Tailby Meadow
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A traditional flower-rich hay meadow on the banks of the River Ise |
Last century the River Ise was re-directed through a straightened, deeper channel that dried out the site and reduced the diversity of plant life. In 1994, the Environment Agency re-instated the channel along the reserve’s southern boundary, and now a weir allows water to flow through the old channel once more.
In summer the reserve is alive with insects; butterflies and damselflies are the most distinctive. The red-eyed damselfly emerges from the water around mid-May and its flight season lasts until mid-August. You may see the adults resting on floating vegetation.
The grassland contains a diverse mix of wildflowers, including cuckooflower, which is a food source for the orange-tip butterfly. Lady’s bedstraw adds a splash of yellow from July to August and pignut can also be seen. This is the food plant of the chimney sweeper moth, a small day-flying, black moth with white tips to its wings.
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Plants: Cuckooflower Insects: Orange tip butterfly, red-eyed damselfly |
Plants: Great burnet, dropwort, meadowsweet, pignut, pepper-saxifrage, lady’s bedstraw Insects: Chimney sweeper moth, red-eyed damselfly |
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