Nature Notes for August and September 2025

Flowers

• ​​Hydrangeas, geraniums and verbenas were amongst the plants that made an impressive display in the Hollygon opposite Lancaster Castle.
  
• The Tasting Garden was been full of colour and visitors enjoyed walking around the borders.  The naked ladies (autumn crocus) made a talking point during the Heritage Open Days in September. 

Some of the plants in flower can be seen in the photographs below.  Click on an image to enlarge.

Butterflies and other wildlife

• Red Admirals have enjoyed the rotting Hessle pears and sunbathing on the memorial stones.
• Commas have been photographed on several occasions in August.  See if you can spot this butterfly pretending to be a leaf on the trunk of the Swan's Egg pear tree.  In the close up photograph you can see the white comma on the underside of the lower wings which give this butterfly its name.  With open wings you can see the orange-brown colouring and distinctive wing shape.
•  A female common blue stayed still long enough to be photographed.  Often they are entirely brown but there is a wide variation and some individuals like the one in the photograph have a lot of blue on their upper wings.  Our thanks to Dr Alex Blomfield, The Bay: A blueprint for recovery, for  providing this information and confirming the identification. 
• Bees have been in abundance and a snail was captured sunbathing.
• Two ladybirds were photographed.  One resting in a Japanese Anemone and the other on the spindleberry bush.  Both might be harlequin ladybirds.

Below are some photographs of the wildlife.  Click on an image to enlarge.