On a cool cloudy Sunday Chris Ash (in lieu of Michael Keith-Lucas) led a walk around part of the Warburg Nature Reserve. The group (of 20) started by walking through the woods and up the hill to see the ancient pollarded Beech Trees. At the top of this path a small triangular meadow amongst the trees was well populated with Adder’s-tongue Fern Ophioglossum vulgatum showing their spoor stalks and a few scattered Twayblades Neottia ovata. From the meadow we progressed into the woods to two exclosures where there were three Mezereon Daphne mezereum plants with some flowers remaining, but most already turning to seed pods. Back on the path leading down to the car park we found a large area of Herb Paris Paris quadrifolia in full flower and then just below it the first showing of five or six Early-purple Orchids Orchis mascula (all other Orchids seen, presented only as basal leaves). From there we followed the Nature Walk trail along the grassy ride dotted with Cowslips Primula veris. An area of the path which three days previously was humming with solitary bees emerging from their burrows was now apparently unpopulated (probably due to the heavy overnight rain and low morning temperatures). In the next field we again found many Cowslips, Common Dog-violets Viola riviniana and Twayblades with Bugle Ajuga reptans showing quite strong growth. Returning to the car park via the lower roadway we managed to catch a Green Longhorn Moth Adela reaumurella. Nearer the car park there was a large area of Green Hellebore Helleborus viridis and further on, in the hedgerow, a Goldilocks Buttercup Ranunculus auricomus apparently growing in the same position as Ken White remembered from 45 years ago!
Flora
| Ajuga reptans | Bugle |
| Allium ursinum | Ramsons |
| Anemone nemorosa | Wood Anemone |
| Daphne laureolis | Spurge Laurel |
| Daphne mezereum | Mezereon |
| Epilobium hirsutum | Giant Willowherb |
| Euphorbia amygdaloides | Wood Spurge |
| Fragaria vesca | Wild Strawberry |
| Helleborus viridis | Green Hellebore |
| Hyacinthoides non-scripta | Bluebell |
| Mercurialis perennis | Dog’s Mercury |
| Neottia ovata | Twayblade |
| Ophioglossum vulgatum | Adder’s-tongue Fern |
| Orchis mascula | Early Purple Orchid |
| Origanum vulgare | Wild Marjoram |
| Paris quadrifolia | Herb-Paris |
| Primula veris | Cowslip |
| Primula vulgaris | Primrose |
| Ranunculus auricomus | Goldilocks Buttercup |
| Scrophularia nodosa | Figwort |
| Veronica serpyllifolia | Thyme-leaved Speedwell |
| Viola riviniana | Dog-violet |
Moths
| Adela reaumurella | Green Longhorn Moth |
Birds (Ken and Sarah White)
| Buteo buteo | Buzzard |
| Columba oenas | Stock Dove |
| Columba palumbus | Wood Pigeon |
| Erithacus rubecula | Robin |
| Fringilla coelebs | Chaffinch |
| Garrulus glandarius | Jay |
| Milvus milvus | Red Kite |
| Parus caeruleus | Blue Tit |
| Parus major | Great Tit |
| Phylloscopus collybita | Chiffchaff |
| Phylloscopus trochilus | Willow Warbler |
| Picus viridus | Green Woodpecker |
| Prunella modularis | Dunnock |
| Pyrrhula pyrrhula | Bullfinch |
| Regulus regulus | Goldcrest |
| Sitta europaea | Nuthatch |
| Sylvia atricapilla | Blackcap |
| Troglodytes troglodytes | Wren |
| Turdus merula | Blackbird |
| Turdus philomelos | Song Thrush |
| Turdus viscivorus | Mistle Thrush |