Langdyke volunteer Jackie Robinson in her latest monthly update asks: Is it the end of May already?
With the dry spring most of the water at Swaddywell has dried up but there is still a muddy patch on the tarmac path just down from the cabin and birds have had great fun running through it to make patterns.
The Man orchids on the south facing bank in the pit area are quite short in stature and starting to go over but there has been a good number showing. On the north facing area behind the boundary fence (and inside it too), there are some spikes just starting to flower. The Bee orchids are hard to find and looking very dry and sad, it’s not sure whether they will flower this year, however the Twayblades have managed to avoid any slug damage and both plants in the cage have been in flower for a few weeks now.
Mouse-ear hawkweed is starting to reveal a stunning yellow flower near the boardwalk, and Bryony is clinging to the cliff face where a tiny Capsid bug larva was running up and down a stem. A couple of Wild Mignonette plants with very dainty flowers are growing at the side of the boardwalk.
Butterfly numbers are better than at this time last year but are still quite low. We have had some Dingy and Grizzled skippers though, so that’s a positive. In a nice patch of longish dry grass on the top field, a mating pair of Brown Argus butterflies were seen. A Common blue and Grizzled skipper were in the same area and were just spotted before they flew off, Small Heath are showing well too.
Near the cabin gate there is a web of Small Eggar moth larvae. They have grown very quickly and can be seen marching down the stalk of the bramble; they seem to go back to the web though, protection maybe. There will either be a lot of moths or a lot of food for the birds (if the caterpillars are edible).
The three Swaddywell lambs are doing well as are the two Jacob lambs at Etton High Meadow. Two of the Swaddywell lambs got under the gate last week, attracted by the lush grass, no doubt. They managed to scramble back. Hopefully they are now too fat to get under again.
A Cuckoo was heard in the distance at Swaddywell on Thursday and we also heard one near Torpel during the Reserves Committee meeting at the beginning of May. Similarly cuckoo and a bittern have been heard during the Etton work parties. We are so lucky in the John Clare countryside area with all our reserves. Each reserve has its own special character, do try to visit some of them if you can.
On the top field at Swaddywell there is a good patch of Adder’s tongue fern. They are quite small but once you locate them, they are worth the search. The leaves are quite a bit lighter green than the vegetation around them, and the ‘tongue’ sticks up through the middle of the plant. They are small but perfectly formed! I think they are one of my favourite plants.
Our volunteering jobs recently have included raking in the Torpel Cabin paddock, where in the near future, we plan to install raised beds for wildflowers; we had hoped to have a wildflower meadow outside the cabin, but the paddock is so nutrient rich (formerly horses were stabled there) that we only seem to be able to raise lush grass and nettles. Watch this space!
The usual tree popping (removal of invasive saplings) at Swaddywell is nearly always on the cards, and the marking of seven new monitoring posts in the Swaddywell pit area to allow consistent and regular 360⁰ monitoring of the site has been completed.
Recently, to enable volunteers to ‘actually’ see wildlife and nature around them rather than be concentrating working in it, it was decided to try and arrange regular volunteer walks. So far there have been two Saturday walks, the last one being at Castor Hanglands. It is really nice to go out as a group and also there are more pairs of eyes to spot interesting things.
Look out for the extra workparties at Christ College Pit, it is a lovely new site and exciting to be involved.
Enjoy the weather. I think an ideal solution would be nice sunny days and gentle rainy nights! Perfect!