David Morris led a joint field trip with the Oxfordshire Flora Group at Otmoor on Monday 29 May. The walk started from the RSPB car park, where Turtle Dove and Grasshopper Warbler were heard. First destination was the wonderful SSSI meadow next to the Ministry of Defence firing range. On the way, a ditch was passed with Greater Burnet-saxifrage and Celery-leaved Buttercup and David found Spreading Hedge-parsley near the rifle butts. The meadow itself was superb, with a purple haze of Meadow Thistle, together with the pink of Ragged Robin and the yellow of Meadow Buttercup. Close to the gateway were flowering Dyer’s Greenweed, Heath Spotted-orchid, Common Meadow-rue and Pepper Saxifrage, plus leaves of Saw-wort, Devil’s-bit Scabious, Betony, Great Burnet and Sneezewort. A darkish-blue violet was identified as Heath Dog-violet. A significant proportion of the abundant Meadow Thistles were affected by a white fungus. Amongst the sightings in the damper ditches were Tubular Water-dropwort, Marsh Stitchwort, Marsh Pennywort, Marsh Ragwort, Tufted Forget-me-not and the nationally-scarce Downy-fruited Sedge. Paler blue violets were identified as hybrids between Heath Dog-violet and Fen Violet. A Turtle Dove called from the top of an isolated Oak and a Cuckoo was heard. Then good numbers of the white-flowered Fen Violet were found. This meadow on Otmoor holds most of its UK population. It has not been recorded for several years from its two other British sites, Woodwalton Fen and Wicken Fen. Several Four-spotted Chaser dragonflies were spotted down in the grass.
The afternoon was spent at The Pill, an area of grassland with shallow pools, on MOD land in the danger zone beyond the rifle range. The pools are protected from the agriculturally-polluted waters of the River Ray by an extensive buffer zone of grassland and they contain a number of rare wetland plants. Sightings here included Water-violet, Frogbit, Lesser Marshwort, Greater Bladderwort and Lesser Water-plantain. A Marsh Harrier flew across from the adjacent RSPB reserve and a large hairy Garden Tiger caterpillar was climbing through the vegetation above the water in one of the ponds.
Pictures by Laurie Haseler
| RDNHS trip to Otmoor 29.5.17 led by David Morris; list of plant species | |||
| Six RDNHS members and eight members of Oxfordshire Flora Group attending | |||
| Scientific name | English name | Grid reference | Comments |
| Carex riparia | Greater Pond-sedge | SP5713 | |
| Carex hirta | Hairy Sedge | SP5713 | |
| Hesperis matronalis | Dame’s Violet | SP5713 | |
| Geranium pyrenaicum | Hedgerow Crane’s-bill | SP5713 | |
| Silene latifolia | White Campion | SP5713 | |
| Pentaglottis sempervirens | Green Alkanet | SP5713 | |
| Rhinanthus minor | Yellow-rattle | SP5713 | |
| Primula veris | Cowslip | SP5713 | In fruit |
| Veronica chamaedrys | Germander Speedwell | SP5713 | |
| Ranunculus acris | Meadow Buttercup | SP5713 | |
| Silene flos-cuculi | Ragged-Robin | SP5713 | |
| Filipendula ulmaria | Meadowsweet | SP5713 | In bud |
| Valerianella locusta | Common Cornsalad | SP5713 | |
| Pimpinella major | Greater Burnet-saxifrage | SP5743613108 | Leaves |
| Angelica sylvestris | Wild Angelica | SP5713 | Leaves |
| Ranunculus sceleratus | Celery-leaved Buttercup | SP5713 | |
| Lathyrus pratensis | Meadow Vetchling | SP5713 | |
| Carex remota | Remote Sedge | SP5713 | |
| Potentilla reptans | Creeping Cinquefoil | SP5713 | |
| Lysimachia nummularia | Creeping-Jenny | SP5713 | Leaves |
| Erodium cicutarium | Common Stork’s-bill | SP5713 | |
| Bromus hordeaceus | Soft-brome | SP5713 | |
| Arenaria serpyllifolia | Thyme-leaved Sandwort | SP5713 | |
| Anthriscus sylvestris | Cow Parsley | SP5713 | |
| Anisantha sterilis | Barren Brome | SP5713 | |
| Sisymbrium officinale | Hedge Mustard | SP5713 | |
| Geranium molle | Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill | SP5713 | |
| Silene vulgaris | Bladder Campion | SP5713 | |
| Persicaria maculosa | Redshank | SP5713 | |
| Torilis arvensis | Spreading Hedge-parsley | SP574130 | |
| Carex acutiformis | Lesser Pond-sedge | SP5713 | |
| Field with rare plants that require very nutrient-poor soil: | |||
| Genista tinctoria | Dyer’s Greenweed | SP5740013059 | |
| Aphanes arvensis | Parsley-piert | SP5713 | Leaves |
| Cirsium dissectum | Meadow Thistle | SP574130 | |
| Thalictrum flavum | Common Meadow-rue | SP5713 | |
| Serratula tinctoria | Saw-wort | SP57381304 | In bud |
| Festuca filiformis | Fine-leaved Sheep’s-fescue | SP57381304 | |
| Carex pulicaris | Flea Sedge | SP57381304 | Only site in Oxon |
| Potentilla erecta | Tormentil | SP5713 | |
| Sanguisorba officinalis | Great Burnet | SP57381304 | |
| Achillea ptarmica | Sneezewort | SP57381304 | |
| Succisa pratensis | Devil’s-bit Scabious | SP5713 | Leaves |
| Betonica officinalis | Betony | SP5713 | Leaves |
| Viola canina ssp. canina | Heath Dog-violet | SP5733312900 | |
| Carex hostiana | Tawny Sedge | SP5712 | |
| Carex panicea | Carnation Sedge | SP5712 | |
| Oenanthe fistulosa | Tubular Water-dropwort | SP5712 | Leaves |
| Cardamine pratensis | Cuckooflower | SP5712 | |
| Senecio aquaticus | Marsh Ragwort | SP5712 | |
| Ranunculus flammula | Lesser Spearwort | SP5712 | |
| Stellaria palustris | Marsh Stitchwort | SP5735912989 | |
| Vicia cracca | Tufted Vetch | SP5712 | Leaves |
| Dactylorhiza fuchsii | Common Spotted-orchid | SP5712 | |
| Dactylorhiza maculata | Heath-Spotted-orchid | SP573129 | |
| Silaum silaus | Pepper-saxifrage | SP5712 | Leaves |
| Viola persicifolia | Fen Violet | SP5733012902 | |
| Hybrid of V. canina x V. persicifolia | SP5734112916 | ||
| Galium palustre | Common Marsh-bedstraw | SP5712 | |
| Carex flacca | Glaucous Sedge | SP5712 | |
| Carex caryophyllea | Spring-sedge | SP5712 | |
| Mentha arvensis | Corn Mint | SP5712 | Leaves |
| Anthoxanthum odoratum | Sweet Vernal-grass | SP5712 | |
| Carex filiformis | Downy-fruited Sedge | SP5733212802 | |
| Lotus pedunculatus | Greater Bird’s-foot-trefoil | SP5712 | Leaves |
| Moehringia trinervia | Three-nerved Sandwort | SP5712 | |
| Iris pseudacorus | Yellow Iris | SP5712 | |
| Carex otrubae | False Fox-sedge | SP5712 | |
| Myosotis discolor | Changing Forget-me-not | SP5712 | |
| Myosotis laxa | Tufted Forget-me-not | SP5729912809 | |
| Silene flos-cuculi | Ragged-Robin | SP5712 | |
| Hydrocotyle vulgaris | Marsh Pennywort | SP5712 | Leaves |
| Rumex acetosa | Common Sorrel | SP5712 | |
| Carex ovalis | Oval Sedge | SP5712 | |
| Carex disticha | Brown Sedge | SP5712 | |
| Boggy Field: | |||
| Carex nigra | Common Sedge | SP5713 | |
| Potentilla anserina | Silverweed | SP5713 | |
| Ranunculus repens | Creeping Buttercup | SP5713 | |
| Ranunculus peltatus | Pond Water-crowfoot | SP57291396 | |
| Veronica scutellata | Marsh Speedwell | SP57291396 | |
| Hottonia palustris | Water-violet | SP57291396 | |
| Apium inundatum | Lesser Marshwort | SP57291396 | |
| Eleocharis palustris | Common Spike-rush | SP5713 | |
| Baldellia ranunculoides | Lesser Water-plantain | SP57261404 | |
| Hydrocharis morsus-ranae | Frogbit | SP57261404 | Leaves |
| Mentha aquatica | Watermint | SP5714 | |
| Utricularia vulgaris | Greater Bladderwort | SP5729514018 | |
| Persicaria maculosa | Redshank | SP5714 | Leaves |
| Scutellaria galericulata | Skullcap | SP5714 | Leaves |
| Alisma plantago-aquatica | Water-plantain | SP5714 | Leaves |
| Butterflies and Moths: | |||
| Anania fuscalis | SP5712 | ||
| Epirrhoe alternata | Common Carpet | SP5712 | |
| Euclidia glyphica | Burnet Companion | SP5712 | |
| Phlogophora meticulosa | Angle Shades | SP5712 | |
| Tyria jacobaeae | Cinnabar | SP5712 | |
| Arctia caja | Garden Tiger | SP5714 | larva |
| Polyommatus icarus | Common Blue | SP5712 | |
| Dragonflies: | |||
| Coenagrion puella | Azure Damselfly | SP5713 | |
| Libellula quadrimaculata | Four-spotted Chaser | SP5713 | |
| Birds: | |||
| Streptopelia turtur | Turtle Dove | SP5712 | |
| Locustella naevia | Grasshopper Warbler | SP5713 | heard |
| Cuculus canorus | Cuckoo | SP5712 | heard |
| Alauda arvensis | Skylark | SP5713 | |
| Anthus pratensis | Meadow Pipit | SP5713 | |
| Circus aeruginosus | Marsh Harrier | SP5713 | |
List by Renée Grayer, Sarah White and Jan Haseler