Wed 02 July 2008 - Brading Downs.

This week our task is one that we are very familiar with, pulling ragwort up on the downs. We have been back to this same site now for several years and at long last we seem to be making some headway on keeping it under control. Although it is backbreaking work, we had an excellent turnout which allowed us to collect a very large trailer full of this pesky weed. The wonderful views from the top of the downs makes the job a little more enjoyable. The new specialized tools for lifting the plant roots work very well and speed up the task considerably. I have often mentioned on this blog how lucky the GG is with the weather on Wednesday but this week we were caught out by the odd shower. The weather held good until around 12:15 then the Wimbledon weather took over and the rain came down.....! Oh well - we will book the good weather again for next week. The County Press reporter came to visit us - so keep your eyes peeled for the odd GG shot in the local paper.

Many thanks to Carrie for the pics above and the "nature lesson" below. Both the moth and the cricket were spotted during the GG session which goes to prove - Every (GG) day is a school day!

Elephant Hawk Moth (Deilephila elpenor) - so called from the caterpillar’s fanciful resemblance to an elephant’s trunk. Adults are attractively coloured pink and green and fly from May to July, visiting flowers such as honeysuckle for nectar. The larvae feed mainly on rosebay willowherb, but also other plants including bedstraw. It is a common species in most of Britain, where it has increased its range in recent years.

Great Green Bush-Cricket (Tettigonia viridissima) - a striking and beautiful insect, one of the largest in northern Europe at 40-54mm long. It has a loud and far-carrying song so loud it can be heard from a moving vehicle, which is sung by the males in late summer from the afternoon and well into the night. It is generally found in shrubby areas with rough untouched herbage, with plenty of thistles, brambles and other coarse plants, but always in a warm, generally south-facing situation. It lays its eggs in areas of dry, light soil or short turf, and bright green and green-eyed nymph emerge in May and June, undergoing seven or eight stages before reaching adulthood in late July. It feeds on a wide variety of herbage but also other insects, and is confined to the warm southern counties of England.