Hitchin Wildlife October 2021
HITCHIN WILDLIFE OCTOBER 2021 October is a good time to appreciate berries, seed heads, spiders, and the last remnants of the warmer weather. I'm not going to lie though, I like insects best of all so there will be a few pictures of them too. Spindle bushes are easiest to find in autumn as their amazing pink fruits stand out from the hedgerow, despite their exotic look they are a native species and over at Oughtonhead I found a Spindle bush covered in scale insects and on the same bush were many Kidney Spot ladybirds, which specialise in eating the scale insects. I note that the scientific name for Spindle bushes is Euonymus , and if you have a related garden plant it is worth checking it for Kidney Spot ladybirds, including the funky-looking nymphs, shaped like a spiky teardrop. Another bright berry is on yew trees, the following photo is from Hitchin cemetery this must a female tree as only they bear fruit. Yews have often been planted in church yards and are one of th