Exeter Castle

On Thursday afternoon I took a look at Exeter Castle. It is a Norman stone ringwork fortress, founded by Baldwin de Brionne.


The entrance with its projecting barbican, is an 11th century square three storey gatehouse, with above the gate-passage, chambers lit by unusual triangular-headed windows. Because ground level has since been lowered the gateway, now blocked, appears to stand at first floor level.


Its strong earthworks and curtain wall are flanked by square and round towers, which command the north-west corner of the old town wall. Sadly in the 18th century, all the remaining medieval buildings inside the walls were levelled, to make way for the Georgian Assize County Courts.


By the year 1136, when King Stephen besieged Baldwin de Redvers in Exeter Castle, it had walls on the top of the southern rampart, and 'Athelstan's Tower' at the junction of this wall with the city wall may be contemporary.

The Ship and the White Hart

The Ship Inn in St Martin's Lane is one of Exeter's old inns. Sir Francis Drake is alleged to have said "Next to mine own Shippe I do love that old Shippe in Exon., a tavern in St Martin's Lane."


The White Hart in South Street is one of Exeter's most ancient inns with parts of the existing building dating back to the Fourteenth Century.

Exeter University grounds again

Inspired by John Caldwell et al "The Grounds and Gardens of the University of Exeter" I had another wander around the University on Thursday morning. The weather was far from ideal for photographing trees but that only marginally reduced the enjoyment.


Ian parked the car by a Silver Maple and he and Helen left me to it. They went off to work - poor souls - while I soaked up the peace and calm of the arboretum and the terraces of Reed Hall.


This large and strikingly powerful sculpture commemorates the tragic events in Tiananmen Square, Beijing on 3rd and 4th June 1989. It was anonymously erected overnight in 1989 by some of the University's students and every June wreathes are laid against it.



This sculpture - "Man of the World" - is by Peter Peri. It was created in 1960 to symbolise the new University's aspirations, reaching out to the World. The feet of this sculpture are encircled by Rams horns. This is an allusion to the roots of the University, the Royal Albert Memorial College in Exeter, now a museum and art gallery.


This chap is on Reed Hall. I shan't bore you with all the tree photos I took - because of the weather they were primarily 'for the record' and to add to my collection of tree photos rather than making pretty pictures.



But I must show you this shrub - Colletia cruciata - with its vicious thorns. It would make a good anti-personnel hedge.


It's a pity I no longer collect cones; I could have added greatly to my one-time collection. This is a Moneterey Pine cone and was surprisingly light.

Along the lanes

To the back and side of Sainsbury's on Pinhoe Road there are a couple of narrow lanes with hedgerows. I had a wander along these this morning as the sun popped in an out from behind the clouds. There were plenty of Rabbits around.


I'm used to seeing Teasel in the garden but it was good to find it in the wild.


There were a great number of Blackberries in the hedgerows.


And where there are Blackberries there are usually Wasps.




Green Shield Bugs in various stages of development - from an early instar to adult.


I was pleased to capture this photo of an Ichneumon Fly because they are fast moving creatures and often hunt on the undersides of the leaves for moth eggs which they parasitise.


It may look uninspiring but this hoverfly was the find of the day. A bee mimic, it is Merodon equestris, a species I haven't recorded before. This takes my total of hoverfly species photographed to 51.



A Red Admiral was on a Buddleia in a garden opposite Sainsbury's. Another was on Helen and Ian's white Buddleia when got home but I didn't notice it until I had disturbed it.


The back garden had its quota of Small Whites flying during the sunny spells in the afternoon.

Last Year in Exeter...

I had a feeling that I had done blog postings for my visit to Exeter last year but couldn't find them. Helen has now traced them. Anyone who wishes to see them can do so by visiting the appropriate page of Pensby et al.

Fencing Day

After a night of heavy rain there weren't many insects flying first thing this morning but this hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta) dared the damp.



"There must be a leaf left on the sprouts here somewhere, mustn't there?"


A rather attractive heather.



A male Migrant Hawker came into the garden and basked for quite a while. temporarily distracting Ian and I from the job of erecting the fence at the bottom of the garden. But the job got done!

Before:


During:


After receiving its Completion Certificate from Helen.

Frog End - Monday 1st September

A day of poor weather meant that there was not a great deal to be found of interest at Frog End today but the Slow Worm did come out for a brief spell. I don't think mentioned the other day that Helen and I measured it and it is exactly 13 inches {32.5cm} long. Today it was nodding its head up and down in a strange manner.


A couple of Garden Spiders (Araneus diadematus) were on the vegetation.


I found a grasshopper on the Crocosmia - I think it's a Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus).



I found some more of the caterpillars that Helen discovered the other day. I realised that they couldn't be Clouded Drab because it is the wrong time of year so I'll have to leave it until I've got access to my caterpillar book.



I popped out to Sainsburys and in the process took a photo of the sculptures that stand on the entrance roundabout. I'm not really sure what the are supposed to symbolise but, as Ian pointed out, they may not symbolise anything.