Reading & District Natural History Society

Renée Grayer led a walk at Cookham on Saturday 1^st June, starting from a rather full National Trust car park. A number of different species of damselfly were seen by the stream next to the path, including Blue-tailed and Large Red Damselflies and Beautiful Demoiselle. The footpath passed under a railway bridge, where ferns growing on the brickwork included Wall Rue and Hart’s-tongue. Beyond the railway, the route led into Cock Marsh. Growing in the clear water of the ditch to the right of the path were Water-violet and the leaves of Fringed Water-lily. Next came a steep scramble up through a row of Hornbeams to a higher trackway. On the steep chalk bank to the left of the path were many flowering clumps of Meadow Saxifrage. Other flowers in the chalk grassland included Salad Burnet, Horseshoe Vetch, Common Rockrose, Fairy Flax and Clustered Bellflower. Two metallic green beetles were feeding on a buttercup flower.

There are a series of ponds in the marsh at the foot of the chalk bank, each with a slightly different selection of plants. In the first pond, Water-violet, Thread-leaved Water-Crowfoot, Water Forget-me-not, Marsh Speedwell and Brooklime were noted. Another pond had sheets of Water-violet, partly in the shade of the willows, partly out in the sunshine. Another had the tall leaves of Water Dock. The furthest pond had leaves of what were thought to be Tubular Water-dropwort and Fine-leaved Water-dropwort. The walk then continued across a field with singing Skylarks to the Thames Path. The Mayflies had just hatched and a big flock of Swifts was swooping over the river and adjacent fields to feed on them. They were joined by a single House Martin. A Common Tern was feeding over the river. A few butterflies were seen during the walk, including several Brimstones and Orange-tips and two Small Coppers. The only moth of the afternoon was a Small China-mark.

Pictures by Rob Stallard and Jan Haseler

Fred Taylor led a walk on the morning of Saturday 11^th May at Bowdown Woods near Newbury, a reserve of the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT). The walk started in the recently-cleared area at the top of the reserve, near the bomb-site car park. Under one of the tin sheets were 3 Slow-worms, the 2 older specimens pale, while the younger one was brown. The group then walked back into the main part of the reserve, heading for Bowdown Woods, the western section. The Bluebells were close to their best, covering parts of the reserve in sheets of blue. The first part of the walk was on the acid soil at the top of the reserve, where Wood Sage, Bilberry and Heather were amongst the plant sightings. The oak trees were covered with dangling flowers and new yellowish-green leaves. Fred showed the group an area of rough ground with piles of brash beside the track which is apparently a good place to look for basking reptiles, including Adders. Closer inspection revealed tangles of plastic and other debris, giving clues to its former use as part of the sewage plant of the Greenham Common airbase.

The walk continued downwards through the reserve. Close to the western car park was an area of woodland with a particularly rich selection of plants, including Solomon’s-seal, Pignut, Three-nerved Sandwort, Yellow Archangel, Greater Stitchwort, Wood Sorrel, Wood Anemone, Wood Speedwell, Common Dog-violet, Bugle and Red Campion. The path continued down to a fenced off area, protecting a recently-coppiced section from browsing deer. The flowers of Moschatel, Yellow Pimpernel and both Wavy and Hairy Bitter-cress were identified in the area next to the fence. Continuing downwards to the bottom of the wood, the ground became wetter under foot. On the left of the path was a clump of 3 Early-purple Orchids and further on another single specimen was seen. The tiny plants of Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage were abundant next to a particularly damp section of the path. The route then turned back upwards towards the top of the reserve. A wave of perfumed scent came from the sheets of Bluebells on the bank to the right of the path. Half way up the valley was a series of ponds. Dragonfly nymphs were spotted in the water, but despite careful searching, no tadpoles were seen. In the marshy area next to the ponds were yellow Marsh-marigolds and Lesser Spearwort. Continuing upwards, the path climbed back onto the acid soils of the top of the reserve. The leaves of Spotted-orchids, with prominent transverse purple spots, were growing conspicuously beside the path. The group then retraced their steps back to the car park. Birds seen or heard during the walk included Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Jay, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests.

Pictures by Rob Stallard, Laurie Haseler and Jan Haseler

Janet and Jerry Welsh led a walk through Bottom Wood on the Hardwick Estate on the cool and cloudy afternoon of Sunday 28^th April. The walk started from the roadside next to the former King Charles Head pub and followed a footpath southwards across the fields. Blinks was in flower in the first field – a tiny, white flower – “blink and you’ll miss it”. As the track dropped down through Holly Copse, Dog’s Mercury plants marked the transition onto the chalk. Early Dog-violets, with a dark spur, and Hairy Wood-rush Luzula pilosa were growing on the bank at the side of the track. The route then turned eastwards, following the track along the bottom of the valley. Primroses, Wood Spurge and Wood Anemones were in flower, and there were clumps of Butcher’s-broom and Spurge-laurel. A Muntjac Deer was spotted on the other side of the valley. At the far end of the wood was a single Wild Service-tree. There were also flowers of Common Dog-violet, with a pale, notched spur. There followed a steep climb to the southern edge of the wood, and then out onto the chalk grassland beyond, for a good view of the valley of the Thames, looking towards Purley, Tilehurst and Reading. At the top of the wood were sheets of Ramsoms.

The walk continued back westwards across Bottom Wood. Two Roe Deer were seen. At the far side of the wood, there were sheets of bright green Wood Melick. A few of the plants were already showing their dark flower buds. Southern Wood-rush, with an asymmetric flower head, was growing on a bank nearby. Leaving the wood, the route continued along the lane through Path Hill, then followed another footpath across a steep valley. On the far side was a bank with interesting chalk flora, including Hairy Violets, Salad Burnet, Hound’s-tongue, Cowslips and Glaucous Sedge. Finally, in the last field before returning to the cars, the delicate leaves of Pignut were seen and a Greater Stitchwort plant was just coming into flower.

Pictures by Chris Ash and Jan Haseler

Continue reading Mapledurham – 28 April 2013

Lesley Dunlop led a geology walk at Snelsmore Common, north of Newbury, on Saturday 23^rd February. The temperature was just below freezing and snow was falling gently as 14 members set out from the car park. The walk started on gravel, laid down about 450,000 years ago by outwash from ice sheets to the north. Gravel deposits of the same age are found over a wide area, including on the tops of Greenham and Bucklebury Commons. The vegetation on the gravel was predominantly heather and birch. Heading southwards along the eastern side of the common, the ground became wet underfoot as the track dropped down slightly onto London Clay. The mire to the west of the path was cushioned with pillows of sphagnum moss, including the red Sphagnum capillifolium and the yellowish-green S. palustre. The London Clay was deposited about 50 million years ago.  The gradient increased sharply and the mire turned into a stream in a deep gulley as the track crossed onto the Lambeth Formation (formerly known as the Reading Beds) of sands and clays, laid down about 60 million years ago. The sandy beds were marked by birch, honeysuckle and bracken, and there were Hard Ferns growing in the shaded stream bank.

The route then continued back up onto the gravels at the top of the central ridge of the common. Most of the stones of the gravel were angular flint, but there were also some rounded pebbles, which must have been on a beach at some point in their history. Gorse was in flower and three Exmoor ponies were grazing amongst the heather. Another track led steeply down to the western boundary ditch and fence. The fields below marked the transition onto the chalk, laid down about 85 million years ago. The bright green of the grass was in marked contrast to the dull browns of the vegetation on the common. Continuing northwards along the boundary, on the lowest sandy layer of the Reading Beds, a series of circular depressions on the right of the path marked a line of swallow holes, where acid water from the common had dissolved the underlying chalk. Some of the trees on the sides of the swallow holes sloped inwards, indicating that the holes had continued to develop after the trees had started to grow. Some of the bigger trees had a series of curves in their trunks, indicating that they had bent back to the vertical, and then been tilted again by continued growth of the hole. On the walk back to the car park, a Sparrowhawk was spotted, flying low above the ground along the edge of the trees.

Autumn colours were much in evidence for the walk at Wokefield Common and Starvale Woods, between Burghfield Common and Mortimer, on Sunday 11^th November. The beeches, larches and sweet chestnuts were a glorious mixture of yellows, oranges and gold but the leaves on the oaks, hazels and alders were still predominantly green. The field trip was a joint enterprise between Jan Haseler, who navigated, and Gordon Crutchfield, who identified the fungi. The walk started from the pine plantation next to the pond at Wokefield Common. Around the car park were rings of Clouded Agaric and many Common Earth-balls. At the base of a pine tree were several specimens of Cow Boletus Suillus bovinus which were orangeish pink and sticky on top, with a complicated sub-cell structure on the pores on the underside. Some fungi are best identified by taste. Gordon invited volunteers to test (and then spit out) small bits of The Sickener Russula emetica, which was initially bland, but then gave a fiery chilli sensation on the tongue. A second species, Russula sardonia, was so unpleasant that all Gordon’s subsequent tasting suggestions were politely declined. Fortunately, a tube of strong peppermints was produced to remove the after-taste. Small pale-yellow gelatinous spoon-shaped fungi growing out of a dead pine twig were identified as Pale Stagshorn Calocera pallidospathulata. This was first discovered in Yorkshire in the 1980s and has subsequently been widely recorded across the country. Other species in the pine plantation included Common Yellow Russula Russula ochroleuca, Bay Boletus Boletus badius, False Death Cap Amanita citrina and the slimy olive-brown wax cap Herald of Winter Hygrophorus hypothejus.

The route then led southwards across a steep valley into Starvale Woods. Back in the summer, White Admiral, Silver-washed Fritillary, Comma and Peacock butterflies had all been seen on sunny bramble blossom a little further down the valley. At the side of the wide grassy ride were Wood Spurge and Wood Sage, and Herb Robert and Creeping Buttercup were still in flower. The next track led through a Sweet Chestnut plantation to a row of magnificent old beech trees. On a fallen beech trunk were the flattened lumps of Black Bulgar Bulgaria inquinans and the lines of small pale purple jelly-like lumps of Ascocoryne sarcoides. One of the standing trees had a curving column of shiny white Porcelain Fungus and grey Oyster Mushrooms. Growing out of the bank below the beeches was a single specimen of Boletus luridus. The pores underneath were bright red with a yellow rim. Gordon split open the cream-coloured stem and it immediately began to stain a dark blue-green. Several specimens of the slimy greyish brown Beech Milkcap Lactarius blennius were found amongst the fallen leaves.

The next stage of the walk was the open heathland across the road. The invasive American rush Juncus tenuis was growing on the tracks. Both Gorse and Dwarf Gorse were seen – the latter had noticeably smaller prickles. Most of the heath was covered by a blanket of heather, but the Pixie Cup Lichen Cladonia pyxidata was spotted in some of the gaps. Re-crossing the road, the route then led through another pine plantation. Finds here included the False Chanterelle, Collybia maculata and Cortinarius semisanguineus. The next footpath went through hazel coppice and for the first time there were signs of a rich herb layer, with leaves of violets, Wood-sorrel, Sanicle, Bugle and Wood Spurge. The path dropped down through the wood, then ran alongside a small stream. Ferns were growing on its steep shady banks, including Broad Buckler Fern, Male Fern and Hart’s-tongue. At the edge of the wood was a small flowery meadow, with Betony, Devil’s-bit Scabious and Marsh Thistle. The light was beginning to fade during the return walk to the car park.

Pictures by Rob Stallard, Chris Ash and Laurie Haseler

Continue reading Wokefield Common and Starvale Woods – 11 November 2012