It was small group of us who set out on a sunny but windy day, and just being in such a beautiful spot made us all feel good!

Transcription

1 U3A field trip to Anchor Bottom, May 13 th It was small group of us who set out on a sunny but windy day, and just being in such a beautiful spot made us all feel good! As we walked in we spotted 3 ravens feeding on the ground. We had been told that there were three young ravens and think these were them as we saw another raven flying which appeared to be in moult with some primary feathers missing. I think they were turning over the drier cow-pats for insects. They were too far away for good photos, but you can see their immense bills in the photos.. The cow dung (?) being turned. The glossy feathers, and the The bill in profile hooked bill In addition, we saw a kestrel hovering and feeding, and it later obliged by hovering over us for a photo opportunity A montage of a bevy of photos. I like the beady eye showing in this one! We also saw jackdaws, swallows, a wren (too windy for most small birds to be perching in sight) starlings, and two buzzards, which also stayed close long enough for some photos, and a peregrine flew over too fast for photos Notice that the sky was blue! Most unusual on our field trips!

2 Of course it was also the flowers we had gone to see. Guided by an from Brianne, and one of our members, we found the green-winged orchids (Anacamptis morio previously known as Orchis morio.) The ones further down the hill seemed to be shorter than those a bit higher up the hill, but that might just be the ones we saw. We found mostly purple ones, but also some magenta ones, and one pink one. We didn t find the white ones mentioned by Brianne. Here are some of us looking at one of the purple ones. Only when I looked at the photo did I realise that all the onlookers were wearing coordinated colours too!

3 Here are some photos of some of the flowers or parts of them.. A small one half way up the slope..some close ups of the flowers A taller one further up the hill. Side view of the flower with its veined wings A good front view showing the flower and the veined wings which give the orchid its name. One flower from in front and one from the side. Notice the greenish veining in the wings In this pink variety the wings really are green!

4 Some other flowers which we saw and photographed and may have identified with the help of the more knowledgeable members of the group We don t know what this is, but it has very striking hairy leaves with long hairs almost crossing the folded leaf. We wondered about hoary plantain but the leaves look the wrong shape Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris) These seemed to come in a variety of shades from blue to purple. There is a better photo from Margo further down. Silverweed (Potentilla anserina) A young plant of hounds tongue (Cynoglossum oficinale) Its flowers still bunched up. A close up of one of the flowers. Side by side were growing cut-leaf cranes-bill (Geranium dissectum) and dove s foot cranes-bill (Geranium columbinum) Cut-leaf cranes-bill (Geranium dissectum) Dove s foot cranes-bill (Geranium columbinum) We also saw some large violets but they wouldn t photograph the proper colour, and some short-stemmed buttercups, and some cowslips. We noticed the ant hills which are so important as part of the ecosystem. Several had been broken open and we wondered what had done that? Badgers? Altogether a lovely morning! On the next page you will find Margo s account with a full lists of plants seen

5 Anchor Bottom (S&S U3A) 13 th May 2016 Anchor Bottom is a dry chalkland valley behind Dacre Gardens, north of old Cement Works. The farmer allows cows to graze the field rather than sheep and the resulting manure drains down the slopes to feed nettle and thistle etc. The cattle s hooves appear not to be causing too much damage to the steep slopes only at the top of the field where the land levels out. We climbed up to the southern edge of the field bordering the quarry where the pylons stand in an east west direction. As we climbed the variety of plants increased and many anthills could be seen but their vegetation not yet in flower. Herb Robert Geranium robertianum Cut-leaf Geranium Geranium dissectum White Dead-nettle Lamium albus Hedge Mustard Sisymbrium officinale after gate: Green-winged Orchid Anacamptis morio some damaged by trampling Pale blue and pale pink Milkworts Polygaris vulgaris needs further identification Yellow flower, probably common Cat s ear Hypochoeris radicata Dwarf Thistle Circium acaulon not in flower Bulbous Buttercup Ranunculus bulbosus Creeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens Common Ragwort Senecio jacobaea not in flower Cowslip Primula veris Red Clover Trifolium pratense Daisy Bellis perennis Dove s-foot Crane sbill Geranium molle (or Geranium columbinum?) Common Bird sfoot Trefoil Lotus corniculatus Lesser Stitchwort Stellaria graminea Common Mouse-ear Cerastium holosteoides Ground Ivy Glechoma hederacea Germander Speedwell Veronica chamaedrys Common Field Speedwell Veronica persica at top, in particular: Violet Silverweed Potentilla anserine Hound s Tongue Cynoglossum officinale Butterflies: None recorded. Birds seen: Buzzard, Raven, Common Crow, Peregrine Falcon, Magpie, Kestrel, Swallow, House Sparrow and Dunnock. Birds heard: Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, Lesser Whitethroat, Blackbird and Wren. Milkwort. Cowslip. Tiny but pretty when enlarged! I wonder if it was called milkwort because it looks like milk squirting out of an udder?