Sally Rankin led a walk around Stoke Row on Sunday 5th August, starting at the sports ground. A Kestrel hovered above the long grass at the northern boundary of the field, before perching on the cricket screen. The route led down through a conifer plantation to Newnhamhill Bottom, where a flower-rich field on the side of the valley is open access land. Sightings here included Harebell, Agrimony and Common Knapweed, with Essex Skipper, Common Blue, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper butterflies and 6-Spot Burnet moths. Continuing up the valley, Wood Barley and Nettle-leaved Bellflower were found at the side of the lane.
Sally then led the group up through woods and fields to the pond, where Gypsywort, Lesser Spearwort and Purple Loosestrife were growing round the water’s edge. Higher up in the field were cherry trees, planted to give an income for maintaining the Maharajah’s Well. The well is 112 metres deep, dug through layers of chalk, sand and gravel to the water table below. It was donated to the village by the Maharajah of Benares and could provide up to 700 gallons of water per day. Next stop was the churchyard, where the flower-rich acid grassland is an uncommon habitat for South Oxfordshire. Heather, Betony, Greater Bird’s-foot-trefoil and Heath Speedwell were amongst the finds here.
The final part of the walk was in the woods to the south of the village. The footpath led through lichen heath, where a woodrush and both Pill and Remote Sedge were identified. Deep in the deep shade of the beech woods, the nationally scarce Green-flowered Helleborine was an exciting find. Nearby, about 10 plants of the saprophytic Yellow Bird’s-nest were discovered, pushing their way up through the beech litter. Finally, several plants of Violet Helleborine were seen, growing on a roadside verge at the edge of the village.
Pictures by Chris Ash and Laurie Haseler