Visit to an Ancient Hay Meadow and a few Garden Flowers

I made my annual pilgrimage yesterday to Notcutts (Monkspath) Meadow - apologies to anyone who has been visiting my blog for any length of time as I do tend to do a post on this each year. This ancient hay meadow is believed to be around 800 years old and is a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It's owned by Notcutts Garden Centre and managed under the supervision of Natural England. Around 150 species of flora can be found found including several grass species commonly found in old meadows, marshland and ancient woodland. The meadow is only open for a couple of weekends in June each year under the guidance of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.

Tormentil (Potentilla erecta)

Greater Burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis)

Lesser Stitchwort (Stellaria graminea)

Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor)

Yellow Rattle and Bird's Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

Red Clover, Yellow Rattle, Lesser Stitchwort and Bird's Foot Trefoil

A few of the many species of grasses

Common Sorrel (Cumex acetosa)

Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys), Lesser Stitchwort and Clover

The stars of the show - Heath Spotted Orchids (Orchis ericetorum) - photos show the different variations in colour.

I had a quick look round the Nurseries before going home and spotted this beautiful peony

There were lots of displays of pollinator friendly plants

and insect homes.

I rather liked this "green" car!!

Garden Flowers

Petunia flowers

Cosmos now planted and they will hopefully be attracting lots of hoverflies and bees in a month's time. Having seen the price of these plants at the nurseries I am feeling rather smug that we grow them from seed :)

White Peony

Yellow Flags in the bog garden - they are flowering several weeks earlier this year

Ox-eye Daisies, Red Campion and Meadow Buttercup in the wildflower meadow.

Honeysuckle (hopefully it will attract some moths!) and

foxgloves are in flower too.

2012 Highlights - Part 4

I am quite amazed at how much I did go out during the first six months of the year. No wonder I had no time for birding I was too busy wandering around country churchyards and swanning round NT properties!

Although so much of Solihull has been developed since Edith Holden's time, it still contains many parks and fragments of ancient woodland. I visited Coldlands Wood very close to the town centre at bluebell time.

Coldlands Wood

Yellow Archangel and Bluebell

I returned to Bushwood as on my previous visit I had noticed what looked like masses of wild garlic plants and this time they were in flower.

Canal at Lowsonford

I discovered another country churchyard at Baddesley Clinton full of wild flowers

St Michael's Church

Buttercups, Bluebells and Germander Speedwell or "Bird's Eye" as my grandfather used to call it.

Cute lambs came to say "hallo"

St Michael's - I would have liked to see inside the church but couldn't find a way in! Have since discovered how to gain entry so I will return.

Stitchwort

Dandelion seedhead

Lady's Smock or Cuckoo Flower - used by Orange Tip butterflies for egg laying

Crosswort - emanating overpowering smell of honey

Speedwell

Red Campion

It may have been a poor year for moths and butterflies but wildflowers seemed to do really well this year.

I had another day out with my friend and this time we visited Calke Abbey - have never been there before and I shall have to go back. There is a very impressive drive up to the house through parkland and an avenue of lime trees. Sadly no photo but believe me it was beautiful. The 600 acres of parkland are a National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest and the 10th best site in Britain for invertebrates.

Click Beetle

Green Dock Beetle - thanks again Jan for the id help :)

The house looks as though it has come straight out of a Jane Austen novel but the National Trust has deliberately not restored or renovated the house, apart from essential repairs. It symbolises a country house left unchanged since its decline at the end of the nineteenth century when nothing was thrown away. During the twentieth century many great country houses and estates failed to survive.

It was raining most of the time we were there so we had a tour of the house and skulked in the restaurant and shop! There is so much we did not see - church, garden, deer enclosure and I would love to walk round the parkland and look for beetles and ancient trees.

Monkspath Meadow

There are some events in the year I try not to miss such as daffodils at Packwood and dahlias at Baddesley Clinton and the opening of Monkspath Meadow for one weekend a year is one such unmissable occasion. The meadow which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, is around 800 years old and contains around 150 species of grass and flower species. One of the highlights is the mass of Heath Spotted Orchids.

Meadow Buttercup

Thistle and Bumble Bee

Yellow Rattle

Great Burnet

Cuckoo spit

Lesser Stitchwort

Common Sorrel

Pignut

Heath Spotted Orchids

Another Tree Bumble Bee!

Finally, I returned to St Giles churchyard at Packwood - it was raining which made for some nice photos.

Fox and Cubs. I only identified this flower this year and once I had done so, it was like the Tree Bumble Bee, I started seeing it everywhere.

Wild and Cultivated Roses

Lady's Mantle

Sorry for so many posts in one day. I don't think I went out quite so much in the second part of the year! But I shall try and finish off the Highlights over the weekend.