The Accipiter - Meadow Muses June 2005

Meadow Muses - June 2005

Monica

Monica Johnson and Brigid Campbell look at the ever-changing flora in our beautiful wildflower meadow which is named in memory of Reg Smith, founder of the Hawk Conservancy Trust.
This month Monica gives us some background and sets the scene for the coming months.

Last summer Brigid Campbell and I carried out the wild flower count in Reg’s Meadow, assisted by several Junior Members who came along on the day to help with the identification. We counted over 90 different species, including flowers, grasses and trees, an indication of just how rich a habitat the meadow has become. We are now looking at the changes taking place over the course of the year and this month we follow the progress of the meadow between January and May.

In January and February the meadow appears empty and uniformly brown, containing nothing but the dead foliage of last year’s plants. It seems impossible that this drab scene could produce again the glorious floral display we saw last summer. If you look more closely, however, signs of new life can already be seen thrusting their way to the surface. Things are happening out there!

Cowslips

All over the meadow the tiny rosettes of cowslip leaves are pushing up through the dead foliage, undaunted by frost, rain and wind. Even in February some already have their flower spikes showing. Around them a few other tiny, recognisable leaves such as clover, plantain and bedstraw are waking up from their winter sleep. There are hazel catkins on the bare branches in the hedgerow. Winter is still here, but the meadow is coming back to life. In early February some narrow strips of soil were ploughed and left bare to encourage dormant seeds to germinate in the hope of encouraging yet more species. These strips were later levelled to a fine tilth by a detachment of soldiers who came to lend a hand with jobs around the grounds.

Blackthorn

By March the first few dainty blackthorn blossoms are showing in the hedgerow. The flowers look too fragile to endure the frost and wind but they are surprisingly resilient. The cowslips are noticeably bigger, their flower spikes pushing up strongly and some petals already opening in response to a few days of warm sunshine. Other green shoots are becoming more recognisable as the individual plants take shape.
The wild ravens, which have been around all winter, have left by March but we hope to see them return in the early autumn. The vole boxes have been occupied all winter and into early spring, especially those in the three copses. These shelters become less important to small mammals as the ground cover increases and the weather gets warmer.

In April the cowslips burst into full bloom, covering the meadow with a carpet of bright yellow, the most spectacular display of the year. The foliage of most other plants is still very low, so the cowslips stand proudly above them, enjoying the limelight, with a backdrop of white blackthorn blossom in the hedgerow behind the shepherd’s hut. Only the herons stand taller than the cowslips, coming in for their afternoon feed as they have done throughout the winter. The air is suddenly busy with bumblebees and other early insects drawn in by the abundance of flowers and we know that spring is here at last!

White Campion

Fumitory

By May the cowslips are beginning to fade, although a few scattered yellow spikes still remain. There seems to be a race now for all the other plants to compete and their foliage is growing fast and tall. There are plump buds on the ox-eye daisies, which will soon open into large white flowers. Everything still looks mostly green but down among the foliage we find fumitory, white campion and charlock already in flower and the round, red heads of salad burnet just about to open. Meadow grasses are coming into flower and in front of the hides there is a bank of frothy white cow parsley blossom. Grey partridges thrive in the area around the Trust and can be heard calling in the evening as they come into the meadow to feed.
Skylarks are nesting in the crop in the field next door and also coming in to feed.

In the coming months the flora and fauna of the meadow will reach their peak and we hope to discover even more species than last year. This year the Junior Members Wild Bird Count will take place on 5th June and the Wild Flower Count will be on 3rd July. We would be very pleased to have your help. You won’t have too much trouble finding us. We’ll be the two people with magnifying glasses, kneeling down with our faces in the undergrowth and our bottoms in the air!

Featured flower – Cowslip (Primula veris)

A native, downy perennial found on grassland and banks, preferring lime-rich soil. Flowers April-May. It has become less abundant in recent decades due to over-picking and over-enrichment of soil in cultivation.
It is suggested that the name comes from Old English cuslyppe meaning cow-pat! Other alternative names include Peggles, Paigles, Freckled-face, Peeps, Herb Peter, Culverkeys, Key-flower and Key of Heaven.
The leaves were traditionally used in salads or cooked as a vegetable and the flowers made into wine or sweet conserves. The plant was also much used in folk remedies, as a sedative, a cure for rheumatism, giddiness and palsy, for improving the memory, reducing swelling or bruising and as an ointment for removing spots, freckles, wrinkles and skin blemishes.