Big Butterfly count at Fromus reserve
8th Aug 2013 by admin
04.08.2013 was a busy day – with butterfly counts at Orchid Glade and Fromus Reserve. There were many damselflies and dragonflies, too – with a new sighting of a ruddy darter.
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Orchid Glade: August report
8th Aug 2013 by admin
Our first report from botanical recorder Laurie Forsyth is now available to view within the Seasonal Diaries. Also, there are new images on the Orchid Glade page – showing other interesting finds including the robin’s pincushion gall, a fast-moving red-tailed bumblebee and a skipper drinking nectar from common fleabane.
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Big butterfly count at Orchid Glade
5th Aug 2013 by admin
A wonderful butterfly count at Orchid Glade – the butterflies were drinking heavily from the abundant common fleabane, and there were almost too many peacocks to count. A lovely addition of two painted ladies made our day!
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Orchid glade flora
1st Aug 2013 by admin
Our Fromus Reserve botanical recorders have visited Orchid Glade with Laurie Forsyth. He has agreed to be the botanical recorder for Orchid Glade. They identified marsh woundwort and many other plants, including abundant common centaury and common fleabane, red bartsia, agrimony, smooth tare, knapweed, cat’s ear, horsetail and two forms of hypericum, one square-stemmed and hairy St John's wort. The site is looking STUNNING, full of wild flowers and jumping with butterflies.
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Willow removal at Orchid Glade
27th Jul 2013 by admin
In compliance with our Higher Level Stewardship agreement at Orchid Glade, Paul Berry has removed most of the willows that were shading the pond, and sucking moisture from the surrounding soil.
We decided to keep two straight, well grown willows for their landscape value and another already crazy multi-topped tree has been trimmed to become a traditional pollard. We also left a couple of stumps by the pond, potentially for a living seat. The brash was windrowed, and will make good habitat. See the pictures below.
Thanks, Paul, for a good job.
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Butterfly bioblitz
22nd Jul 2013 by admin
21st July, and the meadow and hedgerow were alive with at least six species of butterfly: ringlet, meadow brown, gatekeeper, large white, large skipper and this lovely comma. They were all enjoying the bramble flowers. More images on our Summer page.