Ugborough burial ground

While the Moorhaven meadows group has been working on the Moorhaven cemetery meadow, Greener Ugborough Parish https://www.ugborough.com/g-up has received permission from Ugborough Parish Council to manage the Ugborough burial ground for wildlife. It is rough (or rank) grassland, dominated by cocksfoot grass, with the potential to build up a deep thatch to encourage voles and…

New England wood

Devon Wildlife Trust ask that you do not drive to New England wood during lockdown but fortunately it is a short cycle ride from Moorhaven and an oasis of calm green. At this time of year, it is carpeted with wild garlic and the last of the bluebells.  At the far side of the wood is…

Easter in lockdown

The sun shone and brought out the first flowers of marsh violets, tormentil, lady’s smock and wood speedwell.  There were wildlife residents and visitors in the garden pond. At least five palmate newts, a frog, and a beautiful grass snake. A violet oil beetle munching celandines on the way to Leigh Lane from Moorhaven: A walk to Piles…

Ancient woodland

      Yellow archangel and bluebells at Penstave Copse.           Here and at Devon Wildlife Trust’s nature reserve at Warleigh Point, there is common cow-wheat, an indicator plant showing healthy ancient woodland. Hemlock water dropwort, broom, irises and spindle at Warleigh Point

I’m back!

After three local walks, I couldn’t resist posting some spring flowers. On Roborough Down, there were lots of violets and March flies related to the St Marks fly but resting with their wings out, making a cross with their little scorpion-like bodies. Next was Devon Wildlife Trust’s Andrews Wood reserve. Glorious sunshine with lots of orange tip…

White Oxen to Zempson

A walk along the lanes. Upright hedge parsley has replaced the rough chervil here. In Bittaford there is none – greater burnet saxifrage grows there instead. Two lookalikes, but note the wild basil on the left has only a few flowers out at a time. Two more lookalikes are a hawkweed and perennial sowthistle. The…

Ladies, gents and bucklers

When I started looking for ferns at Christmas, there was no lady’s fern. Now its graceful fronds are everywhere. It grows in a neat shuttlecock formation. The pinnules are, aptly, like a frilly version of male fern’s. Three buckler ferns are found in Devon: broad buckler, narrow buckler, and hay-scented buckler. Hay-scented buckler is fairly easy…

Into the woods

Primroses and bluebells in Penstave Woods.        An impressive Drinker moth caterpillar on the verge of Bittaford Road. Note the ‘horns’ of hair at either end. The moth drinks dew. Also the first early purple orchid. I’m fascinated by these mutant plants. They seem to be quite common along this stretch of road. Could traffic…

Spring at last!

There’s a dazzling display of dandelions, interspersed with lady’s smock, at the turning to Ivybridge station. The stitchwort is out in the hedgerows at last, with wood sorrel in shady spots. The first bluebells and buds of yellow archangel are showing in Penstave woods. There are newts in our pond again too.

Spring in Bohemia

There were masses of celandines and sweet violets in Prague and its surroundings, but also flowers that are native to the Czech Republic but rarer here or only found as garden escapes. These cowslips and lungwort were growing between the gravestones in the Jewish Cemetery in Prague. At Sázava monastery, there was yellow star of Bethlehem,…

Windflowers

There were lots of wood anemones at Penstave Woods last week. They have some lovely vernacular names, including windflowers and moggy nightgown. According to Plantlife, moggy nightgown comes from Derbyshire where moggy means mouse, thus mouse’s nightgown. A rusty-back fern growing in a wall:

New England Wood

New England Wood is Devon Wildlife Trust’s newest reserve, rescued from development by local campaigning. It could have looked like this desolate area nearby: Instead it is a beautiful haven for birds and wildflowers. There were flocks of redwings and some marsh tits. Sitting by the River Yealm, it is hard to believe that the…