RYDA Newsletter 09/2025
With bumble bees it is only the already-mated new queens who survive the winter to found a colony next year. You see these in September, often flying very close to the ground, feeding up for their winter hibernation and looking for a hole in the ground to spend it in. There is something wonderfully imperious about their buzzing as they navigate around you.
There may also still be a few bumble bee workers on the wing early in the month, while those of the common carder bee, identified by the ginger hair on their thorax, can be seen into October.
One solitary bee that is still around is the ivy mining bee, which looks like a neater version of the honeybee (the males smaller than honeybees, the females a bit bigger). It synchronises its lifecycle with the flowering of ivy, and so is at its best this month.
There are still quite a variety of insects to see in September, but sightings are now fairly infrequent. An exception is around flowering ivy, which attracts quite large numbers of insects to its late supply of nectar. The same can be true of other late flowering shrubs such as Russian vine and snowberry, and wildflowers such as Michaelmas daisies. Especially fond of these are honeybees, wasps, and hoverflies and flies of various kinds.
Honeybees spend the winter in hives, feeding on stored honey, and so can be out and about for as long as there are flowers for them to gather nectar from. In favoured spots (particularly around ivy) the air is still filled with their very summery hum.
Numerous males of this species can be seen flying frantically around ivy flowers, feeding and looking for females, and you also find colonies of their nest holes in thinly-vegetated south-facing banks (sometimes garden lawns), where you can see both females entering and leaving the holes, and males swarming around hoping to mate with them.
At least around ivy, mining bees might be mistaken for honeybees, but crucially do not hum, not being social animals. Only identified in southern Europe in 1993 and first seen in the UK in Dorset in 2001, this charming invader has been spreading steadily north and has now reached the Midlands.
The wasps you see are redundant workers, who feed on rotting fruit before dying off: the jam in our cream teas provides an alternative, as do ivy flowers, which are actually one of the most reliable places to see them these days. These worker wasps are on the wing all month and in recent memory they were a major nuisance in pub gardens and at picnics in the late summer. Numbers have declined rapidly in the last few years, however, and since 2021 there have been shockingly few of them.
As with bumble bees, only the queen wasps survive the winter, finding a cosy nook to hibernate in, before founding a new colony in the spring. Somewhat larger than ordinary wasps, they are a slightly scary sight, but if you see one, don't swat it: these days, even more than ever, it carries the future of its species.
Hoverflies can also still be seen, though numbers are very much reduced from their summer highs. Particularly around ivy you can still see a variety of them, however, including drone flies and syrphus types. Many look exactly like bees - a deliberate evolutionary adaptation to avoid predation.
Also much reduced, but still encountered from time to time, are various different kinds of tiny flying insects too small for non-experts to identify, as well as gnats, who keep going all winter, appearing in small swarms on windless sunny days.
Surprisingly some insects are only just emerging in September. Seven-spot ladybirds - the classic red ones with black spots that everyone recognises - are metamorphosing into adults in late August and early September, having grown from eggs laid in May. They will feed for a while and then find a cosy place to spend the winter (often in groups) in plant debris, leaf litter or wooden window frames, waking up in spring to mate and lay eggs.
New green shield bug adults also emerge in September, though they are well camouflaged against plants and so hard to spot.
Easier to see are brown dock bugs, whose adults appear in August and are still around in September: they feed on blackberries and so can often be found on bramble bushes. Both of these species lie dormant over the winter and lay eggs in May, just like ladybirds.
Spiders actually become more prominent this month, as orb weaver spiders make their classic webs of concentric circles in our gardens. The ones you see are females (the males are much smaller), who have mated and made a silken cocoon in which to lay their eggs.
They will guard these until they die of cold later in the autumn and the eggs will then go on to hatch in the spring. The web doesn't stay sticky for long, so the spider will rebuild it every day or two, consuming the old web as she goes - a task that takes as little as half an hour.
This is also the time of year when you may notice alarmingly large house spiders in your house. Contrary to popular myth they do NOT come inside at this time of year to escape the cold - or not only. They are there all along, out of sight and manning webs in obscure corners, doing you a favour by eating other small insects. They also live in cellars, sheds and garages.
But at this time of year males come out of hiding to search for a mate, which is why you encounter them on the stairs or walking across your living room. Please leave them alone: they will not harm you, and are as reluctant to see you as you are to see them (though do help them out of baths, where they sometimes get stuck looking for water). They have their own predators - large cellar spiders (aka daddy-longlegs) that we almost never see.
The morning dew also reveals the threads that money spiders use to "balloon" out across fields: they attach their threads to a blade of grass and then launch into the sky using air currents. They do this in order to avoid mating with siblings. One field can have millions of threads.
One other class of insect that is surprisingly active in September is the dragonfly. Species still on the wing include the common darter (very common this month, the males red and the females more yellowy), as well as the rather similar-looking ruddy darter.
You can still see crane flies in grassy fields (they seem to actually pick up a bit in September after being more scarce in August): you often notice them as they dart away from your feet as you walk. Particularly in the first half of the month, the same is true of grasshoppers and crickets.
At the same time ants are still busy searching for food across grassland and bare ground; once the weather turns colder they seal up their nests for winter. Snails and other garden fauna get much scarcer as the month goes on, but can still pop up when you least expect them.
Look out also for the beautiful green-blue southern hawker, and the blue and chocolate-coloured migrant hawker (these two can also be hard to tell apart unless they stop and you get a good look). All these can be seen till late in the month around ponds and streams, as well as further afield.
Just occasionally very early in the month you may see a common blue damselfly, while the willow emerald damselfly can be on the wing into October. Apart from its colour (which can look green or brownish, depending on the light), you can recognise it by the way its wings stick out at an angle.
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.”
-John Muir
Watch out for a very convincing message from DWP saying you need to claim winter fuel payment. If you’re eligible you will receive it automatically!
There is also a scam going round, whereby people have their e mail addresses hacked and an email – supposedly from your friend is asking for money or help to pay money into an account. Please let the sender know they have been hacked and advise them to change their passwords.
If you have received an email which you’re not quite sure about, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk
There is a new defibrillator installed on the wall of the WIC hall.
It is registered and active. The Hall post code is PL8 1AT “adjacent to The Cafe on the Green”.
The WI were the lead in getting this installed and were willing to fundraise for it. In the end they donated £330, with the café on the green donating £300, the WI community hall management committee £300, and the remainder was donated by the parish council.
A training session will be held on Monday 13th October 6.00 – 8.00pm In the Noss village hall. It will be run by the South West Ambulance Service.
Next time you cant get through to the GP; - just pause a moment and reflect on this:
The Yealm u3a has a thriving Bridge Group - but there is always room for more people! Jane Wain has led this Group for several years, running courses for beginners and improvers and will be doing so again from September this year. The sessions are relaxed and friendly and great for meeting new people and learning this popular game.
The Yealm u3a beginners’ course will offer 3 sessions learning minibridge in September and early October. Participating in these will give a sound knowledge of play techniques before the formal bridge course starts on 17th October.
These sessions will be early Friday afternoons. There is also a national u3a online bridge course which starts soon and runs on Tuesday afternoons, (see below). Keen persons could register for both as the same material is used.
The Yealm u3a improvers’ classes (the level ranges from those who have mastered the basics to moderately experienced), starts 8th September 15:30 at the Yealm Yacht Club. The team of experienced players who help with the u3a bridge look forward to welcoming you.
For the local group contact: Jane Wain Email: janewainbridge@gmail.comor Tel: (01752 873043)
A legitimate parking fine will come with your registration plate stated. - Not ask you to tell them!
There are also spelling mistakes in this text going round.
Check carefully
Planning
There are two significant Planning Applications this month.
Land adjacent to Highfield, Parsonage Road, Newton Ferrers, Erection of 3 bungalows & parking bay https://southhams.planning-register.co.uk/Planning/Display/2180/25/FUL .Instead of the previous application for 2 larger dwellings.
Bishops Court, Newton Hill, Application for modification of Section 106 Agreement on 37/1753/02/F to amend occupancy restrictions https://southhams.planning-register.co.uk/Planning/Display/2367/25/VPO. Removal of extra care and local connection requirements, over 55 restriction to remain.
Whats On?
2nd September First Tuesday lunch club WIC hall new members welcome. 12.00 prompt please £6pp Allergies can be catered for. Please contact Jeanne (872442); Jane (872627) or Tracie (872612).
7 September at 13:00 Rockpool Safari Wembury.
Join our Devon Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers for a guided tour of some of the best rockpools in the UK!
Our expert team will take you on a guided rockpool safari to meet and learn about some of Wembury's most famous inhabitants, from crabs to starfish and everything in between!
£5.50 Adult £5.50 Child
Book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../rockpool-safari-tickets...
11th September Adults Snorkel Safari. 13.00
Join the Devon Wildlife Trust snorkel team for an adults only underwater tour of stunning Wembury Bay!
Our fully qualified BSAC Snorkel Instructors will cover basic snorkelling techniques, followed by a guided snorkel around Wembury Bay's famous rocky reefs, searching for and identifying underwater marine life as we go!
We always follow our Seashore Code ethos of enjoying and respecting marine life through observation without disturbing.
Booking essential: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../adult-snorkel-safari...
£30/Adult
12 September at 15:00 Adults Rockpool Safari Wembury Join our Devon Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers for a adults only guided tour of some of the best rockpools in the UK!
Our expert team will take you on a guided rockpool safari to meet and learn about some of Wembury's most famous inhabitants, from crabs to starfish and everything in between!
This event is open to adults (18+) only. Please wear wellington boots or other suitable sturdy shoes which can get wet and please leave your rockpool nets at home, as we follow the Seashore Code and use our hands and buckets instead (tubs provided).
£5.50 Adult
13th September Holbeton film club is showing “The Outrun”. After living life on the edge in London, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. Hoping to heal, she returns to the wild beauty of Scotland's Orkney Islands where she grew up.
Doors open at 7pm. You'll be given a warm welcome when you arrive and can spend some time chatting to friends before the lights go down at 7:30pm. We charge just £4 (£2 for children under 12) - terrific value for such a great evening of entertainment.
You are welcome to bring your own alcohol if you wish, or you can treat yourself to one of our fabulous chocolate-covered ice creams!
15th September Stroke Support Group WIC hall meeting room 10.00
Stuart Law Workshop on 20th September
Painting Lily Stems in watercolour. Lillies in Japanese Ukiyo-e, O Tanzaku (Long slim Format) .
This workshop is suitable for beginners and the more experienced.
To reserve a place for this workshop, please email: contact@yealmartsociety
20 September at 10:00 Snorkel Safari
Join our Devon Wildlife Trust snorkel team for an underwater tour of stunning Wembury Bay!
Our fully qualified BSAC Snorkel Instructors will cover basic snorkelling techniques, followed by a guided snorkel around Wembury Bay's famous rocky reefs, searching for and identifying underwater marine life as we go! We always follow our Seashore Code ethos of enjoying and
respecting marine life through observation without disturbing.
enjoying and respecting marine life through observation without disturbing.
£30 Adult £30 Child Full kit included in cost.
Booking essential: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../snorkel-safari-tickets...
21st September Rockpool Safari Event by Wembury Marine Centre
Church Road, PL9 0HP Wembury, United Kingdom
Join our Devon Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers for a guided tour of some of the best rockpools in the UK!
Our expert team will take you on a guided rockpool safari to meet and learn about some of Wembury's most famous inhabitants, from crabs to starfish and everything in between!
This event is open to all ages, but all children must be accompanied by a paying adult. Please wear wellington boots or other suitable sturdy shoes which can get wet and please leave your rockpool nets at home, as we follow the Seashore Code and use our hands and buckets instead (tubs provided). £5.50 Adult & £5.50 child.
25th September - Fouth Thursday Lunch Club 12.15 Newton & Noss village Hall. Please contact mrandmrsbarnett@gmail.com Allergies can be catered for, also vegetarian option available. New members welcome.
30th September Yealm Garden Society WIC hall 7.00pm
“Don’t judge a plant by its appearance; how DNA is changing the names of garden plants.
Ken Thompson is a retired academic who spent most of his career at Sheffield University. He frequently speaks to gardening clubs and societies, and teaches garden ecology on the Kew Horticulture Diploma. For ten years he wrote a regular gardening column for the Daily Telegraph, but now writes chiefly for Gardens Illustrated and Which? Gardening. He has published several books on gardening and popular science. His latest book, on Britain’s commonest plants, was published by Profile Books in 2023.
He returns to speak to us on how classifying plants on the basis of their DNA, rather than their appearance, is changing a lot of familiar names. This talk takes a look at some of the changes we will have to get used to, and the reasons behind them.
Save the Date
12th October 2pm. Noss Orchard Juicing Day
11 October at 14:00 Rockpool Safari
Join our Devon Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers for a guided tour of some of the best rockpools in the UK!
Our expert team will take you on a guided rockpool safari to meet and learn about some of Wembury's most famous inhabitants, from crabs to starfish and everything in between!
This event is open to all ages, but all children must be accompanied by a paying adult. Please wear wellington boots or other suitable sturdy shoes which can get wet and please leave your rockpool nets at home, as we follow the Seashore Code and use our hands and buckets instead (tubs provided).
£5.50 Adult £5.50 Child
13th October A training session on Defibrillator Awareness & CPR will be held at 6pm -8pm in Noss village hall. It will be run by South West Ambulance Service.
Sat, 8 November 2025, 19:30
Tony Christie, The legendary crooner continues his Great Farewell Unplugged Tour entertaining audiences around the world with incredible showmanship, an unmistakable powerful vocal that has captivated generation after generation and a set list that packs a punch.
Yealm U3A invite you to
The WI Community hall for a viewing of
