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Tuesday 20th April 2021 There was a good turn out of eight volunteers organised as usual by Ranger Mark (with some help from Tony). Despite it being a calm sunny afternoon, there were no butterflies around - perhaps it wasn't quite warm enough, as brimstone, comma and orange tip butterflies have all been seen this month. The main task was clearing the drainage ditch from Puckles Pond which takes the overflow to the little stream on the north side of the Reserve. Though it seems to be working, the water isn't running as freely as it should, possibly because of a partial blockage in the pipe which goes under the woodland walk. We also did some renovation work on the Spanish Steps and cleared the litter along the paths. The remains of a 'camp' was found in the woods in the north east of the Reserve, and hopefully that will be removed on our next work party. Most of the winter groundwater has gone, but the ponds remain full, with Willow Pond looking especially beautiful. Meadow Pond is recovering from the dredging operation that took place late last year, and from the small platform there it was easy to spot several smooth (common) newts in the open water. The fine display of blackthorn blossom and willow catkins continues and most of the usual Spring flowers we have are now out. Red and white dead nettles, violets, ground ivy, cow parsley, cuckoo pint and greater stitchwork are common throughout the Reserve. There are a few patches of primroses, grape hyacinths and greater periwinkle, but surprisingly no bluebells yet - maybe next month! Tuesday 18th May 2021 The work party went ahead despite a forecast of possible showers, but apart from short spells of rain at the start and end it was warm and sunny. The main task was to clear the sidegrowth along the woodland paths and the High Ridge, with Ranger Mark switching from hedge cutter to strimmer to cut the grass around the benches. There were only four volunteers this month, but we were supplemented by two workers from Countryside Services who operated small power cutters up and down the sides of Plotlands Way (the main path leading from the Eastfield Road entrance), after which they cleared away the remains of a camp in the far north-east of the Reserve. Last month's splendid display of blackthorn blossom has been replaced by hawthorn blossom, which though still pretty, is nothing like as extensive. This month's dominant flower is cow parsley, though the purple vetch is already beginning to appear. Buttercups and sow-thistles are flowering in the cleared scrubland, and the small white flowers of the water crowfoot can be seen in and around the edges of Meadow Pond. The recent wet weather is probably responsible for the lack of dragonflies and damselflies, and the only butterflies we spotted were a couple of orange tips and a peacock. The sight of the day was catching a glimpse of a heron which we disturbed at the southern end of Willow Pond! Tuesday 15th June 2021 Five volunteers turned up on a beautiful hot and sunny afternoon. Two members of the Society had already done a litter pick earlier in the day, so Ranger Mark issued us with slashers and shears and off we went to to strim back the side-growth along the High Ridge (which fortunately is in the shade). All well went, apart from having to cope with a few midges. The Reserve is looking lovely with lots of water in the ponds, far more than we had this time last year. Meadow Pond especially was teeming with activity. The work done over the winter clearing out the typha and deepening the open areas seems to have paid off. The air was full of dragonflies and mating damselflies, the water was full of newts tadpoles beetles and bugs, and there were three grass snake sightings (all different sizes, so not the same one three times). The cow parsley is beginning to fade and the first vetch is coming out, including tufted vetch which provides splashes of purple along the main pathway leading towards the storage container. Other summer flowers now blossoming include common bird's-foot trefoil, mallow, ox-eye daisies and sow-thistles. In the East Meadow there is a glorious display of irises, and if you are strolling along the main woodland path later in the day you may catch a whiff of honeysuckle (which smells stronger at night in order to attract moths). Tuesday 20th July 2021 Despite being one of the hottest days of the year with only the slightest of breezes, there was a decent turnout of six people including two newcomers to the work party. Surprisingly no ranger turned up, but this wasn't a problem as we have our container for storing the various tools bought by the society and donated by members. The recent rains followed by the hot weather had led to a lot of new growth, so cutting back the brambles and blackthorn along the sides of the paths was our main activity. Fortunately we finished before the violent rain and hailstorm later in the afternoon which deluged Noak Bridge. The vetch and goat's rue are in full flower and their dark/light purple/white flowers dominate the meadow areas, along with bright yellow splashes of ragwort and perforate St John's-wort. The cleared scrubland has become a haven for butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers and crickets, more than fulfilling the expectations we had six years ago when Ranger Mark brought in contractors to clear the encroaching thickets. The large white trumpet-shaped flowers appearing high in the hedgerows belong to the hedge bindweed, a fast-growing climbing plant with tough tendrils which is disliked by most gardeners. This is the first summer for several years that the ponds have remained full. Willow Pond looks magnificent, the duckweed covering the surface of Puckles Pond has turned it bright green, and Meadow Pond continues to attract a wide variety of dragonflies and damselflies. The Eastern side of the Reserve is where we now get most of our amphibian and reptile sightings. It is also the area furthest away from roads and buildings. That will change when the planned housing development on the field to the North is completed and a new access path is created. We will have to wait and see how large an impact this will have on the wildlife in the Reserve. Tuesday 17th August 2021 The weather looked a little ominous as we gathered at the start with grey skies and a humid atmosphere, but the rain just about held off and it gradually warmed up throughout the afternoon. Six volunteers turned up and Warden Mark (sporting his new job title) was on hand to direct the proceedings. The main task was to remove a small tree that had fallen down and landed on the canopy above the High Ridge. There was also the usual cutting back of side-growth, which needs to be done every month at his time of the year to prevent the bramble runners sneaking their way across the woodland paths. A couple of the Society's members had already done a litter-pick earlier in the day, which was a pleasant surprise, and all that remained was to recover several bottles that had been thrown deep into the blackthorn by the platform at Meadow Pond. We had enough time left over to stake out Puckles Pond for a short while in the hope of spotting the terrapin that has been seen there, but it failed to appear. This is an additional predator for the frogs and newts and needs to be removed, though how is still to be decided! The recent rain has been more than enough to keep our ponds topped up. Puckles is covered in bright green duckweed, which flourishes at times but then completely disappears, its cycles no doubt disrupted by the fluctuating water levels. Fox Pond is very full, and the extra depth will hopefully kill off some of the land plants which have been gradually encroaching over the last few summers. The typha (great reedmace) in Meadow Pond is magnificent. Keeping it under control is a constant problem, but there's no denying that it's a fine sight at this time of the year. Watermint (small round purple flowers) is flourishing by the bottom of the platform, and the much taller willowherb (redish-purple flowers) has totally reclaimed the path made to gain access to the far side of the water during the excavation work caried out in 2020. Meadow Pond is the pond most distant from the entrances, but it's the one most worth visiting at this time of the year. The more open areas are filled with late summer flowers. Large clumps of meadow vetchling have sprung up in the grassy patch to the east of the storage container, Canadian goldenrod has returned to fill the space behind the bench at Prewer's Pond, and common fleabane now dominates the far side of East Meadow. Pictures of all three can be found in the flowers gallery. Tuesday 21st September 2021 Five volunteers attended, once again coordinated by Warden Mark (though strictly speaking, in his new role he was only there in an advisory capacity). It was a pleasant enough September afternoon, and again we spent our time cutting back the side-growth and bramble runners encroaching on the walks and from around the benches. Also at this time of year the stinging nettles are fully grown and in flower, and they needed clearing from the lower entrance to the High Ridge and along the approach to the Woodland Path. Most of the summer flowers have now gone and there are only a few Autumn species to be seen. These include a large patch of Michaelmas daisies in the area behind the bench next to Prewers Pond. Brambles, hips, haws and sloes provide splashes of colour, but they don't seem as plentiful as last year. All the ponds remain full. Meadow Pond is still looking healthiest, with typha (great reedmace), water crowfoot and broad-leaved pondweed having re-established themselves following the digging out of the pond last winter. Tuesday 19th October 2021 Only four volunteers turned up this month, despite it being a pleasant afternoon for the time of year, though quite cloudy. Ex-ranger Mark was once again on hand to direct activities, which included using a couple of mowing machines to clear the sides of Plotlands Way, as well as the usual cutting back of side-growth along the paths and a litter pick. There was little insect life to be seen other than the occasional hoverfly, though we did spot a ruddy darter dragonfly and a red admiral butterfly, both no doubt tempted out by the mild weather. For many years red admirals have been considered to be migrants, arriving here from Continental Europe and North Africa each spring, but the increasing number of winter sightings is leading to speculation that late broods are commonly surviving through to Spring in the South of England, in which case they would be considered a resident species. Some of the smaller Autumn fungi are now beginning to appear, including sulphur tufts along the woodland path. (Help with identifying fungi in the Reserve is very welcome!) Tuesday 16th November 2021 It was a lovely calm sunny afternoon, but again there were just four volunteers. However this turned out to be the right number for the work to be done. Ex-Ranger Mark helped by two Council workers had been busy since morning with an Allen Scythe cutting the grass and clearing the encroaching brambles in the far corner of East Meadow, and our job, equipped with garden forks and rakes, was to help with gathering up the cuttings into temporary piles. There were plenty of birds about, especially wood pigeons, but no other animal sightings (apart from an interesting spider's web). Disappointingly, there were hardly any fungi to be seen, and very few flowers other than a solitary hogweed (see pic), and occasional patches of white dead nettles (which bloom throughout the year, seemingly oblivious to the seasons). As compensation, the trees looked splendid with their leaves now turning to various Autumn shades of orange and brown. |