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Butts Ash • Dibden • Dibden
Purlieu • Furzedown • Hythe • Langdown • Netley
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| What's On |
| The Waterside Natural History Society visit Stockbridge Common |
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The Waterside Natural History Society spent a full day looking around the water meadow and common at Stockbridge on Sunday 17th August.
When we arrived at the car park opposite the Common we were treated to a display of vintage vehicles on their way to the Dorset Steam Fair.
Cars, Lorries, Buses and vehicles of every description, some of them tooting their horns as we waved, sped past as though in an episode of Foyle’s War.
The contrast with the peace and quiet of the Common was all part of the experience but we were none the less glad to get away from it all and check out the natural history of the Common.
The middle of August in these days of global warming is moving from late summer to early autumn and the Common had a distinct feel of Autumn about it.
Many of the yellow flowers associated with summer such as the birds foot trefoil, yellow rattle, agrimony and mignonette are giving way to the deep reds and purple of autumn such as the red bartsia, knapweed, wild basil and marjoram.
The field scabious has been in flower for some time and the devilsbit scabious is now taking over.
To emphasise the feel of autumn the autumn gentian is starting to flower on the shorter grassland areas of the Common and the delightfully named squinancywort is accompanying it.
Squinancywort is a member of the bedstraw family and is so named from its use in the treatment of quinsy which is a severe form of tonsillitis.
Perhaps if it had been more effective the operation to remove the tonsils of children would not have become so popular.
Although purple is the predominant colour of the flowers at the moment it is sprinkled with white from the umbellifers.
Wild carrot is still in flower as well as yarrow and pignut and the yellow of wild parsnip.
The number of butterflies is dependent on the weather of the previous year and last year was a particularly poor one during the summer.
Consequently the number of butterflies this year is well down on what it should be. We still see examples of each variety but in much smaller numbers.
The weather this summer has not been too good either so it is not too hopeful for next year.
The meadow brown is perhaps the most numerous at the moment with examples of small heath, gatekeeper, small copper, brimstone, large white and small white.
There are some common blue and chalk hill blue but not in the clouds of butterflies that was seen last year.
We went along to Stockbridge meadow after lunch and did a circular walk round the meadow and back along the banks of the river Test.
Although only a mile or so from the downland the presence of the river means that the soil changes from chalk to rich damp silt and this is reflected in the variety of flowers seen.
Purple loosestrife, fleabane, meadow sweet and watermint all grow together in colourful beds of flowers.
Hemp agrimony grows in patches and the field scabious of the downs is replaced by the devilsbit scabious on the drier parts of the meadow.
In the water the yellow flag irises have been superseded by the blue flowers of watercress and water forget-me-not.
There was a double flowered variety of soapwort growing in the hedge by the entrance to the meadow looking as if it should have been in someone’s garden.
Our next outdoor meeting will be to Blashford Lakes. Meet at Oak Road car park Dibden Purlieu at 10am on Sunday 21st September.
Our next indoor meeting will be at St. Andrews centre, Dibden Purlieu at 7.30pm on 22nd September.
Our speaker will be Andrew Watts and the topic will be on the Galapagos Islands.
All visitors are welcome to indoor and outdoor meetings.
Contact the Secretary on 02380893803. Any comments to mharrison67@btinternet.com. |
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