Wildlife photographer David Chapman on what wildlife to spot in Devon this month and one of the best spots in the country for rockpooling
WHAT TO SPOT
Common dodder
Common dodder can look quite alarming as it forms a net-like growth, often smothering gorse bushes, particularly those found on the coast. This is a parasitic plant, taking all of its nutrients from the stems of the gorse; you can tell it is parasitic because it isn’t green and therefore doesn’t contain any chlorophyll. For most of the spring dodder is just a mass of green tendrils but in summer it has tiny pink flowers which can grow in profusion.
Hummingbird hawk moth
The hummingbird hawkmoth is a day-flying moth but when you first see one it’s hard to believe it isn’t a hummingbird! This moth hovers beside a flower with its wings beating 80 times per second whilst it drinks nectar. It is a migratory species, so doesn’t currently survive in Britain through the winter, though that might change as winters get milder. Look for this moth in gardens across Devon, though it will always be commonest on the south coast of the county.
Greenfinch
Don’t forget to put water out for your garden birds in summer. Finches such as the greenfinch eat mostly seeds so they need to drink plenty of water and in the heat of the summer they like to bathe to keep their plumage in good condition.
The population of greenfinches has been hit by a virus in recent years but there are signs that they might be recovering. It is vital that we keep bird baths clean and regularly refresh water to help reduce the spread of diseases in birds.
WHERE TO GO
Wembury
At Wembury we have everything you need for a great day out with or without the kids. There is a Marine Centre run by Devon Wildlife Trust and a great little café adjacent to the wonderful beach with plenty of rock pools.
In fact, the rock pools here are reputed to be some of the best in the UK and staff from the Marine Centre lead rock pool rambles from April to September. If you have kids or grand-kids then rock-pooling is a no-brainer, but there is no law against going without children (I checked!).
It’s amazing how much there is to find and the many hands, and eyes, locate much of interest. The staff are all so very knowledgeable, you can learn more in an afternoon here than in a lifetime of bumbling with books. Who knew that the male worm pipefish carries the eggs (just like male seahorses), or that cushion starfish are protandrous, because they all start life as males?
We found: Cornish sucker fish (which we like to call ‘shore clingfish’ on the Devon side of The Tamar); bearded rockling; sea scorpion; velvet swimming crab; broad-clawed porcelain crab; Risso’s crab and much, much more.
wemburymarinecentre.org
To see more of David’s photography go to davidchapman.org.uk
