flowers to grow. A very important and pretty plant it’s own right.

Centaurea nigra, common knapweed (I think!). These can be tricky to define but it looks like C. nigra to me. Photographed on its own and with Bombus photobomb #OUFamily #OUGivingDay #Nature #Charity

Next up is the White (or Dutch) Clover, Trifolium repens. This literally means “three leaves [and] creeping, as it’s leaves run along the ground & not the flower stem, in contrast to the red clover which has leaves up the flower stem which you’ll see… #OUFamily #OUGivingDay

..now! This is Trifolium pratense. Note the obvious change in colour (which is not always so obvious) and that the flowers have petals near them. They’ve also got white triangular markings on the leaves which are not always very clear as they are here

Just taking a short break to identify a moth I’ve just seen, and a very difficult plant (to me anyway!). This place really is gorgeous.

Ok this one was a challenge when I did my taxonomy! I think I’ve got Black Meddick, Trifolium lulupina. I can see the leaf tips in the second photo and it looks a bit downy. Open to suggestions! #OUFamily #OUGivingDay #Nature #Charity

This kind of grass is called Timothy (Phleum pratense). It’s a common grass and the larval food plant for caterpillars of a few #butterflies including one of my personal favourites the Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) which we should see later on. #OUFamily #OUGivingDay

Last of this patch before I move on and hopefully see some butterflies! The stunning Oxeye Daisy, Leucanthemum vulgare. I saw a huge patch of these with meadow browns all over them days ago so I’m heading there now. #OUFamily #Nature

First #butterfly of the day is the Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus). I’ll get a better photo but they aren’t often open winged like this ( damselfly to the left!) Grandma tells me she had ringlets in her hair as a child which was a funnier image until she said it was a haircut

A beautiful patch of birds foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). I have loads of this in the garden as it’s a food plant for loads of caterpillars including the beautiful common blue #butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) which are locally abundant here (although not in July). #OUFamily

Excuse the video quality but I couldn’t not post a video of these cute little moorhen chicks with their mum!

Heading up the stream now which is lined by this Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria). An amazing plant for pollinators and interestingly if you snap a leaf off, the stem sap smells like TCP or germaline!

I haven’t got the books to say which one, but here is 2/3 of a the #ladybird lifecycle! They have a larval form (left) then pupate (right). Out of the pupae comes the adult which you’re likely familiar with. They’re both enjoying a willow (Salix) tree, common near water #OUFamily

I could smell this long before I saw it. It’s wild privet, an amazing beautiful plant that the beee, hover flies and butterflies are obsessed with!

This ivy (Hedera) winding up this Field Maple (Acer campestre) isn’t parasitic. Ivy is a great autumn pollinator plant as it flowers late into the year and is the larval food plant for the beautiful Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus).

I don’t know what this is but it had a very interesting “sweeping” motion when it moved. Maybe #FlyTwitter could offer some help? #Diptera #Flies

The very dainty Field Speedwell

Here is the lovely Ladies Bedstraw (Gallium vernum). It’s leaves are arranged in a unique “whorl” shape and the yellow flowers smells exactly like honey.

Headed through a small patch of woodland and saw quite an abundance of Wood Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica). It’s name means “spike of flowers of the woods”, which is apt! #OUFamily #TwitterNatureCommunity

Also in the woods was a typical mainstay, Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum), another geranium.

Here’s an interesting find. This is a European Aspen (Populus). These raised bumps are probably galls probably from a type of midge.

The best photo of the day so far!! A pair of breeding Meadow Brown #butterfly (Maniola jurtina). These are so active they’re hard to photo but I’ve seen at least 30 today. #OUFamily #TwitterNatureCommunity

It’s hard to get a photo of this unbelievable #meadow filled with Betony (Betonica) to do it justice. It just looked amazing and with the movement from the butterflies you just had to be there— sorry!! #TwitterNatureCommunity #OUFamily #beautiful

Final shot before I move on into Howe Park Wood, a thick-legged flower beetle enjoying the St. John’s Wort (Hypericum sp.). #TwitterNatureCommunity #OUFamily

Ok, about that #moth from earlier..

Argh, can’t figure it out. Might be one of about 5! One of Geometridae for sure though. Help would be appreciated please @MothIDUK! #Moths #MothsMatter #Moth

Finally got myself a good photo of a Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) #butterfly. It’s larval food plant is various fescue grasses which can make them toxic to predators. Funnily enough related to the browns (Satyrinae) not whites (Pieridae) #OUFamily #Nature

Another larval butterfly plant popular with the blues, the Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria). This is often sewn to start a wild patch for conserving butterflies. This is another herb plant used to treat wounds (although not now, pls use modern medicine!)

Right next to that we’ve got a wild carrot (Daucus carota) and other flower beetle. Our orange carrots are probably bred from this wild species. They look similar to lots of other plants but the red flower in the middle there usually indicates that it is a wild carrot.

Common spotted orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) now. Very widespread but really stunning. There are lots of patches of them in this area, a lovely plant.

Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa) I think. There are several plants that look very similar to this. A butterflies favourite! #OUFamily #Wildflower

Yet another flower beetle, this time on a Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis). You’ll often see these scrambling across various habitat types. Probably considered a problematic weed to gardeners, but I love them and they’re great for pollinators.

After a great tweet by @judyweb32049878 I looked much closer at the Hogweed today & it’s teeming! I found several of these beautiful (but common) marmalade hoverflies. Learnt that one from @rlewington2 the other day!

Harvestmen in the Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum). Im not sure of the species (maybe @BritishSpiders might have an idea— sorry for the photo quality!) but as much as they might look like spiders, they aren’t. Easiest way to tell is they appear to have just one body segment.

Here’s the actual Honeysuckle. A very important woodland plant which prefers shade. It’s the larval food plant & nectar source for the White Admiral (Limenitis camilla). I’ve got an article coming out about shady woods and butterflies soon!

Our native Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) is an amazing source of nectar for our pollinators. It’s usually white, but Im fairly sure this is the same species with a pink hue. Very nice & important.

#Ladybirds as I showed earlier. Seems pretty clear this species has an affinity for Willows as there was easily 50+ in just this small part I’m looking at

Fairly sure this is Sweet Clover (Melilotus officinalis). Usually found on hard ground and this site I’m now at is mostly dry clay. Lovely drooping yellow flowers.

Had to add this one as I was walking through. Enchanter’s Nightshade (Circaea lutetiana). It’s named after the Greek enchanter Circe from Homer’s Odyssey and the name does always make me think of a witch making potions in the woods! A woodland favourite of mine.