Ren\u00e9e Greyer led a walk at\nAldermoors Local Nature Reserve and Ashenbury Park, Woodley on Saturday 13\nApril. It was a bright afternoon with intermittent sunshine but the air was\ncold. Common Whitlow-grass, Shining and Hedgerow Crane\u2019s-bill and Sticky Mouse-ear\nwere all found in the car park, while Dove\u2019s-foot Crane\u2019s-bill and Common\nStork\u2019s-bill were seen on an adjacent road-side verge. The route then led into\nthe woodland of Aldermoors reserve, where there were sheets of Wood Anemones\nand the first Bluebell flowers. The only butterfly of the afternoon, a female\nOrange-tip, was seen here. Flowers of Moschatel, Ground-ivy, Wood Forget-me-not\nand Wood-sorrel were found beside the path. The bright yellow flowers of Opposite-leaved\nGolden-saxifrage lit up the ground in a damp gulley and more plants were seen on\nthe banks of the stream which runs through the reserve. The calls of Nuthatch,\nGreat Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Song Thrush and Wren\nwere heard. Continuing through the woodland, Primrose, Greater Stitchwort,\nLesser Celandine and Common Dog-violet were added to the tally of spring\nflowers. The next part of the walk was\nacross the open grassland of Ashenbury Park, a restored landfill site. Rabbits\nwere quite numerous. Round the edge of the park, the Blackthorn blossom was\nmostly over, the Field Maple blossom was fully out and the first Hawthorn\nblossom was just beginning to come out. One slope was covered by a sea of\nHemlock. A Mistle Thrush was foraging on the grass in the far corner of the park.\nThe return route led round the edge of a gravel pit, where a few Mallards and\nCoots and a Mute Swan were seen. Near the top end of the lake, there was a\nsmall patch of ancient woodland with Wood Spurge, Bluebells and Wood Anemones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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