News
New species found
On 1st June, walking in the reserve, in an open area near the wooden seat I spotted a small brown butterfly flying low over the ground. It looked a little like a female Common Blue, with a silvery sheen but with no visible blue. It settled on a Cut-leaved Cranesbill plant, fluttered off and settled on another cranesbill plant. I managed to get a couple of photos, not brilliant but good enough to identify it as a Brown Argus, a new species for the site.
In this area the larval foodplants for this species are mainly Dove’s-foot and Cut-leaved cranesbills; there is plenty of the latter across the reserve. This butterfly isn’t a rarity but it certainly isn’t common around here; maybe we could soon have our very own colony!
Felicity
Wild Flower walk - 16 June 2019
14 of us had a gentle stroll around the rather soggy reserve enjoying the wild flowers. Apart from one sharp shower it was a sunny afternoon – a pleasant change after a very wet few days. We spotted over 50 species of flowers including nice patches of Bee orchids and Pyramidal orchids, several Southern Marsh orchids and Common Twayblades, just one Common Spotted orchid and an impressive Dactylorhiza x grandis with 4 flower stems. We found 7 of the 8 Rose family species growing in the reserve – Meadowsweet (in bud), Bramble, Wood avens, Silverweed, Creeping Cinquefoil, Common Agrimony and Dog rose, but not Wild strawberry. The large patches of Ox-eye daisies and Common Birdsfoot trefoil, together with the Meadow Cranesbill are very colourful at the east side of the central grassland.
We also spotted a number of Thick-legged flower beetles, especially on the Hogweed flowers, and plenty of ladybirds, Harlequin and native Seven-spot, ready to feast on the numerous aphids.
Peter
