July busyness

 

July busyness

It has been a delight to see numbers of Gatekeeper butterflies (Pyronia tithonus) fluttering about the oregano flowers and settling on them to feed.

  Gatekeepers are often known as Hedge browns. They emerge in July and August and breed one generation. The caterpillars feed on tall meadow grass, then overwinter as larvae. They then pupate in the spring, before hatching as butterflies in the family of Browns.

Their wings are orange and brown, with one small black spot on the forewing. Each spot carries two small white spots. These spots mark the difference between the Hedge brown and its close cousin, the Meadow brown. The latter has just one white pupil on its black wing spot.

                I think I saw Meadow browns (Maniola jurtina) in the garden, too.

                                                Small white

Small and Large Whites were flying, but would not settle for their photographic opportunity. The photographs above were taken a few years ago, when a Small white, or Cabbage butterfly, (Pieris rapae) had come into the conservatory to lay her eggs.

            

As I sat watching, a Holly blue (Celastrina argiolus) came to rest on the oregano. The oregano flowers have proved very popular. I  think they provide great quantities of pollen.

                

                            

                

            

            Meanwhile, on the Lavatera, a huge bumble bee was in apparent                         ecstasy, turning this way and that on its bright pink couch.

    

There were numbers of hoverflies, bees large and small in a variety of stripes and patterns, and a myriad of other pollinators, from very noticeable to almost microscopic.

Traditional pursuits in July in UK

 

               Traditional pursuits in July in UK

All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons  

             'Swan Upping on the Thames', from Henry Robert Robertson's; 'Life on the Upper Thames.', (1875)              
    

I am indebted to Andrew for inadvertently suggesting this post.

Roast swan was a favoured dish in the Tudor courts of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.  Swans are no longer eaten but the ownership of all mute swans is shared between the sovereign, the Vintners’ Company (Vintners are people who make and sell wine) and the Dyers’ Company.

The Swan Master, by Diana Thomson  

The annual tradition of Swan Upping has been practised for 900 years. This year, 2023, it commenced on Monday, 17^th July in Sunbury-on-Thames and will finish five days later in Abingdon, covering a distance of seventy miles. The King’s swans are recorded by the Marker of the Swans. They are marked with a ring linked to the British Trust for Ornithology. Those belonging to the Vintners and Dyers have an additional ring on the other leg. Originally, the swans’ beaks would be nicked with a metal tool to indicate who owned them, which was probably no more painful than clipping one’s nails.

Worshipful Company of Dyers' Flag  

Swan Upping provides an opportunity to count, weigh and measure the young cygnets, as well as ringing them. They are also checked for injury, as often birds have been caught and damaged by fishing lines and hooks.

The Royal Swan Marker commences swan upping in Sunbury

The Royal Swan Uppers wear a scarlet uniform, under the guidance of the King’s Swan Marker, who wears a swan feather in his cap. The Vintners wear white and are commanded by their Swan Master and the Dyers wear blue and are under the control of the Barge Master. All travel in a small fleet of skiffs under the royal flag of King Charles III. The skiffs work together to pen the birds so that they can be picked up. The cygnets are pulled from the water onto the river bank, quickly checked and marked and returned to their parents. The cygnets belong to the same owners as their parents.

Avian flu had a devastating effect on swans in 2022, hundreds dying from a disease that is so easily spread in the wider bird population. There is concern that it may still be wreaking terrible harm. Swan Upping may provide some answers.

Why is it called Swan Upping? The King’s Swan Marker, David Barber, says that is so called because the skiffs travel ‘up’ the Thames and pick up the cygnets from the water.

"PROCLAMATION OF THE LAWS OF MAN. The famous Tynwald Hill from which the laws of the Isle of Man are annually proclaimed in Manx and in English, is situated nine miles from Douglas, and is supposed to be in the very centre of the island. The hill itself is made by the hand of man, and is said to be composed of earth brought from each of the twenty-four parishes of the island. On July 5th, the eve of old Midsummer Day. the quaint and ancient ceremony of proclaiming the laws takes place. The ladies, as is proper in a land where women have long exercised a vote, play a prominent part in the ceremony. It is not till the Acts of Tynwald have been proclaimed from the Tynwald Hill that they become law. The name "Tynwald" itself recalls the language and the history of a very ancient day. It is the same as the Danish Thingvalla and the Icelandic Thingwall and means the "Field of the Popular Assembly."

Another tradition in the UK in July is the annual observance of Tynwald Day, (Laa Tinvaal in Manx) in the Isle of Man, on 5^th July. 

On this day, there is an open air ceremony at Tynwald Hill in the small village of St John’s. The Governor of the Isle of Man officiates, unless the Sovereign or another member of the Royal Family, attends. You can read more about it here and here.

               Bakewell, Derbyshire, 2014

An interesting tradition that takes place in Derbyshire between May and September is well dressing, also known as well flowering. Wells and springs are decorated with mosaics created from flower petals. The origins of the practice are not clear, and range from a pagan custom offering thanks to the gods for a consistent water supply, a celebration of water purity after the Black Death, or gratitude for the constancy of water during a long drought in 1615.

                                                    Bradwell, Derbyshire, 2007

In 1840, Buxton introduced well dressing in thanks to the Duke of Devonshire who arranged and paid for the supply of water to the town. Over time, well dressing was extended to include piped water taps.  Although principally a Derbyshire tradition, it has also been adopted in various parts of Staffordshire, South Yorkshire, Cheshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire and Kent.

                                                    Whitwell, Derbyshire, 2012

To dress the well, wooden frames are covered with clay and a design is traced onto it. Usually, the design is religious in nature, and is completed with flower petals and mosses, sometimes with the addition of seeds and other natural materials.                              

How Doth the Little Busy Bee

The first Sunday of July was a gentle, warm, sunny day and life was busy in the garden. Two types of bumble bees were busy on the Veronica, a plant they love.

 The one with the orange overcoat is a Common Carder bee (Bombus pascuorum) and is active from April until November. Carder bees nest in abandoned mouse or bird nests, barns and sheds.

The one with the white bottom is a Buff-tailed bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) sometimes called a large earth bumble bee. This bumble bee is the UK’s largest bumble bee species.

 The photo is slightly out of focus because the bee was flying.

How doth the little busy bee   

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

How doth the little busy bee

Improve each shining hour,

And gather honey all the day

From every opening flower!

How skilfully she builds her cell!

How neat she spreads the wax!

And labours hard to store it well

With the sweet food she makes.

In works of labour or of skill,

I would be busy too;

For Satan finds some mischief still

For idle hands to do.

In books, or work, or healthful play,

Let my first years be passed,

That I may give for every day

Some good account at last.

Meanwhile, there was activity in the pond. Not only is the duckweed spreading rapidly but the fish are spawning, the newts are thriving and the dragonflies are visiting to lay their eggs.

These are Common blue damselflies (Enallagma cyathigerum)

They fly from April to September, occasionally October, and are abundant throughout the British Isles. Males are always blue and females may be similarly coloured, or, as in this photo, dull green.

Once the bees had departed the Veronica their place was taken by a Small White butterfly (Pieris rapae)

In the sky overhead soared Red Kites, house martins and a Common gull. They were very high and these photos have been cropped.

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Bouncing rain!

We’ve just had another downpour of bouncing rain, lasting a few minutes and followed by brightening skies and finally bright sun. 

Our already soggy garden will soon be a swamp! 

The fish in the pond will appreciate the freshly oxygenated water and we will enjoy the feel and smell of the clean air.

Pity the lovelorn Boa Constrictor!

Essex (UK) police have warned that a 6' Boa Constrictor, possibly driven by seasonal reproductive urges, has escaped through a bathroom window. He is called Diago (perhaps the owner intended to name him Diego after Diego Maradona, the well-known Argentinian footballer.) Does that mean that anyone spotting him should call his name and expect him to slither forward? Obviously, snakes being 'aurally challenged', (read my previous post) said call should be accompanied by repeated stamping on the ground.

The report continues, 'Although the reptile's bite is not poisonous, constrictors do bite if attacked' . . . (but they're constrictors . . . biting is not their primary, instinctive mode of response to perceived danger!)
Apparently, it is a juvenile, maybe even an adolescent, and we all know how unpredictable they can be – and that's just human teenagers – but it could be a danger to small animals. Keep your mice and guinea pigs indoors, just to be safe!
'It may have left the town' said local sources – cue lots of Essex girl jokes!

Challenged!

It is politically incorrect to refer to a lack of something in someone. For instance, blind people are 'visually challenged', disabled people are 'differently abled', children with learning difficulties are 'educationally challenged'. It is good and proper that people's sensitivities are taken into account for none of us can help not having whatever facility it is that we're missing. I don't know about the rest of the working world but no-one in schools in the UK is allowed to 'brainstorm' – it might offend people who suffer from tonic-clonic seizures (that's epilepsy to you and me, or even *sharp intake of breath* FITS).
There is a risk that in an effort to avoid offence we are led into a world of bizarre euphemisms. Thus a short person is 'horizontally challenged'. A fat person is 'metabolically challenged' or 'calorie-resistance intolerant'. A man (or woman) whose hair is thinning – or absent – is 'hirsutely other'. Someone who is extremely energetic might be described not as frenetic and driven but rather as 'relaxation averse' while the counterpart would be, not lazy, but 'effortfully disinclined'.
What of chronically untidy and disorganised people? Would 'organisationally reluctant' cover their condition? The pessimist could be 'antonymically optimistic' and the slovenly slut 'obversely houseproud'. I'm sure you can think of others.
The ponder that brought about the rubbish above grew in my brain as I wandered along woodland paths with the dogs yesterday; I contemplated the sad truth that I am 'adjectivally challenged'. That is to say, I have exhausted my supply of commentarial enthusiasm. I used to encourage the children I taught to consider synonyms for 'nice' and good' and (shudder) 'brill.' ('Awesome' and 'cool' and 'wicked' and 'sad' had not yet landed in the tender brains of the young scholars.) The children would spend an enjoyably competitive time outdoing each other with ever more sublime alternatives. Now, after almost eighteen months in the outer reaches of blogdom, I have reached rock bottom and have decided that the English language requires more adjectives of approbation. I have used 'lovely', 'stunning', 'superb' and their like far too frequently. I could adopt the habit of some bloggers and use the same catch-all, anodyne phrase for every blog I visit – it would be quick and efficient but add nothing to the bloggee's sense of accomplishment – or even existence! People who take the time to comment on my efforts encourage and uplift me so I try to do the same on the blogs I visit. This is particularly important when a new blogger appears on the scene, unsure quite what to expect. Therefore I am going to invent some new adjectives and would appreciate the efforts of any of you 'out there' (and some of you really are 'out there' ;-}) to add to and improve my poor renderings.
Here are a few suggestions:- gregorgeous, supraspecial, stunningese, beautifellant, wonderbrasimax, gargantuan (okay, I know that's a 'proper' word), splendera, loveheartlifly, deepspacely . . . or maybe I'll just reinstate 'nice' and 'good' in my personal vocabulary. What say you? Anyone?

SkyWatch Friday Season 4 Episode 3 Daybreak

Daybreak - July 27th 2010, 05:08 - from the patio

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
Marcus Aurelius (26.04.101 - 17.03.180)

Morning is the best of all times in the garden. The sun is not yet hot. Sweet vapors rise from the earth. Night dew clings to the soil and makes plants glisten. Birds call to one another.
Bees are already at work.
William (Frank) Longgood (1917 - )

An aubade is a song or musical composition about or evoking daybreak. Sometimes it is about lovers separating at dawn.

And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His Heaven;
All's right with the world!
Robert Browning (07.05.1812 - 12.12.1889)
(This poem was written later - or earlier - in the year for dawn in July is around 5:00 am)

Daybreak July 29th 2010, 05:26 - from the patio

Many thanks to the SkyWatch team for their hard work every week organising and hosting this meme. To see more glorious skies around this beautiful world please click here.