11th July 2009            Moore Nature Reserve                 Leader:  John Somerville

The weather was dull but dry when we met at the crossroads (1).  We started with 15 members of the LBS and 2 guests from the Manchester Field Club. In the morning we would cover the western third of the reserve.  Entering the reserve at (1) we were immediately puzzled by low creeping leaves at the side of the path.  It was Ground-ivy looking very atypical.  Other plants here included Yellow Rattle, Germander Speedwell, Common Mouse-ear, Lesser Burdock, Lesser Stitchwort and Creeping Thistle, and it was on this Creeping Thistle that the eagle eyes of Peter Gateley spotted a Tortoise Beetle.

Along the path we passed Many-flowered Rose before entering another open area next to a bird hide (2).  Here we found Yarrow, Meadow Vetchling. Smooth Hawksbeard, Self Heal and lots of Common Centaury. A small pond nearby had been previously dug out to try and remove the Australian Swamp Stonecrop but it was back and totally covered the pond area.

Moving along we passed Birdsfoot Trefoil, Marsh Thistle, Spear Thistle and Large-flowered Evening primrose, Marsh Bedstraw and Hedge Parsley before arriving at an area with Common Cudweed (3).  We knew that Small Cudweed grew on the reserve but we could not spot it anywhere nearby.

It was not until we came to some steps at (4) that we found two small plants of Small Cudweed on these steps.  The Dovesfoot Cranesbill in this area showed both the normal pink-purple form and also some very pale forms.

At area (5) we arrived at some ponds containing Water Soldier, Corn Mint and Marsh Pennywort. Of the orchids that normally grew in this area there was no sign at all.

As we moved along the path towards the end of the reserve we came across a single plant of Fragrant Orchid (6).  At the end of the reserve we passed though a gate onto the road (7).  Turning left we walked only a few yards before coming to an opening on our right (8) with a totally different habitat.  Here on the banks was Lady's Bedstraw, Mignonette, Wild Radish, Common Field Speedwell, Scentless Mayweed, Dark Mullein, Tufted Vetch, Bush Vetch, Fodder Vetch, Burnet Saxifrage, Wild Carrot, Black Horehound, Comfrey, and Scarlet Pimpernel.  A few yards further and we were on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal where there was Goatsbeard and some vigorous plants of Weld.

We were now in a large open area (9) that stretched along the Ship Canal back to the crosroads where our cars were parked.  Here we found Red Bartsia, Creeping Cinquefoil, masses of Birdsfoot Trefoil and a small Hemlock plant.  On the road banks nearby the Hemlock was up to ten foot tall. Walking through the Smooth Tare we walked down into an area that was about twelve foot lower that the main field. Here some ponds contained Branched Bur-reed and Spiked Water Milfoil and another LBS member, XXX,  who had come late but had now found us.  Now walking back to our cars (10) we found Bristly Ox-tonge, Dotted Loosestrife and lots of Musk Mallow.

Lunch was taken in the sun on a grassy bank in the reserve before we got back into the cars and drove to the east end of the reserve.   Climbing over a gate led us into a vey dry area full of Haresfoot Clover and the odd plant of Trailing St John's-wort.  We walked down to the edge of the lake which was edged with Purple Loosestrife and watched the Broad-bodied Chasers.  As we walked back to our cars we came across an area containing hundreds of Small Cudweed plants where in the morning we had only found two plants after a lot of searching.

Back over the gate we walked down the track to a bird hide where we finished the day with the sighting of a Kingfisher.

Most of our group sat on the grass for lunch.

Common Cudweed	Small Cudweed	Corn Mint	Juncus tenuis	Weld	Looking for pond life	Oystercatcher

Val & Val