Martin
Mere.
Leader David Earl.
Fifteen members assembled at the car park to Martin Mere Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust on a blowy morning with broken cloud on the first field meeting of the season. It was nice to see both familiar faces and new ones too.
On
leaving the car park to walk around the reserve the first plant of note
to be seen was Bogbean, Menyanthes trifoliata in
flower. Nearby was Grey Alder, Alnus incana and
Wall Veronica, Veronica arvensis.
In the woodland at the edge of the road we saw Jack Go To Bed at Noon, Tragopogon pratensis and, twining it’s way up the trees Hop, Humulus lupulus. Next was Red Currant Ribes rubrumj with several groupings of Fringecups, Tellima grandiflora.
Leaving the woodland and walking the edge of a cultivated field we saw many of the plants associated with that type of habitat. These included: Black Bindweed, Fallopia convolvulus. Hebnbit Dead-Nettle, Lamium amplexicaule. Hedge Mustard, Sisymbrium officinalis, along with Amphibious Bistort, Persicaria amphibia, with water nowhere to be seen. It’s always puzzling how this plant has a land form.Great Willowherb, Epilobium hirsutum was making growth among the lusher vegetation slightly away from the edge.
The “yellow Job” by the gate turned out to be, after some consultation, Beaked Hawksbeard, Crepis vesicaria followed by Hairy Tare, Vicia hirsute and Hairt Sedge, Carex hirta, probably a conspirscy because I have lost the beard myself!
When
we walked the mossland the vegetation changed.
Wintercress, Barbarea vulgaris, Lesser Spearwort,
Ranunculus flammula
and a variety of Apple Mint, Mentha villosa sativa making an appearance.
Red Hot Poker, Kniphofia uvaria, Meadow vetchling, Lathyrus prarensis and
The newly dug ponds, what for I don’t know, showed a lot of potential and could in the near future be sites worth a visit to record their colonisation.
All in all a very pleasant start to the season. Many thanks to David Earl for leading this trip.
Peter Tipping
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| Menyanthes trifoliate Bog-bean | ||
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| Alopecurus pratensis Meadow foxtail |
Lasiommata megera Wall brown |
St Mark’s fly and goldfinch |
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| Carex disticha Brown sedge | ||
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| Viola arvensis Field pansy | ||
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| Communal larvae on Spindle | Glyceria sp., Flote grass | Lycaena phlaeas Small copper |
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View
north back into reserve |
Pieris rapae Small white | Libellulla depressa Broad-bodied
chaser |
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| Martin Mere extension | Viburnum lantana, part of mixed
hedge planting |
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| Greylag goose family | Sheldduck | Landscape to east of Martin Mere |
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