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October is here
and hopefully the weather will improve and leave the At this time of year the gossamer of the spider webs become more visible in the morning dew. Spiders and a few species of caddis fly are the only known creatures , to make traps to catch their prey, apart from us! |
 There
are numerous different spiders to be found in this country, one of
the more common species is Linyphia triangularis. At this time of
year female spiders leave their webs to lay their eggs in suitable
nooks and crannies such as at the base of hedges. Spiders ' eggs are
hidden in a silk web mixed with leaf debris to camouflage them from
predators. |
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 This
is the traditional harvest festival month where the fruit from the
orchards and hedgerows are gathered. Farmers are already ploughing
and sowing the fields preparing for next year's crops. The sap is
returning to the roots of shrubs and trees in hedgerows and farmers
are cutting them back to help thicken the growth for the new year
to come. |
| Next month November, Sweet Chestnuts and Haw berries. |
very
wet spell we have had this last September behind. However because
of the wet weather fungi should be plentiful, preferring a wet summer
and Autumn to a dry one. Fungi can be found growing in moist and
usually shaded habitats and some, like the Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria),
(right) always grow with a 'host' birch tree.
In
October late flowering plants like the Ivy (Hedera helix) and Devil's-bit
Scabious (Succia pratensis) provide nectar for insects like the
beautiful Red Admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta). Colourful berries
can be seen in the hedgerows. Look for the red berries of the poisonous
Woody Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara - pictured left) or Black
Bryony (Tamus communis). New leaves of next year's flowers like
the Primrose (Primula vulgaris) and Cow Parsley (Anthricus sylvestris)
are already appearing.  |
| Every month South Downs Ranger Bruce Middleton gives us an expert's view on on the ever changing landscape of the Downs. As the seasons come and go the Downs undergo dramatic changes. Keep track of the Flora and Fauna, agriculture and wildlife throughout the seasons, here. |
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