Mushroom season
Autumn is the mushroom season par excellence. But you can also find mushrooms in other seasons. Mushrooms come in many shapes and sizes, from tiny ones that are barely visible to the naked eye to large wood-decay fungi on old trees.
The red admiral
The red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is a very common species in the Netherlands. But did you know that this butterfly migrates south in autumn?
The emperor of our pond
The emperor dragonfly (Anax imperator) is the largest common dragonfly in the Netherlands. With a length of over eight centimeters, it is an impressive appearance. It is one of the species that is present at our pond and also lays eggs there.
The house sparrow
The house sparrow has been the most counted bird in the Netherlands during the Garden Bird Watch for 23 years. Will this species be able to continue to hold the leading position? The species is on the Dutch Red List as 'sensitive'.
The green-brindled crescent
One of the moths you can see in autumn till it gets too cold is the green-brindled crescent (Allophyes oxyacanthae). It has a very characteristic copper-green, sometimes dark green shade at its brown wings.
The wasp spider
The wasp spider is a Mediterranean species that has slowly expanded northwards in recent decades. It is now a common species in the Netherlands, but also in the UK.
The map
The map is a special butterfly. The different generations in a year are different in colour. An example of seasonal dimorphism. I explain this further in this blog.
Banded darter
At this moment there are photos of 39 of the approximately 72 species of Dutch dragonflies and damselflies on my website. So I still have quite a few on my wish list.
Tawny owl
It may be hard to imagine, but some birds already have young. Like the tawny owl (Strix aluco). You may have never seen this owl. But you may have heard it more times than you think.
Brimstones
There are four common butterflies in the Netherlands that hibernate as an adult. Besides the peacock, the comma butterly and the small tortoiseshell, the fourth species is the brimstone. A beautiful bright yellow butterfly which can be seen early in spring.
The king of winter
The wren, one of the smallest birds in Europe. And with an enormous sound volume! The male maintains several females and nests. So, a very energetic bird.
Prickly animals
As with many other animal species, the hedgehog is not doing so well. Traffic, but also our way of gardening are to blame for this. 'Neat' short mowed, raked and snail-free gardens with a pond with a steep edge are disastrous for these prickly animals. So give them a helping hand.
Comma butterfly
The comma butterfly is one of the four common butterfly species in the Netherlands that overwinter as imago. Now that the spring sun is showing itself again, these hibernating butterflies are emerging from their hiding places.
Blackbirds
Did you participate in the Big Garden Birdwatch at the end of January? Or does that take place at a different time in your country or perhaps there is no such event organized? In my previous English blog about the chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) I wrote that in many countries garden birds are counted every year.
Counting birds
In the coming weeks, garden birds will be counted all over the world again. In the Netherlands, the chaffinch has been in the top six for years.
The herald
The herald (Scoliopteryx libatrix) is one of the few moths that hibernate as imago. Somewhere in a dark and draft-free place, but sometimes also in the house. If you come across one in the house, put it outside carefully. The moth survives the winter cold, to fly around again in the spring with the first heat.
The peacock
While we have already experienced the first frost and our pond has frozen over, I am writing a blog about the peacock (Aglais io). Not the graceful bird with its impressive tail feathers but the butterfly.
Bugs, bugs, bugs
Bugs come in different shapes, colors and sizes. About a thousand species occur in the Netherlands and Belgium. The number of species worldwide is estimated at several tens of thousands.
Oystercatcher
The oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) is increasingly visiting the city to breed. While it is originally a true coastal inhabitant who, driven by various causes, sought and found a new habitat in the inland.
Ladybirds
Ladybirds, who doesn't know them? Funny little beetles often with dots on their backs. And a predilection for aphids.
Birds with beards
The bearded reedling (Panurus biarmicus) is a beautiful reed bird with a distinctive sound, which adapts itself in winter to the food supply.
Peace on earth
The time of peace on earth has arrived, including Christmas cards with the lovely robin. Although, lovely? Read about its true nature in my blog.
Winter damsels
You may not believe it, but you can find damselflies in winter too, even when it’s freezing! The winterdamsels to be precise. In the Netherlands you can find the common winter damselfly and the rare Siberian winter damselfly.
Underwaterbird
The dipper is a rare bird in the Netherlands that forages for food while swimming and walking across the bottom of a fast-flowing stream.
A caterpillar or not?
The caterpillar is the larva of a butterfly or moth. But there are also larvae that look a lot like a caterpillar, but are not. They belong to sawflies. This blog is about the differences between the two.
Two different species?
I regularly receive questions from readers about animals that have been seen, usually to help identify the species. For example, I recently got two questions in quick succession that happened to be related to the same species: the gypsy moth. In this blog, more about this beautiful, but also feared species.
Murderous plants
Carnivorous plants are often depicted in a cartoonish way as bloodthirsty stems with a head with dangerous teeth on top. However, reality looks different.
Of Damsels and Dragons
The dragonfly season starts mid-April. With slender damsels to sturdy, heavily built dragons. What is the difference between the two? My latest blog is about that question.
Sugaring for moths
In the winter period the chance that you see a butterfly is very small. But those are exceptions. Moths can be seen throughout the year. Even in winter? Yes, even in winter.
Praying before meals?
This time we shine the spotlight on one of the prettiest (in my opinion) and most graceful (that too is personal) birds of prey of the Netherlands: the kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Well known by many, I assume, because it’s a very common bird. Although this bird is currently experiencing a decline in numbers, the kestrel used to be the most common bird of prey in the Netherlands.
