On a grey morning, Sheelagh Hill led a group of 21 walkers around the fields surrounding the ancient village of Ewelme in Oxfordshire. They started from the Recreation Ground car park and headed into the village to admire the school, alms-houses (Brown Argus on the lavender) and the church before taking the Chiltern Way eastwards into the countryside. The footpath followed a field edge, the fringe of which offered a number of arable weeds including Fumitory, Wall Lettuce, Alsick Clover, Red Bartsia and Bristly Oxtongue.
The route descended to a country lane (leading to Cookley Green), off which a small group headed along Swan’s Way and Potters Lane back to Ewelme.
The rest of the group set off up the path which climbed very steeply through the woods to the top of Sliding Hill. Dewberries, with a dull blue sheen, were seen beside the path. Plants growing on the short turf on the open chalk hillside included Squinancywort, Common Rock-rose, Dwarf Thistle, Viper’s-bugloss and abundant Wild Candytuft. Butterflies included about 6 Silver-spotted Skippers, a Brown Argus and a few Common Blues. While walking back towards Ewelme along a footpath through cornfields, a Magpie moth was a good sighting.
After a pub lunch, the group reconvened at the Watercress Beds for a film of the history of the beds (started in 1890) followed by a guided tour, in the rain, by two conservation volunteers. Although already gone over, this year there were Bee, Common Spotted, Southern Marsh and a Pyramidal Orchid. Ox-eye Daisies and knapweed have been attracting Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies, but because of the weather we did not see these although earlier in the walk we had seen Small Tortoise Shell, Painted Lady and Common Blue.
| Ewelme | |
| Agrimonia eupatoria | Agrimony |
| Ballota nigra | Black Horehound |
| Bryonia dioica | White Bryony |
| Centaurea scabiosa | Greater Knapweed |
| Clinopodium vulgare | Wild Basil |
| Cymbalaria muralis | Ivy-leaved Toadflax |
| Dipsacus fullonum | Wild Teasel |
| Euonymus europaeus | Spindle |
| Euphorbia helioscopia | Sun Spurge |
| Euphorbia lathyris | Caper Spurge |
| Fallopia convolvulus | Black-bindweed |
| Hypericum sp (probably H. perforatum) | St. John’s-Wort |
| Knautia arvensis | Field Scabious |
| Lamium album | White Dead-nettle |
| Lactua muralis | Wall Lettuce |
| Linaria vulgaris | Common Toadflax |
| Odontites vernus | Red Bartsia |
| Origanum vulgare | Wild Marjoram |
| Papaver rhoeas | Common Poppy |
| Pastinaca sativa | Wild Parsnip |
| Reseda luteola | Weld |
| Rubus caesius | Dewberry |
| Silene latifolia | White Campion |
| Sonchus arvensis | Perennial Sow-thistle |
| Symphytum officinale | Common Comfrey |
| Tamus communis | Black Bryony |
| Tanacetum vulgare | Tansy |
| Trifolium campestre | Hop Trefoil |
| Trifolium hybridum | Alsike Clover |
| Tripleurospermum inodorum | Scentless Mayweed |
| Verbascum nigrum | Dark Mullein |
| Viburnum lantana | Wayfaring-tree |
| Viburnum opulis | Guelder Rose |
| Swyncombe Downs/Sliding Hill | |
| Asperula cynanchica | Squinancywort |
| Campanula rotundifolia | Harebell |
| Carduus nutans | Musk (Nodding) Thistle |
| Cirsium acaule | Dwarf Thistle |
| Clinopodium vulgare | Wild Basil |
| Echium vulgare | Viper’s-bugloss |
| Euphrasia sp | Eyebright |
| Fumaria officionalis | Common Fumitory |
| Helianthemum nummularium | Common Rock-rose |
| Iberis amara | Wild Candytuft |
| Linum catharticum | Fairy Flax |
| Lotus corniculatus | Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil |
| Picris echioides | Bristly Oxtongue |
| Polygala vulgaris | Common Milkwort |
| Reseda lutea | Wild Mignonette |
| Scabiosa columbaria | Small Scabious |
| Thymus polytrichus | Wild Thyme |