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Looking At The Lake

Despite the weather forecasts to the contrary, we enjoyed warm sunshine for much of the day, although we did have to put up with a strong breeze, particularly at site 2 which was more exposed.  Apart from one brief shower whilst visiting site no. 1 it remained dry throughout. We were therefore lucky enough to see plenty of butterflies at all 3 sites.

We began at Blackburn Meadows, nr Rotherham after first calling in at Magna for the obligatory toilet stop. We were treated to the sight of several fresh Small Tortoiseshells on the extensive brambles by the parking area. A leisurely stroll around this compact reserve also revealed Ringlets, Meadow Browns, Whites, Gatekeeper and Large Skipper.

Goat's RueMy abiding memory of the site will be the Goat’s Rue, one of our most attractive wildflower - introductions.  This plant was growing in abundance all over the site. As we were about to leave we were treated to the spectacle of a heron being repeatedly mobbed by an agitated Lapwing.

Our next port of call was Centenary Riverside, a reclaimed spoil heap. This was confirmed by the array of spectacular garden escapes. We were unable to ID these however, as they were not wildflowers! We did though record Common Centaury, Yellow-wort and Lady’s Bedstraw.  The sun was now out and we all chose a rock to sit on to eat our lunches, apart from Robert who decided to lie in the long grass and enjoy the warmth; he didn’t move from his resting spot until we were ready to leave!  This is not a tranquil site as there is incessant banging and clanging from the surrounding heavy industry plus a nearby rail line.

Additional Lepidoptera seen were Comma, Red Admiral, Green-veined White, Small Heath and Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet.   The upper pond was an ideal place to observe dragonflies and on the wing that day were Emperors, Four-spotted and Broad-bodied Chasers, Common Blue, Azure and Blue-tailed damselflies and Banded Demoiselles. Vera got over excited and somehow managed to hurl her plant book into the water. Four Spotted Chaser and ExuviaI held Julia’s hand as she leant over to retrieve the floating item. It came out of the water oddly not too worse for wear.  We had been watching a 4 spot chaser continuing to return to an isolated, dessicated reed and Julia saw an exuviae part way down the stem.She thought here was an ideal photo opportunity so went off to locate our top photographer.  Within minutes she returned with Sue and after several failed attempts the shot was in the bag. Well done Sue and Julia.

We had to drive through various districts of Sheffield (via Magna again) in order to reach our final site of the day ‘Carr House Meadows’.  We arrived at this steep-sided area of unimproved meadows at 16:15.Large Skipper The sun was still shining and Meadow Browns were frequent, also a few Silver Y moths. The grassland was full of clovers, Yellow Rattle and Ox-eye daisies plus a few Common-spotted and Southern Marsh Orchids.  Five of the group later descended towards Morehall Reservoir. This was largely empty of birds apart from a couple of Grebes and one Cormorant.  A delightful spot however.

Shortly after 6pm we set off for our evening meal at the Sovereign at Shepley; a Vintage Inns establishment. By this time it was pouring down but too late to have spoiled our day.  The food was very good.

Thanks go to Julia who not only planned the whole day but also did all the driving.

John Gavaghan

Our Botanists, Old Glebe

Common BlueBallowfield near Aysgarth has a variety of habitats including riverside, lead spoil heaps, hillside grassland, hazel-coppiced woodland and wetland. There were beautiful patches of pink and yellow. The pinks included Thrift, Common Spotted Orchids and Marsh Valerian: the yellows Common Rock Rose (the hillside was covered with flowers) and the Hawkweeds in the lower grassland. We saw two of the special plants, Spring Sandwort and Thrift but not Alpine Pennycress or Moonwort. However it was good to see butterflies on the wing including Northern Brown Argus, Common Blue, Ringlet, Green-Veined White and Dark Green Fritillary. Among several day-flying moths the Chimney Sweeper was seen.

Forester MothIn the afternoon we made a brief visit to Old Glebe Field. We were somewhat alarmed to see that a line of trees which would have given the lower part of the field shade had been felled creating a more open habitat. We wondered whether this would have implications for the beautiful and rare Burnt Tip Orchid which flowers at the bottom of the field in May. The sward of plants included Yellow Rattle, Common Spotted Orchid, Eyebright, Pignut and a variety of grasses. A small number of birds were seen or heard including Oystercatcher, Willow Warbler and Buzzard. Our day out was nicely rounded off by a visit to Berry's farm shop at Swinithwaite. While the majority of the party enjoyed tea,cake or a beer, Maddy strode off to complete the 1.5 mile walk to Redmire Falls and back, however with some anxiety as it involved walking through a field of cows and then bullocks!

A good team effort and thanks to Sue and Robert for the driving and Joan, Margaret and Martin for arranging the trip. Margaret

Abbey Ruins

A group of 12 set off on a cool, dull day; some 7 years since the group last visited this famous Wensleydale site:  a ruin since the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530’s.

The group divided into 5 Riverside Walkers led by Robert and Sue and 7 Abbey Amblers led by Joan. During their 4-5 mile walk the riverites encountered a Hare, birds of prey, Large Skipper butterfly, Banded Demoiselles (male and female) and a parcel of Oystercatchers.

Meanwhile the ‘amblers’ were engaged in a botanical survey of the abbey ruins, though myself, Janet & Phil delayed our start by indulging ourselves in a splendid early lunch in the excellent Abbey cafe.Large Skipper After our repast we joined Joan, Alice, Eric & Peter in their foray. Some 145 plants were recorded most of them in flower and included: Fairy Flax, Hoary Plantain, Common Spotted Orchid, Viper’s Bugloss, Great Lettuce, Little Periwinkle and Greater Burnet Saxifrage.

At about 13:30 the sun emerged and it soon got quite warm and we were all removing layers of clothing.  Strangely, despite the warmth virtually no butterflies were about apart from one fast flying white & one unidentified Vanessid.  The area has many patches of wildflower meadow, full of clovers and Bird’s foot Trefoil, perfect habitat for insects.  However, none were around probably because the spring butterflies are now finished and the summer broods have not yet emerged? Bees On ThistleOnly one moth was seen and photographed, a micro ‘Celypha lacunana’.   A solitary damselfly was spotted by Joan, a large Red.

Plenty of birds were around however, the best of which were Spotted Flycatchers and Red-legged Partridge.  After admiring some of the splendid trees such as Cedar of Lebanon we headed back to the cafe where we were soon joined by the ramblers which include David who was making only his second outing with BEES.

A splendid day and thanks to the joint leaders and the two drivers Robert and Sue

John Gavaghan

Mountain Pansies

Soldier Beetle

When we headed into Bastow Wood some of the group were fortunate to see a hedgehog ambling across the path. There were beautiful views form the more open terrain here. We retraced our steps back to Grass Wood and then skirted the periphery.In a neighbouring field a noisy curlew alerted us to its presence and then we realised it was calling to its two youngsters that had wandered off.Young Curlew We had gorgeous views of these chicks and then a green woodpecker flew in and landed in the same field.

Only 18 birds were recorded but the birding encounters were quite special. Tree pipit, meadow pipit and nuthatch were amongst the birds recorded. A buzzard was seen flying low overhead. Some inkcaps were seen growing in a hole quite high up in a tree. Despite a short unplanned extension on the walk at the end of the day we had a very enjoyable outing and we were grateful to Donald for organising it.

Sue

View From Augill Pasture

Today was a day for the botanists. A fair amount of time was spent on our knees, lenses at the ready to have a close look at the plants.

We timed today's trip to Asby Inrakes (and Outrakes - but I don't think we entered this field), a small site west of Kirkby Stephen, hoping to see the Small White Orchid. The place wasn't immediately recognisable to John; when he previously visited this rough pasture it had been covered in a range of orchids that weren’t evident today.Birds Eye Primrose Despite our outriders crisscrossing the tussocky ground there was no sign of the Small White Orchid. Once again we commented on plants being late this year.

However there were other flowers to attract our attention. The Birds-eye Primrose were lovely, a few Early Purple Orchids were still vibrant and there was plenty of Water Avens. There were groups of Marsh Valerian, and we were able to identify the difference between the male and female plants, the latter having both a smaller flower head and notably smaller florets. 

Amongst the 38 species recorded in flower other notable recordings were Common Milkwort, Bitter Vetch and Lousewort.

As we were leaving there were a couple of other people hunting for the Small White Orchid. A friendly wave goodbye from them almost caused us to bail out of the van in excitement, but we will have to return another time if we want to see this flower.

We then had a relatively short journey, via the toilets in Brough, to Augill Pasture. This is a small site with a fair amount of history.An Attractive Buttercup To Micropterix Calthella A medieval track, a Roman sentry post, a lead smelting mill from 1820’s and a modern day protest that prevented the A66 being driven through it, resulting in it becoming a Plantlife site. 

It is managed by Cumbria Wildlife Trust and is a rare example of an unimproved upland grassland. It is on a small hill, with woodland on the slopes and open grassland on the brow. There seems to be a greater proportion of herbs than grass, which promise a great display later in the year. The primroses were still in flower, as were the bluebells, but there was also signs of the summer flowers starting with Globe Flower and Heath Spotted-orchid.

Overhead were Oystercatcher, Curlew and Lapwing, with a bird count totalling 21.Six Spot Burnet Moth CaterpillarWe had read that Adder’s Tongue-fern grew here, so it was again eyes down looking for a tiny green leaf. Never had so many young Common Twayblade plants caused so much disappointment as they continually raised our hopes in search for this elusive fern! Next year…

We found the rare white form of Bugle, a few diminutive Frog Orchids and a pleasant clump of Herb Paris. In total 68 species of plant in flower and 8 ferns were recorded. We found a striking yellow and black caterpillar which turns out to be a Six-spot burnet moth.  At Augill Bridge we saw a Roe Deer as we arrived and half the group were entertained by a Red Squirrel with reports of somersaults, waving and general showing off! 

It is a long journey to reach these parts so it was pleasing that many flowers were seen in the verges en route and that we were accompanied by Goldfinches and Pied Wagtails as we drove home along Mallerstang. Chips at Bizzies in Skipton was our final stop, with our final leg timed perfectly to avoid road closures at Crosshills by seconds. 

Julia

Thistle Broomrape

On The Lane To Burton Leonard Lime Quarry Following lunch taken in a variety of places we made our way to Burton Leonard limestone quarry. We experienced squally showers en route and extremely windy conditions interspersed with periods of calm and sunshine towards the end of the day. The limestone grassland was a treasure trove of plants. Twayblade, an early flowering orchid, was present in considerable numbers. The hillside was covered in Burnet Rose with one or two flowers emerging.Common Spotted Orchid The Common Spotted orchids were just starting to flower. Other notable plants included Salad Burnet, Dog's Mercury, Hoary Rock Cress, Quaking Grass but no Rock Rose. 70 flowering plants were recorded on this site. The birds, although present evidenced by bird song, were not easy to identify as they made their short flights between bushes and trees in extremely windy conditions. 17 bird species were recorded including Swift, Dunnock,and Goldfinch. Alas no butterflies!

We returned to the picturesque village of Burton Leonard down a country road lined with Cow Parsley with vistas of the rich agricultural grassland of North Yorkshire.

A satisfying day out enjoyed by a party of 12. Thanks to Sue for driving and Joan and Eric for leading our walks.

Margaret

Limestone

The mini-bus was full for our trip to see the site’s famous Lady Slipper Orchids.  Despite the weather forecasts to the contrary, we enjoyed warm sunshine throughout the day.  We were therefore lucky enough to also see all the special spring butterflies and day-flying moths that this special site is renowned for.

We began by following the way-marked trail that led us to the orchids.Lady's Slipper Orchid This is the only public site of the 20 or so other sites where this orchid was re-introduced by the Kew Gardens Special Projects team.  En route we saw Herb Paris, Speckled Yellow Moths, Brimstone butterflies and the wonderfully iridescent green Rosechafer beetle. Probably due to the recent cold, dry weather many of the plants were not yet in full flower. Fortunately there were more than enough in fresh bloom to excite the group and numerous excellent pictures were obtained. The site warden Rob Petley-Jones was on hand and he informed us that the other notable plant ‘Angular Solomon’s Seal’ was not yet in flower.

Lunch was taken in the vicinity of the orchids. During this time we were treated to sightings of Green Hairstreak, Brimstones (male and female), Dingy Skippers and many of the attractive micro moths Pyrausta purpularis,cingulata and ostrinalis.  Purpularis and cingulata have recently been given common names ‘Purple pyrausta’ and ‘Girdled pyrausta’.  Ostrinalis is scarcer than the other two and has very similar upperwings to purpularis. I was, however, able to photograph the underside of one which looked a likely candidate, and was thus pleased to later confirm that it was in fact ostrinalisPearl Bordered Fritillary .

After this we travelled slowly along a nearby trail to search for the two nationally rare butterflies we had not yet seen.  The vanguard soon found the Duke of Burgundy and several members got decent photos, albeit none from close range. Mind you; distance seems to be no great barrier to these modern cameras!   The other one was a far trickier prospect however. When it did eventually put in an appearance it frustratingly flew quickly around and low to the ground, making it hard to keep track of.Typically, Pearl Bordered Fritillaries rarely fly above knee height and when they do settle it is often very briefly.  Later in the day is probably the best time for photographs as that is when they are more likely to be found nectaring on Bugle. Only Martin was lucky or persistent enough to obtain a photo and a fine one it was too.  Earlier on he had mislaid his spectacles whilst looking at a patch of Scarlet Pimpernel but Robert, our driver for the day, came to the rescue and soon found them.

Duke Of Burgundy

Next we headed on a southerly path which took us close to the main area of limestone pavement. Whilst the botanists were searching the grikes we were lucky to catch sight of another nationally  rare moth the White-spotted Sable (Anania funebris): too elusive, however, to be photographed on this occasion.  We then traversed the large meadow at the southern end of the site where I had hoped to spot the Small Yellow Underwing, a small macro moth I had seen there the year before, but no joy this time; possibly too breezy?On the main path back to the small car park we passed large clumps of Lily of the Valley a few of which were just coming into flower. Joan and Alice recorded over 90 plants, including Common Gromwell, Field Madder, Limestone Bedstraw and Mountain Mellick.   It had been a memorable day out.

We left the site in good time and were back in Shipley before six. Toilet stops were taken at Kirby Lonsdale going and Gargrave on the return leg. 

John Gavaghan

Chellow Dene

We endured heavy showers scattered with bright spells as we did a circuit of the lower and upper reservoirs. Birding was unremarkable apart from sightings of great crested grebes with beautiful young grebes and a coot family with not so beautiful coot chicks. A solitary green veined white butterfly was seen.

The botanists were interested to see that the large bittercress had extended its range. Bitter vetch and greater woodrush were recorded. Ferns of note included black spleenwort and scaly male. Are You Still There? We had planned to have lunch in the bus if wet or outside if dry and then to call at Morrisons for a toilet stop, but we were delighted when Martin invited us to his house to eat our lunch. We were very grateful to Martin and his wife Jan for their hospitality; the hot drinks, biscuits and chocolates were such a treat. We all got rather too comfortable but we did finally get moving again for our second leg of the day; Northcliffe Woods. The woods still had a good display of bluebells and there was quite a number of large leaved avens. Dryads saddle was recorded. The showers persisted as we proceeded through the woods and into the park, heading back close to the allotments. Over the whole day 104 flowers and ferns were recorded. It was a shame about the weather but we kept calm and carried on. Thanks to Joan and Maddy for organising the day.

Sue

Heathland

Green Veined White

Whilst we lunched at the old swimming pool in the centre of the wood a kingfisher flew across the water seen only by Robert – the rest of the party had their backs to the show! Other birds seen at this location were yellowhammer, linnet and a wheatear very well spotted by John who also recorded common heath moth. Another comfort stop at Newmillerdam on the way to our next location provided sightings of various water birds and ice creams for many participants before the short journey to Sandal Castle where we were greeted by very strong winds. Sandal CastleWe only had 50 minutes at this site and although the weather continued to be dry with sunny spells, the wind drove most people back to the minibus before the time had elapsed. Two members did undertake the mile or so walk down to Pugney’s Country Park and were rewarded with the sight of scores of swifts wheeling over the water together with a few house and sand martins – a sight well worth the effort. The total bird count for the day was 35. An early return to Bradford ensured that we missed the traffic and so enjoyed another successful day out.

Stuart

Rain We had a wet start to our walk with light showers and blustery conditions. In the afternoon it brightened up and was sunny on our return to the minibus. Starting from the car park of St Barnabus Church, Weeton we enjoyed a delightful spring walk in the flood plain of the River Wharfe. The objective for the day was to reach the lovely Bluebell wood in an area that had previously been the bailey of the medieval Rougemont Castle called Rougemont Carr. Our first venture was to explore the church yard for plants. Several species of primrose and cowslip were growing as well as one example of the hybrid false oxlip - a great botanical start! Our leader Margaret had some walking difficulties and after an initial briefing decided to drive down the lane - the party of 12 followed.BluebellsThe hedgerows consisting of wild apple and hawthorn and the verges were covered in an attractive array of spring flowers - Violets, Stichwort, Lord and Ladies, Celandines, Red campion and Bluebells. The path led us across fields and an ancient pack horse bridge then uphill into the woodland. We were greeted by a sea of deep blue Bluebells.

Following lunch we explored the woodland further walking to the northern perimeter where the bank and ditch formation of the outer bailey could clearly be seen. Returning along the public footpaths we sauntered by a field of rape and found the path which led us down to the riverside. Some of the flowers we saw here included Barren Strawberry, Few- Flowered Leek and Wood Stichwort.Male Yellowhammer The trees included flowering Wych Elm and Bird Cherry. Retracing our steps we stopped to look at a colony of Fiddleneck growing on the slurry adjacent to the sewage plant. 70 species of plants in flower were recorded as well as 4 ferns. The most spectacular bird sighting was the aerial display of three Red kites over the woodland. They are thought to nest in the wood. The wood and hedgerows were full of bird song. Birds seen and heard included Yellowhammer, Goldfinch, Linnet, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Crow, Jackdaw, Pheasant, as well as Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiff chaff. Unfortunately there were no butterflies on the wing on this rather cold, dull day. Needless to say the walk was rounded off by a "cuppa" at a nearby cafe.

Margaret