Martin Sell led a walk at Little Wittenham on Saturday 25th August, starting at the Earth Trust’s Neptune Wood, which was planted in 2005 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. The footpath started out across three meadows which had been sown with a wildflower mix. The first had not been cut and was still quite flowery, with numerous Meadow Brown butterflies and a few Common Blues. A hay crop had already been taken off the other 2 fields. Several Common Broomrape flowers were spotted close to the path. The hedgerows in Little Wittenham proved to be particularly productive for the nibblers amongst the group, with yellow Mirabelle plums, purple damsons and small orange plums. These were followed later in the walk by blackberries and Wild Strawberries.
The route crossed the Thames, then turned upstream for a short distance before re-crossing at Day’s Lock. From the bridge at Little Wittenham, the tall spikes of Bulrush Schoenoplectus lacustrus were seen amongst the riverside vegetation. Confusingly, this is a member of the Sedge family and is completely unrelated to Bulrush or Common Reedmace Typha latifolia. Towering cumulo-nimbus clouds had been threatening rain from the start and now the rain started to fall in earnest, accompanied by thunder and lightning which approached ever closer. Bankside flowers included Orange Balsam, Brooklime, Purple-loosestrife, Marsh Ragwort and Marsh Woundwort. A Hobby was glimpsed several times. At last the storm moved away and Swallows and House Martins were watched flying low over the riverside meadows.
Several Reed Buntings were seen at Clifton Meadow. From here, the route turned south along a track with wide flowery margins, where Small White butterflies were flying in the sunshine. On the other side of the hedge was an extensive field of opium poppies. The track turned into a lane and Common Cudweed was an unexpected find at the roadside. From Long Wittenham back to the car park, the footpath ran parallel to the lane. Next to it were several tall branched spikes of Twiggy Mullein and blue- flowered Chicory, plus a pink-flowered mass of Great Willowherb in the adjacent ditch.
