Colours of the reserve.

Mother Nature is incredible not only in her childrens intricate and complex life cycles but in the colours and shades she dresses them in

This time of year conspicuous amongst the greenery as much as the equally colourful Cinnibar Caterpillars are the Soldier Beetles, When I saw its other common name I was a little sceptical I have to say but on checking it turned out to be perfectly true! It is the 'Hogweed bonking beetle'!!!

This group of small beetles are named after the black and red colouration and contrasting markings of the commoner species reminicent of the i18th and 19th century military uniforms. That said the most common one seen on the reserve and most other places is Rhagonycha fulva is pretty much red all over, aside from an almost black tip to its wing cases. It is mostly seen on the flowers of umbillifers (the Parsley family to you and me) that is amongst Cow Parsley and yes Hogweed! So given that they are mainly seen wandering around singly or more frequently mating that second name would seem to be pretty accurate. 

So what else do they do other than live up to their three-worded moniker. 

Living 'life to the full' requires a lot of energy and the best source of energy as we all know is protein in 'meat form' ie other soft bodied larvae and insect eggs which they eat as if there is no tomorrow and of course if you are a conspicuously coloured insect whose habit it to sit atop a tallish plant generally mating, there could very likely be 'no tomorrow'.

Thanks to Eliza Saunders for the images.

I recently saw this entry in the RSPB Bird Notes magazine from 1965:-

Northward Hill, High Halstow, Kent.

This National Nature Reserve will be open from April to July inclusive on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Permits, for which there is no charge, can be obtained from the RSPB. Permit holders are asked to be at the entrance to the reserve which is on Decoy Hill Road (map. ref. 787765) at 2p.m. on Wednesdays and10.30 a.m. on Saturdays.

How things have changed in fifty years! Imagine having to apply for a permit and then be at a certain place at a certain time and then only twice a week to walk round this lovely reserve to which we have free access every day apart from Chrismas Day

Interesting to note that the same edition celebrates that membership passed the 25,000 mark, a far cry from the 1,000,000 plus members five decades later. What else is amazing is that only 9 years afterwards RSPB Local Groups started popping up including Medway Local Group.