A brown hawker female, Aeshna grandis, spotted in the park by Ian Bushell on Tuesday afternoon.
Continue reading “Brown Hawker”Brown Hawker
Peacock
Remember all those peacock caterpillar netsts? They have metamorphosed into a shiny new generation of adult peacock butterflies.
Metal detectors
Wiltshire Council policy on metal detecting
Wiltshire Council does not allow metal detecting by the public on land it owns for the following reasons:
- Much of the countryside owned by Wiltshire Council is let to third parties, usually for agriculture
- Were metal detecting/digging by permit allowed in public open spaces it may encourage non-permit holders to detect or dig
- The council could be left with diggings and unfilled hollows making it unsafe for livestock, farm machinery and, if on public open space, the public
- There could be damage to sites and features of interest, including archaeology, vegetation and wildlife habitats.
Perforate St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) also known as common St John’s wort.
Header picture taken by Clive Knight, others by Suzanne Humphries
Newt-counting
It is now two years since the Friends of Southwick Country Park took issue with Wiltshire’s Housing Site Allocation Plan. Despite our best efforts the sites surrounding the park and Lambrok Stream, at Church Lane (H2.4), Upper Studley (H2.5) and Southwick Court (H2.6) were selected, last year, for future development.
Continue reading “Newt-counting”Rosebay willowherb
The rosebay willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium) in the Arboretum is in flower and well worth a look.
Read on:Hemlock water dropwort
This post was first published in June 2019 but the warning bears repeating.
This is hemlock water dropwort (Oenanthe crocata), by some accounts the UK’s most poisonous plant.
Continue reading “Hemlock water dropwort”Just a reminder that quad bikes are not allowed in the park. They are a danger to walkers, particularly children, and to dogs and the park’s wildlife; if you see people driving quad bikes, please report them to the police.
AND if you can get a picture, without in any way endangering yourself, that would really help
