Dry Drayton Nature Notes - April
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The infant april joins the spring
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John Clare, The Shepherd's Calendar 1827 |
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A male Sparrowhawk has been frequenting the gardens of Pettitts Lane over recent weeks. It is the "smash and grab merchant" of the bird world, taking small birds, even blackbirds, from feeders and in flight. |
| In early spring small furry bee-flies can be seen hovering at flowers, taking nectar with their needle-like probosces and settling to bask in the sun on pale surfaces. | 
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One of the early moths on the wing is The Engrailed which comes to lighted windows at night and has a beautifully camouflaged pattern of browns, blacks and greys. Its larvae feed on a variety of low plants and shrubs. |
| Of especial delight this month is the flowering of violet species in the lanes and woodlands. These unusual white violets appear on the bank at the bend of Pettitts Lane every year. |  |
Photos and text by Val Perrin.