The sun was pleasantly warm when Jan Haseler led a circular walk from Ufton Nervet on Saturday 24th March. Alexanders was growing luxuriantly beside the lane through the village. The walk started out westwards along a footpath through fields. First stop was the site of a medieval moated manor house. Frogs, clumps of frog-spawn and chains of toad-spawn were seen in the moat and Chiffchaffs were calling from the trees. Next stop was Ufton Court. A Treecreeper was spotted in the avenue of trees leading up to the house. An enormous old oak pollard nearby is reckoned to be more than 500 years old. One of the fishponds was full of yellow Skunk Cabbage heads. As the ancient sunken trackway leading west from Ufton Court dropped down from gravel onto clay, the ground became damp underfoot. Primroses were flowering in abundance on the banksides and in the adjoining copses. A Lords-and-Ladies plant was in flower and Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage and Wood-sorrel were seen. On the bankside further up were Barren Strawberry and Ground-ivy. At Old Farm, the route dropped back north-eastwards across a field of Rye Grass, then followed a track below a line of copses. The first Blackthorn blossom was appearing on the sunny sides of the hedges and pale yellow Sallow blossom was attracting the bees. A few very early Bluebells were already in flower. Tall seed heads of Small Teasel were showing above a patch of disturbed ground next to the track. The walk continued southwards up a lane, with white Sweet Violets and a very early Greater Stitchwort in flower on the banks. Another footpath crossed a field with Giant Puffballs, before dropping down into Sewards Gully, where flowering Moschatel and the leaves of Pignut were seen. The warm sunshine had brought out early butterflies and Brimstone, Comma, Peacock and Red Admiral were all seen during the walk.
Pictures by Rob Stallard
RDNHS excursion to Ufton Nervet, 23/03/12
Plant species observed:
Adoxa moschatellina Moschatel, Townhouse Clock
Anemone nemorosa Wood Anemone
Arabidopsis thaliana Thale Cress
Arum maculatum (leaves) Cuckoo Pint (Lords and Ladies)
Bellis perennis Daisy
Cardamine hirsuta Hairy Bitter-cress
Chrysosplenium oppositifolium Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage
Conopodium majus (leaves) Pignut
Dipsacus pilosus (Last year’s fruit heads) Small Teasel
Euphorbia amygdaloides Wood Spurge
Galium aparine Cleavers
Glechoma hederacea Ground-ivy
Hedera helix Ivy
Hyacinthoides non-scripta Bluebell
Lamium album White Dead-nettle
Lamium purpureum Red Dead-nettle
Mercurialis perennis Dog’s mercury
Oxalis acetosella Wood-sorrel
Pentaglottis sempervirens Green Alkanet
Potentilla sterilis Barren Strawberry
Primula vulgaris Primrose
Prunus spinosa Blackthorn
Ranunculus ficaria Lesser Celandine
Senecio vulgaris Groundsel
Smyrnium olusatrum Alexanders
Stellaria holostea Greater Stitchwort
Taraxacum officinale Dandelion
Ulex europaeus Gorse
Veronica beccabunga (leaves) Brooklime
Veronica hederifolia Ivy-leaved Speedwell
Veronica montana Wood Speedwell
Veronica persica Common Field-speedwell
Vinca minor Lesser Periwinkle
Viola odorata (with white flowers) Sweet Violet
Fungi:
Calvatia gigantea (last year’s remains) Giant Puffball
Lichens:
Daldinia concentrica
Flavoparmelia caperata Common Greenshield Lichen
Parmelia sulcata
Physcia tenella
Punctelia subrudecta
Xanthoria parietina
Birds:
Carduelis chloris Greenfinch
Certhia familiaris Treecreeper
Fringilla coelebs Chaffinch
Parus major Great Tit
Phasianus colchicus Pheasant
Phylloscopus collybita Chiffchaff
Sitta europaea Nuthatch
Troglodytes troglodytes Wren
Insects, including Butterflies:
Bombylius major Bee Fly
Coccinella septempunctata 7-Spotted Ladybird
Gonepteryx rhamni Brimstone
Inachis io Peacock Butterfly
Polygonia c-album Comma
Vanessa atalanta Red Admiral
Amphibians
Rana temporaria Common Frog
Bufo bufo Common Toad (toad-spawn)
list by Renée Greyer and James Wearn