Cyn's Nature Notes: Autumn colours and a green iridescent beetle

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Autumn colours and a green iridescent beetle

Pleasantly surprised down the garden this afternoon by the autumn scene which greeted me, many leaves had fallen from the birch tree and these had formed a soft yellow carpet, from which sprang many flowers still in bloom, fuschias, erigerons, michaelmas daisies, tiny ground hugging blue campanulas their bell shaped flowers resting on the leafy expanse, pansies, geraniums and pretty cyclamens.

The earth where the badger had his path was bare and heavily compacted, as I looked something flashed and caught my eye, it was a beautiful green, iridescent beetle. I wished I had my camera with me, but no sooner had I wished it than the beetle ran under the golden leafy ground cover, despite searching for him, he was too quick for me and apart from that one beautiful flashing view I was unable to find him again

I looked them up and was interested to read that the hard surfaces that we see on these iridescent beetles are composed of many layers of little plate like structures that all face in different directions, these layers bend and reflect incoming light, underneath these layers is a further layer of pigment, which enhances the effect of the iridescence.

While being interesting this still didn't answer my questioning mind, it told me how it happened but not exactly where the beautiful colour came from, I understood there was a further layer of pigment below the plates but this still didn't explain it fully enough for me. I then read that for many species this is still an open topic of research.

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About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.