July expedition

It began to rain shortly before noon — so there was little possibility of seeing active butterflies and bees. Waterways Ireland's cutting of the banks has left very few flowers, so we abandoned our usual walk in favour of the high bank to the north of the canal (west of the bridge), which is beautifully floriferous. We began by examining some moths which had been trapped overnight.

Within 300 metres of the bridge, we saw a lot of orchids. For most members it was their first sight and scent of the fragrant orchid. Getting down and smelling it was compulsory! A really good magnifying glass enables people to make out details which cannot be seen by the naked eye; it can, actually, be essential for identification.

Two small flowers which we examined were Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) and Common Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris). We discussed how many plants are named for their real or supposed medicinal benefits. Eyebright, as its scientific name indicates, has traditionally been used in medicine, most often for eye complaints, as its English name indicates. The mottled purple and yellow marking on the flowers are like the colours of a black eye. Compresses and tinctures made from Eyebright were used to treat eye disorders. Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris) was until recently a popular wound herb, the leaves being used for cuts and bruises. The leaves taste mildly bitter and can be used as salad greens.

You might not know it from its name (but the saint's name is a hint) that Saint John's Wort is a very important source of herbal medicine, used in salves for burns and in anti-depressants. Both Milkwort and Polygala refer to a traditional belief that the little plant helps to increase milk yields in cattle. There are many willows along the high bank. The bark of this tree yields salicylic acid, a core ingredient of aspirin. Even this small sample highlights the importance of maintaining a wide variety of wild flowers as new medicinal uses of plants are being discovered all the time.

As well as viewing night-flying moths that had been trapped, we saw several day-flying moths along the high bank. The Beautiful China-mark (Nymphula nitidulata) is most often found by canals, rivers and lakes. Its larva feeds on Bur-reed and Yellow Water-lily. The Magpie (Abraxas grossulariata) is so called because of its general similarity to the colouring of the bird. Its larva feeds on Blackthorn, Hawthorn and similar trees.

Date: 23 July 2016 Time: 12-1

Attendance: 14 (including 6 children)

What we observed and talked about —

Butterflies: Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small White, Speckled Wood

Damselflies: Common Blue Damselfly

Macro moths: Barred Straw, Burnished Brass, Common Emerald, Magpie, Gold Spangle

Micro moths: Beautiful China-mark, Orchard Ermine, Udea lutealis
Other insects: horseflies, hoverflies

Mammals: Pigmy Shrew
Flowers: Autumn Hawkbit, Black Medick, Bramble, Bur-reed, Bush Vetch, Common Bird's-foot Trefoil, Common Knapweed, Common Milkwort, Common Ragwort, Common Valerian, Dog-rose, Eyebright, Fragrant Orchid, Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil, Lady's Bedstraw, Ox-eye Daisy, Prickly Sowthistle, Red Clover, Saint John's Wort, Selfheal, Speedwell, Tormentil, Water Dock, Wild Carrot, Yarrow
Grasses: Common Quaking-grass, Common Sedge, Crested Dog's-tail, Red Fescue, Timothy Trees: Ash, Hawthorn, Wayfaring Tree
Other plants: Bracken, Horsetail

Large butterflies

Look out for the larger butterflies during the sunshine this week. There are Peacock butterflies and maybe Painted Lady butterflies. Here's a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) seen on the high bank of the canal last week. Most of these Red Admirals are summer migrants.

If you happen to have Buddleia in your garden, it's a particular favourite of the Red Admiral.