Chris Ash led a walk round the southern part of Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve on Wednesday 16^th May, starting from the Cowleaze Wood car park. The dew pond at the top of the reserve was uncharacteristically full and even had a resident Mallard. A Dingy Skipper butterfly was nectaring on Dandelion flowers in the first field. The hillside to the south was the site of an unsuccessful experiment in using goats for scrub control – they failed to tackle the scrub, but needed supplementary feeding in winter. Cowslips were abundant in the steep south-facing field, the leaves of Common Spotted-orchids were showing well and there were several rings of St George’s Mushrooms. At Bald Hill, the next west-facing field, was a wonderful display of Early-purple Orchids. The open grassland situation came as a surprise to those who had only seen these flowers in woodland before. Tiny-flowered Early Forget-me-not and Common Whitlowgrass were in flower on some of the ant hills. Juniper bushes which had been planted about 15 years ago and were doing well inside a rabbit-proof fence were inspected. Leaving the field at the bottom, there was a Hornbeam with an impressive display of witch’s broom. The return route came back up through Linky Down, first through a sheep-grazed field and then through steeper chalk grassland where a number of Grizzled Skipper butterflies were seen. Finally, back along a sheltered track at the top of the reserve, Blackcaps and a Garden Warbler were singing, an Orange-tip and a few more Grizzled Skippers were found and black St Mark’s flies were abundant. Most of the group then went to the Carriers Arms at Watlington for lunch.