Day 7
Had more work to do today so just popped to my local patch for an hour in the bushes ;) It's unbelievable how quickly time passes when you are up to your knees in nettles and brambles.
Searching for Mini-beasts
The first thing I found was this Yellowtail Moth Caterpillar on the brambles.
It was shortly followed by another caterpillar that I did not recognise, about 15-20mm long.So if anyone knows just comment at the bottom, thanks :)
There were numerous Butterflies in flight including Red Admiral, Brimstone & Speckled Wood.
Brimstone Butterfly
Speckled Wood Butterfly
Disappointingly I only found two Moths.This Common Carpet and......
lots of these Nemophora degreerellas
With the sun warming up Scorpion Flies were in abundance.
Green Shieldbugs also covered the bramble leaves.
The only Hoverfly to sit still long enough for me to photograph was this Volucella pellucens
I also managed a quick pic of this Green Sawfly before it scuttled off further into the undergrowth.
One of the beetles I was hoping to find was a Longhorn beetle and on one plant alone I found 16 Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetles :)
There were hundreds if not thousands of Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies on the wing and mating.
The highlight of the Bug Hunt though had to be finding this Hairy Dragonfly resting up in a large bush.
It is amazing what you can miss on a Nature walk if you don't search the bushes and long grass as you go along.Just take a bit of extra time to look for some of these extraordinary mini-beats as well as looking up in the sky for birds.
Day 8 
Village Woods Walk
After another day of work the only bit of time we had was for a quick walk in the woods around our village before getting back home.
I looked for some interesting Ents and found this small Oak tree.
This Pine tree caught my eye with its 90 degree shift in its growth.
The trails in the woods.
It was great to get out for the walk even for just 15 minutes and something I probably wouldn't have bothered doing if it wasn't for the Wildlife Trusts #30DaysWild challenge.
Day 9 
Swanning Around At The River
I had to get into town this morning to pick up more medication for my numerous illnesses luckily we have the River Ancholme running alongside the market place.I spent a few minutes searching for the resident Mute Swans and found them a bit further up next to the Rowing Club.
The proud parents now have 7 fluffy Cygnets (and a few adopted Mallards).
Unfortunately a couple of adult Swans have been found shot on the river in recent months but the RSPCA refused to investigate or remove the bodies so hopefully this family will be able to stay away from the trouble.
So two days with just 15 minutes in each to do something a bit "wild" and try to reconnect with Nature.This pain called work does get in the way a lot ;) Things will improve now though as no work for a while as tomorrow we head to Birmingham for a Wildlife Festival, followed by a week in Ireland and 2 days at the Farne Isles. :)
Thanks again for opening my blogspot page to have a view, it is very much appreciated.
#GoWild
Stuart
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