Ovington Village Snowdrops

Waterside Natural History Society goes in search of Snowdrops

If someone asked you what flower looks like a flake of snow then you would immediately think of a snowdrop. Snowdrop or ‘Galanthus’ meaning milk flower was also a slang term for US military police in WW2 but everyone knows what a snowdrop looks like. Garden Centres have them in small pots, town gardens have small groups, older country gardens may have a larger patch; but nothing can compare to seeing large drifts of them in a winters landscape.
Hampshire is lucky to have several locations where you can see snowdrops in large numbers and we chose to visit Ovington village near Alresford which we had heard was a particularly impressive sight. When we arrived at the Bush Inn in Ovington we did not have to look far as snowdrops spread in every direction. When outdoor events are arranged months in advance it is always a matter of luck whether the plant or wildlife is in season but snowdrops are very predictable. Global warming or any sort of weather does not seem to affect them and you can guarantee a good sighting every February.
Our short walk consisted of a round trip to Itchen Stoke and back to Ovington so we set off alongside the Inn towards a bridge over the river Itchen. The river here was broad and shallow so you got a sense of being surrounded by water especially when we walked between the river and the drainage channel running alongside.
Turning away from the river we went up towards Itchen Stoke along a narrow lane with several old houses on either side. The houses were built using flint stones which are common in limestone areas. One house had a small front garden full of a variety of spring flowers. The sweet smell of Daphne at head height was complemented by sweet violets on the ground. Snowdrops, winter Aconites, daffodils and crocus were all in flower together with the purple and pink flowers of one of the Borage family. It would have won first prize at any time of year.
The church in Itchen Stoke was well worth a visit. Although not in use St. Mary’s church had been expertly renovated by the Church preservation society and was an excellent combination of the new and the old. This was typified by the new font inside the church and the old font which was found in pieces around the gravestones. It had been rebuilt and placed just inside the church door. The church’s design was based on that of ‘La Sainte Chapelle’ in Paris. The new and old aspect was reflected in the plants outside. The old represented by the snowdrops and the new by crocus and daffodils. No old church would be complete without an old Yew tree and this was no exception. Further on we came across a carpet of cyclamen that had naturalised on the roadside near an old farm gate.
Walking alongside the road towards Alresford one of our members noticed an animal at the far end of one of the fields which was identified as a deer. Some moments later it was thought to be a donkey as it had big ears. As we all gathered to give our individual opinions it was suggested it might even be a kangaroo. Two passing locals were asked if any strange animals had been seen in the area. When the animal moved it was again thought to be a deer and this was confirmed later when three Roe Deer bounded away across the field. It is easy to be critical of anyone’s identification skills in this age of instant information on the television but in the wild identification is often a matter of several opinions and time to think.
Birds were evident more by their sounds than their sight. Nuthatch, Great tit, and Blackbird were all heard but the most striking were the drumming of the Woodpeckers. One was of a deep bass sound and thought to be a Greater Spotted Woodpecker. Another of a higher pitch was supposed to be a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker although actually seeing the bird was difficult.
Returning back to Ovington alongside a stream we saw great swathes of snowdrops highlighted by the green fronds of Harts tongue ferns and reflected in the clear water of the stream. Spring was definitely on its way.

Blashford Lakes

Waterside Natural History Society visit to Blashford Lakes

The green shoots of recovery or Spring as it used to be called are on their way. Rooks are nesting high in the trees, Song Thrushes are singing on top of the lower trees and catkins are appearing on the hazel bushes. All this was evident as we travelled to Blashford Lakes in search of birdlife.
Blashford Lakes, being a nature reserve, is different to walking in the countryside in that much of the time is spent in the six hides. The hides provide shelter and a good view of the lakes upon which many birds spend the winter but they also provide a meeting point for all the visitors. Some people go singly looking for peace and quiet and some go in groups, such as ourselves, to catch up on the latest news and gossip. In addition some people like to eat their lunch in the hides and some people don’t approve. On the whole it is best to be tolerant of other people and enjoy the sights for what they are.
The information board at the entrance to the hides gave an idea of what birds to expect and their numbers. One board indicated that 800 Wigeon were present on Ibsley Water. Although this may be a calculated estimate there was no indication that it was not the exact figure and a more truthful wording would probably be ‘a large flock’. Whatever the number none of our members were prepared to dispute the figure and there certainly were ‘a lot’.
Besides the Wigeon there were a large number of Goosanders which always tend to congregate around a shingle spit in front of the appropriately named Goosander hide. Tufted Duck were scattered about the lake but always dived under water whenever binoculars were focused on them. There were also several Goldeneye and a single Avocet on the same shingle spit as the Goosanders.
Water fowl were not the only birds present in large numbers. Near the visitor centre bird feeders attracted a seemingly endless parade of Siskin with several Redpolls and the occasional Nuthatch. These birds also visited the feeders in front of the Woodland hide together with Brambling, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and a single Greater Spotted Woodpecker.
On our way to the Ivy North hide we met two of our number who had already been there and they had seen a Bittern from the hide. When we arrived the hide was full of visitors all waiting for a sight of the bird. Such a large number of people in a closed space in wet weather meant that the windows were all steamed up and the air was rather rich. We left the hide and met the two who had seen the bird earlier and they noticed the Bittern from a gap in the fence alongside the hide. It took me several minutes to see the Bittern as it was difficult to spot even when I knew where to look. Bitterns are a master of disguise, in a manner similar to the Snipe, in that they have black, brown, yellow and white stripes but in their case in a vertical plane up their neck and head instead of the horizontal of the Snipe. This enables them to blend with the vertical reeds and they even sway in time with the wind blown reeds. It was not until I saw the bird move forwards against the vertical reeds that I was able to recognise the bird and once seen it seemed incredible that I had not spotted it before. Besides being difficult to see they are also quite rare but increasing at the moment due to intensive work by voluntary organisations. Their number is counted by noting the number of booming Bitterns in the spring although since males may have several mates in the same area their numbers may be underestimated.
We enjoyed our visit to Blashford Lakes. It has a good combination of lots of birds together with the occasional rare specimen. The hides are well established and the reserve appears to be settled. The weather was also in our favour being dry and mild for a winter’s day but the rain resumed in earnest as we left.

Stanpit Marsh & Hengistbury Head

Waterside Natural History Society visit Stanpit Marsh and Hengistbury Head

Christchurch is fortunate to have two Nature Reserves on its doorstep both of which border onto Christchurch harbour. Stanpit Marsh is on the northern landward side of the harbour whereas Hengistbury Head is on the southern seaward side. The higher land of Hengistbury provides a natural shelter for the harbour and also for Stanpit Marsh. Although they are close together they are separated by the water of the harbour so a fifteen minute car journey is required to move from one to the other.
We started our visit at Stanpit Marsh which is a low lying area of reclaimed mud flats although the sea claims large areas back again at high tide. Unfortunately high tide coincided with our visit so we were not able to access some of the reserve. Nevertheless there were large numbers of migrating birds crowded onto the remaining land and seashore; the sight of which was the main object of our visit.
Stanpit Marsh Reserve has a modern visitor centre and provides a welcome board of information about tide levels and what can be seen that day. On this occasion it also provided information about Godwits which we saw in good numbers during our visit. It informed us that Godwits get their name from old English meaning ‘Good Creature’; a reference to their being good to eat. In the nineteenth century the attitude to wild birds was different to that of today. Charles Dickens mentions in his book ‘Martin Chuzzlewit’ that a ‘Bird Fancier’ has a shop in which wild birds are sold for keeping in cages or as target practice for gun clubs. We think of ourselves as more caring these days but wild birds had a better chance of survival then than they do today.
Besides the Godwits, which were Black Tailed Godwit, there were Redshank, Little Egret and Curlew scouring the grass for food. In the water Wigeon and Teal were increasing in number from their winter migration. Most of the birds we saw were on some form of migration or using the sheltered marshes for a rest and to refuel. Canada Geese and Black Bellied Brent Geese were seen on one of the sandbanks together with Cormorants which flew to higher ground as the water rose above their chest level.
We saw a great number of Lapwing which was an encouraging sign as they face difficult survival conditions from loss of habitat and predators. It would be a pity to lose these birds as they offer a unique sight and sound experience when they fly in flocks over the harbour.
The Black Headed Gulls and Coots are usually overlooked but they fill the landscape with their movement and squabbling. Looking between the movements we saw Oystercatchers, Dunlin, Ringed Plover and the occasional Grey Plover. Although we did not see anything unusual it was good to see the vast numbers of birds which were particularly spectacular when disturbed by something such as the Kestrel that occasionally flew over.
After lunch we travelled over to Hengistbury Head. There were few birds to see at this time of year, most of them sensibly kept to the shelter of Stanpit Marsh, but we liked the idea of a brisk walk. We were not the only ones as most of the population of Christchurch seemed to have the same idea and the car park and pathways were crowded with people out for a Sunday walk. On the way back to the car park we passed a family going the other way and a small boy said to his mother “Those people are all wearing blue coats Mummy”. It was only then that we realised we were wearing identical Berghaus coats and I thought perhaps most people are wearing a uniform and don’t realise it.

Fungi Foray

Waterside Natural History Society and a Fungi Foray

In October our normal walk turns into a foray. A foray is the same as a walk except you look at the ground in search of fungi; always hoping that the person in front of you is more of a walker so you don’t get lost. Fungi and foray go together like apples and pears or cake and walk but it probably has more to do with them starting on the same letter. Fungi are very fickle and don’t always appear when and where you want them. The rains we had in early autumn encouraged lots of fungi but the recent dry spell reduced the chances so it was with some trepidation that we embarked on our quest to find and identify the fungi around Dibden Enclosure.
This year we were lucky enough to have with us an expert in the form of Phil Budd which not only makes things easier but has a greater chance of getting the identifications right.
It is usually a help to try and place fungi into groups and the first such group was the Milk Caps or lactaria. We saw the Ugly Milk Cap which has a large slimy dirty olive cap, the Liver Milk Cap which has a liver coloured cap and the Saffron Milk Cap which is mottled orange in colour. The milk which gives the fungi their name can best be seen by drawing a finger nail across the gills beneath the cap. Another group are the boletes which have a spongy mass of pores in place of gills. The Bay bolete with its brown cap and streaky brown stem was found growing on the forest floor.
The group of small fungi growing in massed patches was represented by the Deceiver which is normally red brown or brick in colour but as its name suggests is very variable in form. The Glistening Ink Cap also grows in patches around old tree stumps as does the Sulphur tuft whose name offers a good description.
The Amanita group was represented by theTawny Grisette which gets its name from the grooved cap margins. Also in this group were the Blusher which stains red when cut or bruised and the Fly Agaric. The Fly Agaric is one of the most recognised fungi from its representation in cartoons and gets its name from the ibotenic acid it contains which is a mild insecticide. The False Death Cap, also an Amanita, is distinguished from the true death cap by its paler colour and smell of new potatoes. It is not so deadly poisonous but no one wanted to put this to the test.
The False Chanterelle has decurrent gills running down onto the stem and is separated from the true Chanterelle by having thinner more crowded gills.
The Russula group was represented by the Sickener with a scarlet cap, white gills and stem which if eaten is a stomach irritant and also by the Purple Pine Russule.
Several fungi grow in the form of brackets on the trunks of trees. Some are quite large like the Blushing Bracket and some smaller like the Many Zoned Polypore or Turkey Tail fungus which was once used for jewellery.
Some fungi such as the Green Wood cup are very small but this particular one has the ability to stain the wood on which it grows a bright green.
Another fungus called the Common Stinkhorn is noted for its foul smell and phallus shape which makes it instantly recognisable.
The English names are very descriptive either of the fungi appearance or other characteristics but the Latin names are useful for classification purposes particularly if you want to identify all of the species available.
Altogether 33 different fungi were identified of which the above is a small selection and represent a slightly less number than expected. There are over a thousand fungi varieties in the New Forest area which gives an idea of the unlikelihood of getting the identification right. It is debateable whether picking fungi harms the stock in the wild since the spores will have already spread when they are picked but at best it stops other people from the pleasure of finding them and at worst it could be fatal.

Manor Farm Bird Fair

Waterside Natural History Society goes to a Bird Fair

We were due to go for a walk around Dibden Enclosure for this month’s outdoor meeting but we took the opportunity to visit a bird fair at Manor Farm Country Park instead.
Not many years ago a bird fair would mean the sale and exchange of chickens or game birds and their eggs but nowadays it is all about watching wild birds in the countryside. Bird watching has become ever more popular as the number of birds has declined. When sparrows and swallows crowded under the eaves of every house and wild birds cleaned up after the harvest most people thought birds were a nuisance and only small boys went out to gather birds eggs. The reason for their decline may be conveniently complex but if you have ever seen a meadow dying after been sprayed by herbicide the reason becomes all too clear. It is the loss of habitat and food that means birds cannot survive in the wild. Nevertheless people are rising to the challenge and going to ever greater lengths to spot birds in the wild and take their own photographs.
Birdwatching is becoming a big business. Wild bird food is sold in many outlets and highly technical photographic equipment is snapped up by the discerning amateur. You can now watch pigeons mating on your garden fence without having to look through the window.
On arrival at the bird fair we decided to go on one of the organised walks which was due to depart imminently. We would then have our lunch followed by a walk round the exhibits and if time allowed we would then walk on our own around the park. The guided walk was to be a stroll through the woods looking for birds and anything else that was brought to our attention. Unfortunately it is a bad time for bird spotting at the moment as leaves are still on the trees and many of the birds have started their migrations. It did not help either that the group consisted of over fifty people shuffling and talking their way behind the guides.
Birdspotting is rather an anomaly however and the poor viewing conditions did draw attention to the fact that birdhearing might just as easily be used. Identifying birds by their calls is a difficult skill to master. Even if your hearing is good you have to associate the sound with a particular bird and more importantly you have to remember the sound for the next time you hear it. Teaching music in schools is not regarded a priority these days but it would definitely be an advantage with bird identification. Fortunately the guides were skilled in this area and nuthatch, tree creeper and members of the tit family were all identified before they were seen.
There may be a shortage of bird sightings at the moment but this is compensated for by the abundance of fungi. One of our guides was able to identify a number of fungi from the many thousands that occur in the country and he pointed out that when starting to identify fungi the best idea is to first identify the group or species to which it belongs. It is also a good idea to know what to look for. Does the stem snap like chalk, is it tough and spindly or is it fibrous? Does the fungi have gills or is it spongy? One of the boletes turned from lime green to blue within seconds when cut with a knife and one called a beefsteak looked exactly like its namesake. The fly agaric is one that can be identified by most people and we were fortunate to find a perfect example as we neared the end of our walk. It is a good idea to assume all fungi are poisonous and wash your hands after handling.
The exhibits in the fair consisted of stalls representing the various countryside organisations such as the RSPB, Hampshire council and Hampshire and IOW wildlife trust. There were sales of bird food and refreshments but surprisingly none of birdwatching equipment. Demonstrations went on during the day but when we went round a tawny owl with its handler was the only sign of bird life.
One of the stalls had, as a means of attracting interest, a box of bird feathers and the stallholder asked passersby to identify from which bird they came. I thought this was quite difficult as none of the feathers were from common birds and lots of people did not even try. A young girl with her mother picked up one of the feathers and suggested tentatively what she thought it was and to everyone’s surprise it was correct. She then went on to correctly identify all the rest of the feathers in the box. One that she identified as a greater spotted woodpecker was in fact from a green woodpecker but was nevertheless pretty impressive. I had never thought that young people would be so interested in nature and that you had to be old to appreciate it but perhaps the future is in good hands after all.

Waverley Paddle Steamer

A short trip on the Waverley paddle steamer from Southampton
We noticed an advert for one day cruises on the Waverley paddle steamer in the local paper and decided that we might like to give it a try. The advert gave a price of £34 each with a second pensioner going half price but when we checked on the internet it gave a price of £37. On phoning they confirmed £37 was the correct price but with the half price second ticket we thought it was still worth it so we went ahead and booked.
All we had to worry about was the weather which a week ahead did not look good due to approaching high winds and rain. However nearer the day the forecast was for the bad weather to be postponed to later so we were looking forward to a pleasant trip.
On the day, which was a Saturday, we duly got up early and were in the car park at the dockside in Southampton with about 45minutes spare. We were expecting a high parking cost of about five pounds for the day so it was a bit of a shock to discover that it would be £10 payable on exit. The parking scales which were the highest for 5-24 hours looked to be specifically targeted to obtain the greatest return from day trip users. Luckily we found out about the charges before we got on board so made sure we had £10 in coins for our return. Other people were not so fortunate and had great trouble in feeding ten pound notes through the machine.
Our first impression on seeing the ship head on was that it was quite a small boat but sideways on the length makes it look a lot larger. It did not help that the dock level was above the boat deck due to the low tide. I had seen the Waverley some years before when it sailed from Largs on the west coast of Scotland so I was familiar with the two funnels and wide paddle chambers.
The trip was billed as ‘Yarmouth and the Needles’ but by the time of the trip we had forgotten the details and just looked forward to a cruise on the water. There were probably less than a hundred people boarding at Southampton so we had plenty of room to wander around the ship as we pleased and at the start we went on to the top observation deck. We were surprised how smoothly the ship reversed from the dockside and how quickly it gathered speed. Once out in the water it had to stop and manoeuvre to start its forward motion and this operation took some time with both the Isle of Wight and Hythe ferries waiting patiently for us to gather speed. We stayed on the top deck whilst the ship moved down Southampton Water and into the Solent on its way to Portsmouth.
During this part of the voyage we went down for a coffee and biscuit in the restaurant. The latte coffee turned out to be a bit of a disappointment probably due to the weak milk but the movement of the ship was barely noticeable so we could have been sitting in our own house. The furnishings of the restaurant and the ship in general were all of wood which gave it the appearance of an old railway carriage.
I took the opportunity of this quiet spell to have a look at the engine room which was open to view on the lower deck. The view was of three pistons driving the paddle wheels on either side of the ship. Although the sight was impressive after a while I began to think there must be more to it than at first sight and bought a small pamphlet from the onboard shop giving details of the mechanical arrangements. Sure enough there is considerably more than meets the eye. The ship is powered by two oil fired boilers; there was one originally with two exhausts hence the two funnels but this was replaced for a second time in 2000 by the two. The boilers supply steam at 150psi to the first piston. The exhaust steam from the first piston drives the second and the exhaust from the second drives the third at an inlet pressure of about 1.0psi. This exhausts to the condenser which is held at 25inches of vacuum by the air extraction equipment. The condenser is cooled by pumping sea water through the tubes. In addition there is equipment for pumping the condensate through the boilers, equipment for changing the speed of the paddles and equipment for steering. All this equipment would make up a power station on land so we were particularly impressed by the reliability and hard work that must go into maintaining and operating the ship.
The steering equipment means the ship can be operated from the bridge but there is an emergency steering wheel at the rear which had I not read the book I would assume was just there for decoration. The steady pounding noise of a diesel driven ship is not there in a paddle steamer and in general it was very quiet but after a while you recognise a dede dede dede-dede dede deda sort of musical sound that was rather comforting. I also noticed a couple of flat screen monitors on the bridge and one in the engine room which obviously were not there when it was built but then I suppose neither were the rules and regulations.
We returned to the outside deck area as the ship approached Portsmouth and manoeuvred past yachts, ferries and hovercraft. Portsmouth seems to be a busy dock area and especially so when there is a festival on the Isle of Wight. The movement of visitors to the ‘Bestival’ took precedence over our ship and we were not allowed to disembark or embark passengers through the dock terminal although we were allowed to dock. This meant that over two hundred passengers had to board a special Gosport ferry boat which left the dock for a few yards before it pulled alongside the Waverley so that the passengers could be transferred. The few passengers going to Portsmouth then went in the reverse direction. We also had to wait until the regular Gosport ferry had left before continuing on our journey.
Eventually we left Portsmouth about half an hour late and sailed back westwards near the coast of the Isle of Wight. The large number of passengers that boarded at Portsmouth meant that the ship was quite busy so we were a bit apprehensive about the queues at the restaurant. In the event we did not have to wait very long. The menu was rather confusing as it gave the lunch and dinner menus on the same sheet and it was not until we ordered that we found out that it was still on the lunch menu. We found the food adequate but nothing special; a typical ferry meal.
After lunch/dinner we went back on deck to see the sights as we sailed along the north coast of the Island. We cruised past Osborne House followed by Cowes were we manoeuvred past the ferries entering and leaving the port. The swell became greater the further west we went until as we approached Yarmouth it was quite choppy. The swell combined with the running tide meant that we could not enter Yarmouth so this part of the trip was cancelled which conveniently compensated for the delay we had at Portsmouth. Nevertheless we sailed on towards the Needles. As we rounded the lighthouse on the Needles we were exposed to the full force of the south westerly wind which produced a very choppy sea. The Waverley is not called an ocean going paddle steamer for nothing and coped with the seas quite well. That is until we decided to turn round when we got to Freshwater bay. We had just decided that the ship was going to go all along the south coast back to Portsmouth and went inside to escape the wind but at this point the ship turned round in the rough seas and we had great difficulty in keeping our feet. After we had managed this manoeuvre however the pitching of the ship returned to normal and we slowly returned and rounded the Needles once more. A few of the passengers were looking a bit apprehensive in the choppy seas and one was violently sick over the side of the ship. Luckily for her and those close to her the wind was blowing away from the deck. The surprising thing was that no one seemed to notice this episode and the woman herself walked back to her seat as if nothing had happened.
After returning round the Needles the sea become calmer in the shelter of the island and we sailed past Yarmouth once more. Having seen the sights on the way there we decided to return to the restaurant for an afternoon cup of coffee. This time I tried the cappuccino but it was very much like the latte in being made of weak milk. Once again we returned to the outside deck for our approach to Portsmouth. Passing the outside of the lounge windows we could not help but notice the same people who boarded at Portsmouth were still in the same seats not having moved throughout their journey. Whether this was from fear or to prevent anyone else claiming their seat was open to doubt.
The run in to Portsmouth was again busy with shipping including the large ferry from Spain which is due to be discontinued shortly. The passengers at Portsmouth were able to transfer straight to the dock terminal as normal so we did not have to wait long before our journey resumed. The ship seemed very quiet without the Portsmouth contingent and we were able to get a prime seat in one of the lounges for our return to Southampton. We had had a long and unusual day so we were quite tired when we eventually docked at Southampton. We were among the first to leave the ship handing in our tickets as we left. This was the first time that anyone had asked to see our tickets so we had boarded and had a full days cruising on trust that we had bought a ticket which was quite unusual in this day and age. We duly paid our parking ticket from the £10 in coins that we had saved all day and drove home.

Martin Down

Waterside Natural History Society visit to Martin Down
The recent rain, although welcome, has not been enough to prevent the leaves on deciduous trees from turning brown. Horse Chesnut leaves for instance, which have a large surface area, have turned dark brown as if the trees have died.The conker shells are the only part that remains green. Hopefully this is a natural protection against the dry weather and green leaves will appear again next year. Grasses in the meadow and crops in the field have also turned a straw colour but in their case fresh shoots are already starting to reappear. Interestingly the forest areas are at their most colourful with the pinks of the heather and emerald green of the bracken contrasting well with the yellow of the Dwarf Gorse. Martin Down was also looking colourful but that was because of the number and variety of wild flowers growing amongst the short grasses.
Driving south from Salisbury we had to drive through three counties before reaching Martin Down although since it is at the junction of Wiltshire, Dorset and Hampshire this was not as big a challenge as it first appears. Martin Down is however just in Hampshire and we arrived on a dull and breezy day in August hoping for some improvement in the weather.
Our first challenge occurred just a few paces on to the down and that challenge was to name all the different varieties of wild flower. One sign of a well established and flourishing countryside is the sheer number of different flowers and since they are flowering and setting seed at all times of the year to see so many on the day of our visit was very impressive. Yellow flowers included Toadflax,Ragwort, St. Johns Wort, Wild Mignonette, Ladies Bedstraw and Agrimony as well as the members of the daisy family such as Catsear and Autumn Hawkbit. Red was represented by the Red Bartsia growing low to the ground and white by the Eyebright which has a multicoloured pattern on closer inspection. The predominant colours however are the blue and purple of the Field Scabious, Sheepsbit Scabious,Self Heal, Harebells and particularly the Knapweeds.
This abundance of flowers usually means that butterflies have a good chance of being around but the dull and breezy weather did not act in our favour. Fortunately the weather warmed up as the day progressed and butterflies flying low to the ground were able to find a sheltered spot. In the event we managed to see a total of eighteen different species which was excellent when you consider there are only just over thirty in the country which do not all appear at the same time. Some of the usually common butterflies such as Red Admiral, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell are in short supply this year but we managed to find examples of all three. Small White, Large White and Green Veined White were also there as well as the Brimstones. Gatekeepers, Small Heath, Meadow Brown and Ringlet made up the browns. We also saw one Small Skipper but they are getting to the end of their flight period. There were quite a number of Common Blue and one or two Holly blues but we also saw Chalk Hill Blue and Adonis Blue. The intense shining blue of the male Adonis is particularly striking and once seen is never forgotten. The predominant colour of all the female blues is brown so identification is made even harder.
Larger butterflies such as the Silver Washed Fritillary were seen usually fluttering quickly past but we were fortunate to see a Queen of Spain Fritillary feeding on flowers as we returned to the car park. The latter is a migrant so it must have been holidaying on the south coast.
After lunch we went round the western part of the reserve which is thickly wooded and gives a completely different habitat to that over the road to the east. Plants such as Hemp Agrimony were common as well as a patch of Solidago or Golden Rod which is usually seen in gardens or florists shops. A patch of Carline Thistle was seen on the shorter grass which although looking as if it had gone to seed presents a striking picture.
Nature flourishes in Martin Down and no opportunity is wasted. As we returned to the car park over the cattle grid we could see a small pond had formed under the grids with bulrushes and tadpoles wriggling about in the water. There is always something new to see when you visit Martin Down.