Louisa Crispin

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  • Home
  • About
  • Botanical
  • Nature Studies
    • Bee Studies
    • Butterflies Moths Dragonflies
    • Botanical Studies
    • Field Studies
    • FlightPath
  • Buy
    • Full Catalogue
    • Shop mini series (incl. bees)
    • Shop FP Sculptures
    • Shop FP minis
    • Shop Glimpse exhibition catalog
    • Kevis House Gallery
    • West End House Gallery
    • John Davies Gallery
    • NewArt Gallery
    • Muse Gallery
  • News
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Interviews and process videos
    • CountryLiving article
    • Studio Blog
    • FlightPath Community Project
    • Nature Blog
  • Links

Nature Diary

World Bee Day 2022

20/5/2022

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A little video of the Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum) preening:

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Bee Watch- Red Mason Bee

16/4/2022

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16 April 2022

Red Mason Bees (Osmia bicornis) are a common resident of Solitary Bee Houses and has been present in my garden for a few years now. 

This post was left in situ after the children's play area was converted to the vegetable plot. It's right next to a healthy Rosemary bush and also a bench where I often sit to drink coffee and watch the garden. Gradually I became aware of the activity around the empty screw holes and have finally managed to get some reasonable photos. 

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Hairy Footed Flower Bee

6/4/2022

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Yesterday I was lucky to observe a male Hairy Footed Flower Bee stalking and mating with the female.

Of course I didn't have my camera with me and it all happened far too quickly for me to record!

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A longer walk

14/3/2022

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My walk to work is taking longer again as the garden wakes up with the warmer weather. It's warm enough to sit for a while and listen to the birds beginning their mating rituals.

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The Magic of Mushrooms

10/1/2022

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2 November 2021 : it was a beautiful Autumn day for a walk. Making the most of travelling across Kent to collect drawings from Whitstable I decided to stop at Dering Wood, between Pluckley and Smarden. Managed by the Woodland Trust, this small sanctuary of ancient, semi natural woodland is full of wildlife.

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The Holly and the Aphids

30/12/2021

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Looking back through my photos today I was reminded that I spent a lot of time watching the insect activity around a topiary Holly bush that I have been training for many years. I didn't take as many photos as I had thought but I do remember stopping regularly on my way to the studio, attracted by the buzzing noises.
Back in May, close investigation revealed an infestation of Blackfly and various insects were converging to feed on the sweet sugar excretions as well as the aphids.

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Amongst the Raspberry Canes

19/8/2021

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​I recently had a conversation with a fellow artist, Catherine Greenwood, about Artist Residencies and she mentioned that she once had a residency in an edible hedge.

I feel I a bit like I've just had a residency in my Raspberry patch - now I get it Catherine!

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A Wasp!

6/8/2021

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I've realised that this year has been a bumper year for Hoverflies but until a few days ago I hadn't seen a single common or germanic wasp. 

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A bumper year for Hoverflies?

4/8/2021

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Since my last Hoverfly post (13072021) I've discovered even more varieties in my garden and I'm wondering if this is a reflection on my gardening approach or simply a bumper year for Hoverflies.

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The fate of the Digger Wasp prey

28/7/2021

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How would you like to be paralysed, partially strangled and buried alive ... taking at least 2 days to die?

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Big Butterfly Count

16/7/2021

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Now we begin the annual conundrum - is it a large or a small?

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Nature in London

15/7/2021

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Caught in action, photographing the wildlife in St James's Park London

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Ragwort

14/7/2021

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It's unusual for me to walk the meadow late afternoon but I wanted to see if there were any caterpillars on the Ragwort, Senecio jacobaea

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Knapweed and Hoverflies

13/7/2021

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The knapweed is in flower in my meadow and there are hoverflies everywhere!

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National Meadows Day

1/7/2021

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Plantlife are holding National Meadows Day on Saturday 3rd July 2021. 

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Morning Walk

8/6/2021

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I walk every morning before breakfast, usually just a short loop up to the church, past the pond to feed the mallards and moorhens and then home. Occasionally I need to go food shopping and I take the opportunity to walk up through Little Switzerland.

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A very special bee

6/6/2021

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My Weigelia florida variegata is heavily in flower and yesterday it was buzzing with bees. They almost climb into the flower to reach the nectar and didn't seem bothered that I was trying to take photos.

I noticed one bee looked a little odd ...

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Bees, more Bees and some special Bees

5/6/2021

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I take it all back ... a few days of sunshine and the garden is positively buzzing and I've never noticed such a variety of bees here before.

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#30DaysWild

1/6/2021

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An impromptu trip to Marden Meadow to celebrate the start of #30DaysWild

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It may not be a lily beetle

28/5/2021

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Although I am convinced that the creatures mating on my fritillaries are lily beetles, you do need to be careful as there are other red beetles around at the moment that look similar.

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How do they find them?

23/5/2021

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I've been struggling to grow Snakeshead Fritillaries in my mini meadow for years and this year a small proportion of the one hundred bulbs flowered. But how on earth did the lily beetles find them so fast?

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Seeing or hearing

18/5/2021

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I'm sometimes asked how I spot so many insects, so here's my attempt to explain. Tuning into the insect world involves a complex combination of hearing and seeing.

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Baby birds in the garden

17/5/2021

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The heavy rain yesterday brought a juvenile blackbird down onto the patio in search of food.

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HoneyBee versus BumbleBee

15/5/2021

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Last night I followed a twitter thread debating the pros and cons of beekeeping versus supporting the increase in our native pollinators.

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Bee Post

12/5/2021

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Sitting quietly in the garden a few years ago I noticed that the corner post in my vegetable patch was popular with the insects.

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    If I had known then what I know now

    I would have started this diary years ago
    Every day I learn something new: I learn so much but I also learn that there is so much to learn

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Louisa Crispin

Oak Cottage, Talbot Road, 
​
Hawkhurst Kent TN18 4LU (UK)
 ​07708 148413
[email protected]

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