The muridae family.

Part one the wood mouse.

The wood mouse or the long tailed field mouse is probably the most widespread and abundant of all our British mammals. It is not just confined to woodlands though as its name suggests, it will thrive in hedge rows along with more open spaces including moorlands, mountains sides and our gardens where it will live in our sheds and out buildings. Wood mice do not have a strong smell to them unlike house mice. The wood mouse is very active, running and bounding from place to place with their front feet tucked up and venturing into open places where other small mammals will rarely go. As quick as they can be though if you listen out for them as you are taking a walk you will come across them in the undergrowth. Wood mice used to only move under cover of darkness, but they now seem to be moving alot during daylight hours. They are still taken frequently by owls and cats and some raptors. Most wood mice will stay in a general area, but may travel up to a quarter of a mile during the day or night. During a cold winter they have been known to go into a torpid state(almost like hibernation) during this state the use less energy than normal. This enables them to survive food shortages. The population is always at its lowest after a cold winter, but their numbers soon pick up. They start to breed in March, the female might bear up to four litters during one year. Each of the litters may contain up to five young. They rarely live over two years in the wild. Its sandy brown coat and large ears and eyes help to distinguish the wood mouse. Their underparts are white with a yellow streak on the chest with their long tail being slightly haired. They are about three and a half inches in length. When a wood mouse becomes frightened, they often wash and groom themselves. They do this by sitting on their haunches and licking vigorously at their armpits, forelimbs and belly. Wood mice dig their own burrow system, where they store food and spend their time when they are not foraging for food. The young mice are born in the nest chamber. Autumn fruits such as hawthorns and other berries are part of a wood mice`s diet, often using an old birds nest to store them.Seeds are the wood mouses main food, along with shoots and buds. They will also eat snails by nibbling their way through its shell. Wood mice are always cautious when approaching something they are not sure of. They have an acute sense of smell and rely on odours as a means of recognising other mice. They have large hind feet that enables them to leap almost like kangaroos.

Butterflies of sunny downlands.

The gently rolling downlands of southern England provide a warm and bountiful home for a multicoloured population of butterflies. On sunny days in summer the grassy hills come alive with bright patches of colour as groups of butterflies flutter around their favourite plants. Clusters of blue butterflies, coppers, green hairstreaks and marbled whites sparkle like jewels in the sunshine. The chalk soil of the downs favours chalk-loving wild flowers such as marjoram,thyme ,vetches, knapweed, scabious and yellow carline thistles. And the butterflies reap a harvest of nectar, particularly in warm hollows and on slopes facing south. A butterfly`s, life in the sun is spent establishing territories and fighting off rivals, having minor tussles with bumble-bees and hoverflies, courting and mating, feeding from flowers and basking in the sun. One active common blue might see off half a dozen other butterflies in a lightning chase over the grasses. Fleabane, with its yellow nectar-rich flowers, attracts common blues, small coppers, small heaths and small skippers, especially where the chalk soil is overlaid with clay and flint. Hawthorn, whitebeam,dogwood and spindle bushes provide vantage points for butterflies, such as green hairstreaks, that seek out territories. Where downland meets woodland, sulphur-coloured brimstones patrol the edge of the trees in search of buckthorn and ivy.

things to look out for in march.

A common frog.

Its been a little bit colder this winter so everything is a couple of weeks later than normal.The equinox is here on the 21`st of march and that marks the first day of spring.As a pagan i celebrate the equinox as a really important festival because of all of the life that's now starting to manifest in so many different shapes and colours.Bluebells,ramsons,wood anemones and flowering hawthorn blossom are four things to look out for as we move into spring.There is something special about walking through a woodland when the bluebells are in flower.In my experiences trench wood by sale green is my favourite woodland for bluebells.Greater spotted woodpeckers are normally hidden from view,But you might be lucky like me and have one visit your feeders in your garden.If you don`t see one in your garden than head out to the woods with a dead stick,Find a hollow-sounding tree trunk and hammer the trunk in small bursts as fast as you can.With luck your hammering will encourage a territorial woodpecker to come and investigate your hammering,Giving you a lovely view of the bird.common Frog spawn should start to appear from now onwards as common frogs are the earliest amphibians to emerge from hibernation and will head straight towards their breeding grounds ,common Frog spawn is always in a ball whereas toad spawn is always in a line.Towards the end of spring tiny little tadpoles will start to emerge in lakes and ponds throughout Worcestershire.March is the best month to look out for brown hares as well,Brown hares may be seen courting in any month but because there is no lush vegetation for them to hide in march is a good month to spot them.Lowland pasture or ploughed fields are good places to look for them.Robins,Blackbirds,Blue and Great tits and song thrushes should be able to be heard now staking out their territories.Look out for where these birds are singing as it will normally be overlooking their territories.Also look out for our commonest newt,the smooth newt which resembles a smaller and slicker version of the greater crested newt.Toads and the other two species of newts,greater crested and the palm newt will all breed as well through march.Adders will start to emerge from hibernation as well as it starts to get warmer.
.
Small tortoiseshell on a spear thistle.

Brimstone,comma,peacock and small tortoiseshells should be out being seduced by the beautiful spring sunshine.Primroses should be out in force by the end of march,They get their name from the words prima rose meaning the first rose but they are not actually a rose.Bumble bees such as bombus pratorum and bombus hortorum will be seen visiting long tubular flowers,the first can be identified by an orange band on its abdomen and the latter by a white band on its abdomen.Buzzards can be seen as they hunt over meadowland,They are getting ready to have their young later on in spring.Normally they would be looking for carrion but at the start of the year they can be seen hunting.