Farthinghoe
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With help from nature, this former landfill site has been transformed into an oasis for wild flowers and insects |
This small, amazingly diverse site is now a mosaic of developing woodland, open grassland and ponds. The meadows are improving each year as a result of better management with the return of some of the old meadow flowers such as lady’s bedstraw, meadow vetchling and snake's-head fritillary.
The ponds and wet areas attract dragonflies and damselflies from the nearby lake and stream and in late July it is possible to find beautiful demoiselle damselflies in good numbers. There is also a colony of marbled whites butterflies on the site.
There are plenty of obvious signs of mammals, especially badgers who have taken to digging up the paths looking for food. Pipistrelle and noctule bats find an ideal hunting ground here. Among the birds seen are treecreeper, bullfinch, breeding sparrowhawk, several species of warblers and long-tailed tit.
Birds: Water rail, fieldfare, redwing, siskin, goldfinch Mammals: Fox, rabbit |
Plants: Primrose, cowslip, sweet violet, ragged-robin, snake's-head fritillary Insects: Green-veined white, comma, orange-tip, and small tortoiseshell butterflies Amphibians: Common frog, toad Reptiles: Grass snake Birds: Treecreeper, bullfinch, warblers, tits, sparrowhawk Mammals: Badger, fox |
Plants: Lady’s bedstraw, meadow vetchling Insects: Common blue, marbled white and speckled wood butterflies, narrow-bordered five-spot burnet moth, beautiful demoiselle damselfly Amphibians: Common frog, toad Reptiles: Grass snake Birds: Warblers, tits, bullfinch, tawny owl |
Fungi: Woodland fungi Mammals: Bats |