Eco Lodges in Devon
Wildlife at our Devon farm and in our Popehouse Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest. Guests are welcome to explore – or just ask us for a guided walk. If you’ve seen something good, please add it to the wildlife log.
Back in July 2018 we dug some new mini ponds at Wheatland Farm – one to take the waste Hot Tub water from Beech Lodge, some just to provide some new habitat. This time last year for #30DaysWild we were looking at their progress, and we thought we’d do the same again in 2020.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild 28: The Mini Ponds”
For #30DaysWild today we’re housekeeping in both senses, catching up on Wheatland Farm’s biological recording but also getting the eco lodges ready for the July reopening.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild 27: Biological Recording”
We only see one or two hummingbird hawkmoths a year at Wheatland Farm’s eco lodges, so it was nice to spot one close enough to photograph. Having said that, to understand why they’re so striking you really need to see them flying – they are easily mistaken for a tiny humming bird.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild 25: Hummingbird Hawkmoth”
Today saw the first Emerald damselfly of 2020 gracing the eco lodge wildlife pond here at Wheatland Farm.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild 23: Emerald Damselflies Emerge”
We were delighted to find a Silver Washed Fritillary Butterfly on the brambles at Wheatland Farm today – it was our wild moment for #30DaysWild No. 22.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild 22: Silver Washed Fritillary Butterfly”
For today’s #30DaysWild we welcomed the cows back to Wheatland Farm for their summer grazing on our Devon culm grassland and Popehouse Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild: 20 Cows Return To Wheatland Farm”
It has been English Flower week apparently, so here’s a few of our Devon wild ones….
Continue reading “#30DaysWild 19 English flowers”
On a wet day, our wild action is just to look up some moths we’ve recently spotted around the eco lodges, like this ‘speckled yellow’, above. These are moths we happened upon, but we’d also like to do some moth trapping over the summer with guests.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild 18: Identifying moths”
Today’s #30DaysWild Random Act of Wildness was just to enjoy the buzz at the wildlife pond below Balebarn Eco Lodge, and admire the butterflies.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild 16 Enjoying the buzz…”
We’re claiming a small success for #30DaysWild today: this orchid has appeared by the wildlife pond, at the edge of the mown path. It’s the first one we’ve found at Wheatland Farm that’s not growing on Popehouse Moor SSSI.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild 14 An unexpected orchid”
Kingfishers are occasional and much loved visitors to Wheatland Farm’s Devon Eco Lodges. But we’ve never seen a young bird, until….
Continue reading “#30DaysWild No 11. A kingfisher Visits The Eco Lodges”
Today’s Random Act of Wildness is to top up the mealworms we put out for the birds. It’s an important food source at the moment because parents are struggling to feed their broods – like this one. But just look where these blue tits chose to nest!
Continue reading “#30DaysWild No 4. Blue Tits In A Gate Post”
It’s that time again – June is when the Wildlife Trusts run their 30 Days Wild campaign, challenging us all to do something for nature every day of the month. So today at Wheatland Farm we’ve been checking up on special flowers.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild 1. Southern March Orchids”
It’s summer proper when damselflies make way for dragonflies at Wheatland Farm’s wildlife pond.
Continue reading “Dragonflies emerge”
With fewer guests and dogs, the Wheatland Farm birds are nesting all over the place this spring…
Continue reading “Thrush chicks nesting near the lodges”
May sunshine means it’s time to jump in the Wheatland Farm pond, and get up close and personal with some dragons and damsels.
Continue reading “Making the most of wild swimming”
It had to come, and we’ve been waiting to celebrate with our annual cake…
Continue reading “Swallows Flying Over the Eco Lodges Again, 2020”
Five more bird boxes have gone up at Wheatland Farm Eco Lodges this March. It’s just one part of our Pledges for Nature.
Continue reading “Bird Boxes Going Up”
Spring is around the corner, at Wheatland Farm with these thrushes and blackbirds singing in the Devon dusk…
Continue reading “Devon Dusk Chorus”
It’s time to begin Wheatland Farm’s winter conservation work, starting with a bit of bramble bashing by the fishing pond.
Continue reading “Winter conservation work”
OK, so no actual elephants at Wheatland Farm, but how about these elephant hawk moth caterpillars, found a few days ago near the wildlife pond?
Continue reading “Huge elephant hawk moth caterpillars”
Stretch those wings! A brimstone emerges from its chrysalis by Nuthatch Lodge at Wheatland Farm.
Continue reading “Brimstone butterfly emerges”
Emerald damselflies start emerging in July and will be flying around the ponds at Wheatland Farm until about the end of August – maybe into September.
Continue reading “First Emerald Damselfly of Summer”
We spotted this stunning marbled white butterfly in front of Balebarn Lodge this morning. We think this is a male. We’d rather it was a female so we got some more butterflies… So here’s to hoping he finds a mate.
Continue reading “Marbled White Butterfly”
We promise this clip isn’t speeded up! The peacock butterfly caterpillars are munching their way through the nettles near the Wheatland Farm wildlife pond. Soon we’ll have fresh adults flying in the lodge field.
Continue reading “Peacock butterfly caterpillars munching nettles”
Each sunny morning, more poppies flower by the Wheatland Farmhouse, and the bumblebees seem to be almost drunk with delight! The buzz in this video clip is the glorious sound of our Devon summer.
Continue reading “Bumblebees Revelling In Poppy Pollen”
It was a last minute decision – a late afternoon walk on Dartmoor, an overnight bivvy, and back to Wheatland Farm in time for morning coffee.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild No. 30 Wild camping on Dartmoor”
#30DaysWild No. 29. We might have been too successful in attracting wildlife to the lodges. We bought these little alder buckthorn plants because the larvae of brimstone butterflies eat them, and we wanted more butterflies at Wheatland Farm.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild No. 29 Caterpillars are out-pacing plant growth!”
This is one of the scrapes we dug last year. They’re still muddy, and it will be a while before they bursting their banks with tall reeds, but already they are attracting 6 species of dragon- and damselflies, as well as supporting baby frogs.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild No. 28. More than just a puddle”
Today’s #30DaysWild moment was to post this fabulously green beetle creature on facebook.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild No. 27: Little Green Bug”