{"id":844,"date":"2010-06-18T14:18:42","date_gmt":"2010-06-18T19:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rdnhs.org.uk\/blog\/?p=844"},"modified":"2010-06-18T14:18:42","modified_gmt":"2010-06-18T19:18:42","slug":"gutteridges-wood-12th-june-2010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rdnhs.org.uk\/blog\/gutteridges-wood-12th-june-2010\/","title":{"rendered":"Gutteridge’s Wood – 12th June 2010"},"content":{"rendered":"

Janet Welsh led a field trip at Goring Heath on Saturday 12th<\/sup> June, starting from the former King Charles Head pub. The first part of the walk was in Gutteridge’s Wood. Southern Wood-rush Luzula forsteri, <\/em>identified by its V-shaped inflorescence, was growing by the roadside, together with Wood Mellick and Wood Millet, while Wood Barley was found further into the wood. <\/em>The characteristic grey flaky bark drew the group’s attention to a particularly tall and previously unrecorded Wild Service-tree. Nearby, a hole in a dead branch at the top of a tree was being used as a nest site by a noisy family of Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a youngster with a red cap peered out from time to time. Several Bird’s-nest Orchids and a White Helleborine were in flower. It was a good afternoon for comparing different fern species, with Broad and Narrow Buckler-fern and Scaly Male Fern and Male Fern growing together. A fresh Red Admiral was basking in the sunshine and there was a big patch of Common Cow-wheat.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The second part of the walk was in an organically-managed field with an interesting collection of arable weeds. The field had been under-sown with clover and was going to be topped the following day. A sea of scarlet poppies waved in the breeze, and the plants below included Weasel’s Snout, Small Toadflax, a Fluellen, Field Pansy and Field Pennycress.<\/p>\n