Bittersweet, Solanum dulcamara. Look out for the leaf mine of the micro moth Acrolepia autumnitella also known as the Bittersweet Fanner, the Bittersweet Smudge and the Speckled Bittersweet moth. The mine is a translucent blotch and the larva is whitish-green with a pale brown head.

Musk Stork’s-bill, Erodium moschatum. Up to 60cm. Glandular hairy. Musk scent when crushed. Basal rosette leaves with 4-7 pairs of shallowly-lobed leaflets. Leaflets usually divided less than halfway to midrib. Pinkish-purple flowers. Beaks measure 20-45mm

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated. I wasn’t sure about it as it was indoors and as you said it has significant jaws

How impressive is this wee beastie (a springtail I think)? I had no idea they could move such large food items

Broad-leaved Dock, Rumex obtusifolius. Keep a watch for crumpled, longitudinally rolled leaves as this denotes the presence of Dock Aphid, Aphis rumicis. This aphid species has been recorded on at least 30 Rumex species

Green-brindled Crescent, Allophyes oxyacanthae. Adults fly between late September and November. Larval food plants include Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Crab Apple and Dog-rose.

Butcher’s-broom, Ruscus aculeatus. Up to 100cm. Evergreen. Stiff, glossy, spiny, dark green ‘leaves’. These are actually ‘cladodes’ which are flattened stems. Small yellowish-green flowers arise in the centre of the ‘leaves’. Red fruits 10-15mm.

That’s a whopper, never seen one that tall

Churchyards are one of the grassland types included in the BMS project. Caring for God’s Acre have a webinar on churchyard plant folklore in November. Booking details at

Black Nightshade, Solanum nigrum. Up to 70cm. Leaves up to 5cm long and variably toothed. White flowers with blunt sepals. Shiny black mature berries.

Ragged-Robin, Silene flos-cuculi. I don’t think I have ever spotted one flowering in October before.

Easy to forget that something that is very common, and even a nuisance in your veg patch, isn’t found everywhere

Wireplant, Muehlenbeckia complexa. Leaves less than 2cm with distinct petiole. Autumn flowering. Small cream-greenish flowers. Native to New Zealand. First reported in the wild in 1906 on Scilly isles. Map is from BSBI Atlas

Thanks for your reply and extra info. I think I shall continue to pretend I haven’t seen them when I am out recording!🫣

Hi, Is this distinctive enough to identify in the field or is it a microscope job? Many thanks

Dodder, Cuscuta epithymum. Parasitic especially on gorse sp., Wild Thyme and Heather. Red, thread-like stems. Shoots attach themselves with sucker-like pads (haustoria) that extract nutrients. 5-petalled pale flowers with maroon base

Autumn Squill, Scilla autumnalis. Up to 25cm. 4-8 narrow leaves up to 12cm long. 4-20 pale lilac flowers with 3 petals and 3 sepals that look the same. Purple anthers. Distribution map taken from BSBI Atlas

Japanese Knotweed. Surprised to see how many inverts were using this. In 5 mins: Peacock, Hornet, Honeybee, Dock Bugs, 7-spot Ladybird, 3 sp. parasitic wasp, various Diptera & Bumblebees. Clearly late flowers are providing food source, a place to shelter and a hunting ground.

Fascinating to see a European Hornet swoop in, catch and dispatch a Honeybee whilst dangling from one leg. They tussled for a little while before the head was bitten off and then the rest of the body was taken off presumably to feed larvae back at the nest