Another new species at Attenborough – March Moth

This time, it’s a moth that’s been found for the first time at Attenborough Nature Reserve…..

It’s a March Moth (Alsophila aescularia) – beautiful when seen close-up.

 

New plant at Attenborough

A plant has been recorded at Attenborough Nature Reserve for the first time : Winter Aconite.

Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) is an attractive perennial, becoming reasonably common in woodlands.  Although well-established in the wild, it’s not native, having been introduced (from southern Europe) as a garden plant in the 16th century.  Although it’s an attractive plant and a useful early nectar source for insects, I imagine the Attenborough staff will be monitoring it as it has the potential to become invasive.

Reed Bunting at Attenborough

Here’s a great photo by Michael Hewson of a Reed Bunting at Attenborough nature reserve….

The photo is on Attenborough’s facebook page, which often features excellent pics of the reserve and its wildlife.

Foraging for Fungi in Bestwood Country Park

Today I went foraging for fungi at Bestwood Country Park.  The recent wet and mild weather has been good for fruiting fungi, and we found a good variety of species.  Here are a few….

The expedition was led by Jesper Launder, a medical herbalist and expert wild food forager, and ended with a feast of all the edible species that we found……

Meadow Flowers in Colwick Woods

Thanks to Nic Cairns for these great photos of meadow flowers, from Colwick Woods :

This is a bee-level view of a diverse wild-flower meadow, a habitat which has been dramatically reduced – over 98% of such meadows have been lost in the last 50 years.  It’s good to see a good example like this so close to the city centre.

Nick also took some interesting close-ups of individual flowers :

Spot the ant!

I hope to feature more of Nic’s photos on the blog in the future.

Visiting Attenborough

A visit to Attenborough Nature Centre is always a good reminder of the value of this great reserve, only a few miles from central Nottingham, and easily reached using public transport.

As a taster, here’s the great view from the Keith Corbett Memorial Hide, looking south-east towards the Trent…..

Well worth a visit!