It has been a busy summer at Flatford Wildlife Garden, with plenty of visitors of both the human and animal varieties! Like many lucky gardeners this year, we were treated to a visit from a hummingbird hawkmoth. According to the British Trust for Ornithology, it has been a bumper year for these striking moths in the UK, with 5.2% of gardens surveyed reporting a sighting, compared to just 1.3% in a typical year. It seems probable that the long spell of hot weather, with warm southerly winds, has drawn greater numbers to the UK from their Mediterranean strongholds.
The hummingbird hawkmoth has two sets of wings, which beat at an amazing 60-80 times per second, producing an audible hum and a visual effect similar to that of a hummingbird. One of our few day-flying moths, the hummingbird hawkmoth can fly at speeds of up to 12mph. They are particularly attracted to pink and purple coloured flowers such as buddleia, viper’s bugloss and red valerian, so it's well worth planting one of these in your garden in the hope of attracting one of these wonderful moths in future years! Because they are able to hover so effectively, they can stay next to a flower for a long time, enabling them to really fill up with energy rich nectar. The extremely long proboscis, which uncurls as they feed, also gives them an advantage over some other nectar feeding insects as they can reach right down flowers such as honeysuckle.
Photo: Hummingbird hawkmoth Macroglossum stellatarum, feeding on red valerian, RSPB The Lodge reserve, Bedfordshire, July - Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
Another interesting visitor to Flatford Wildlife Garden this August was the wasp spider. This very large, colourful spider is a recent arrival to the UK from the continent, which has now spread across southern England and even beyond. Although harmless itself, the female mimics a wasp in order to escape predators. Near the bottom of our willow tunnel, it built a large orb web in the grass. The female (which is larger than the male) attaches its silk egg sacs to the grasses. Their webs have a wide, white zig-zag strip running down the middle, known as a 'stabilimentum', the function of which is not entirely clear.
Photo: Wasp spider Argiope bruennichi, adult female sitting in web, RSPB The Lodge Nature Reserve, Bedfordshire, August - Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
Flatford Wildlife Garden continues to open daily until 31st October, 10:30-4:30. There's still plenty to see as summer turns to autumn - we look forward to seeing you there.