On Saturday 12th April, Renée Grayer led a walk at Maiden Erlegh local nature reserve, starting from Instow Road. While she was outlining the history of the area, a Sparrowhawk flew overhead. A number of native wildflowers have been planted around the reserve, but it was thought that the Keeled-fruited Cornsalad, with tiny blue flowers, had arrived naturally in the flower bed at the entrance to the Interpretation Centre. The walk started out through Old Pond Copse, the strip of woodland in the valley of the stream which flows out below Maiden Erlegh Lake. The rich ground flora indicates that this is ancient woodland and flowers included Bluebells, Primroses, Early and Common Dog-violets, Wood Speedwell, Three-nerved Sandwort, Wood Spurge, Wood Anemones and Wood-sorrel. The small yellow flowers of Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage were found in the wetter parts of the wood. Down by the stream were tall plants of Pendulous Sedge and bright green clumps of Hemlock Water-dropwort. A young Common Frog was found up on the slopes of the wood. It was noted that the central spadix had been completely eaten away on a significant proportion of the Lords-and-Ladies plants. There were yellowish flowers on the Field Maple trees. Chiffchaffs called and the rich song of a single Blackcap was heard. The group returned to the lake, then walked through Oak Wood, where the leaves were just coming out on a clump of Wild Service-trees. On one of the islands on the lake was the impressive carved sculpture entitled ‘The Duck and the World’.
Picures by Chris Ash, Rob Stallard and Laurie Haseler
RDNHS excursion to Maiden Erlegh Nature Reserve led by Renée Grayer
(SU7570 & SU7571) (18 people attending)
Plant species:
| Keeled-fruited Cornsalad | Valerianella carinata |
| Cow Parsley | Anthriscus sylvestris |
| Red Dead-nettle | Lamium purpureum |
| White Dead-nettle | Lamium album |
| Daisy | Bellis perennis |
| Red Campion | Silene dioica |
| Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale |
| Wood Anemone | Anemone nemorosa |
| Bluebell | Hyacinthoides non-scripta |
| Ivy | Hedera helix |
| Wild Cherry | Prunus avium |
| Grey Willow | Salix cinerea |
| Honesty | Lunaria annua |
| Wood Speedwell | Veronica montana |
| Bramble | Rubus fruticosus |
| Cleavers | Galium aparine |
| Hawthorn | Crataegus monogyna |
| Dog’s Mercury | Mercurialis perennis |
| Hogweed | Heracleum sphondylium (leaves) |
| Lords-and-Ladies | Arum maculatum |
| Yew | Taxus baccata |
| Holly | Ilex aquifolium |
| Hazel | Corylus avellana |
| Elder | Sambucus nigra |
| Wild Privet | Ligustrum vulgare |
| Ramsons | Allium ursinum |
| Wood Avens | Geum urbanum |
| Primrose | Primula vulgaris |
| Common Figwort | Scrophularia nodosa (leaves) |
| Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage | Chrysospenium oppositifolium |
| Creeping-Jenny | Lysimachia nummularia (leaves) |
| Wood-sorrel | Oxalis acetosella |
| Wood Spurge | Euphorbia amygdaloides |
| Red Currant | Ribes rubrum |
| Three-nerved Sandwort | Moehringia trinervia |
| Pedunculate Oak | Quercus robur |
| Field Maple | Acer campestre |
| Green Alkanet | Pentaglottis sempervirens |
| Fringe-cups | Tellima grandiflora |
| Pendulous Sedge | Carex pendula |
| Yellow Iris | Iris pseudacorus (leaves) |
| Honeysuckle | Lonicera periclymenum (leaves) |
| Herb-Robert | Geranium robertianum |
| Hemlock Water-dropwort | Oenanthe crocata (leaves) |
| Marsh-marigold | Caltha palustris |
| Early Dog-violet | Viola reichenbachiana |
| Common Dog-violet | Viola riviniana |
| Sycamore | Acer pseudoplatanoides |
| Hornbeam | Carpinus betulus |
| Ash | Fraxinus excelsior |
| Garlic Mustard | Alliaria petiolata |
| Ivy-leaved Speedwell | Veronica hederifolia |
| Blackthorn | Prunus spinosa |
| Rowan | Sorbus aucuparia |
| Meadowsweet | Filipendula ulmaria (leaves) |
| Enchanter’s-nightshade | Circaea lutetiana (leaves) |
Birds
| Chiffchaff | Phylloscopus collybita |
| Blackcap | Sylvia atricapilla |
| Green Woodpecker | Picus viridus |
| Great Tit | Parus major |
| Wren | Troglodytes troglodytes |
| Blackbird | Turdus merula |
| Robin | Erithacus rubecula |
| Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos |
| Canada Goose | Branta canadensis |
| Egyptian Goose | Alopochen aegyptiacus |
| Coot | Fulica atra |
Amphibians
| Common Frog | Rana temporaria |
Butterflies and other Insects (seen on 11-4-14)
| Orange Tip | Anthocharis cardamines |
| Brimstone | Gonepteryx rhamni |
| Peacock | Inachis io |
| Speckled Wood | Pararge aegeria |
| Bee-fly | Bombylius major |
List by Renée Grayer