We usually write about the park but today we are branching out a good half-mile, as far away as the junction between Frome Road and Manor Road on the A361.
Continue reading “Blackbird singing in the dead of night”
Our quest to identify some of the many lichens that grow in the park continues with common orange lichen, Xanthoria parietina, also known as yellow scale or maritime sunburst lichen.
Continue reading “Common orange lichen”
Grass is very hard to digest and most of the animals that eat it have evolved complicated digestive systems to deal with it.
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Foxes have scent glands on their feet to mark well-used trails so they can follow them easily at night.
Picture by Peter Trimming (CC BY 2.0) commons.wikimedia.org
by Suzanne Humphries
Last year, 2019, was the 11th warmest year on record in the UK, which doesn’t sound too bad until you realise that all the other ten have occurred since 2002.
Continue reading “Record temperatures in 2019”
Staghorn lichen (Evernia prunastri), also called oakmoss, is common and widespread in deciduous woodlands. This example was found in the park by Ian, on low growing oak branches. It is very sensitive to air pollution and is an indicator of good air quality.
Continue reading “Staghorn Lichen”
Buddy, a handsome and very energetic springer spaniel, one of our volunteers, who regularly brings his human, Louise, to FoSCP work parties. Thank you Buddy .
Another of the park’s canine fans:
Daldinia concentrica: known as King Alfred’s cakes or coal fungus grows on the park’s trees, in this case on a dead ash tree.
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Tomorrow will be the second Wednesday of the month and FoSCP’s first work party of the year. Come and join us; come and help us look after the park and its wildlife.
The Met Office says it will be cold, there is always a chance of rain and we know it will be muddy but the company is good, the conversation enlightening and there will be coffee and biscuits at half time. We meet at 9.30am in the car park, wellied and waterproofed, and we work until midday. New volunteers will be very welcome.
January is mid-mating season for foxes.
Continue reading “Fox”
We pick up plastic trash around the park almost every day. Plastic is an environmental problem that we must take seriously; here is a video made by the UN that clearly explains the extent of the problem.
There are rabbits in the park.
Continue reading “Rabbits”Keys were found in the park yesterday.
We have been more successful in 2019 at identifying some of the enormous number of fungi that grow in the park. We were able to add five new species to our rather sparse fungi list.
1.Hypholoma fasciculare Sulphur Tuft
2. Xylaria hypoxylon Candle snuff
3.Trametes hirsuta Hairy bracket fungus
4. Fuligo septica Dog’s vomit slime mould
5. Amanita muscaria Fly Agaric
Header picture – one of the many species we have been unable to identify.
Background. The following programme of actions was taken as an outcome of the review of the park on 27th January 2013 by the Wiltshire Countryside Team and Friends of Southwick Country Park. It is intended that this is a living document: a record of previous projects and tasks conducted, and an update of works carried out during 2019, a review of the park in general, and suggestions for possible future progress.
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