Providing lectures at the cutting edge of modern thinking since 1835
Natural History Section
Russell led us round the old Western Park Golf Course, which is on the edge of the city and crosses the boundary into the county. It is home to a number of exotic trees, but the highlight is the Turkey Oak (Quercus cerris), which our measurements of the girth indicated to be over 200 years old.
Measuring the girth of the Turkey Oak (Quercus cerris)
We found a wide variety of flowering plants, and Russell added 18 vascular plant records to his City flora database.
We expected to see more butterflies, but they were very few, though bugs and beetles were found on trees and other foliage.
Alder Leaf Beetle larva ( Agelastica alni) and Cinnamon Bug (Corizus hyoscyami)
It was also a good site for leaf mines and plant galls, two of which are shown here.
(Photos: Simon Bennett and Peter Smith)
Peter Smith writes:
This 200-acre country park on the edge of Hinckley was formerly a golf course so it has a large pond and its fair share of exotic trees. However, its real glory is the extensive area of meadows. The grasses were in flower at the time of our visit so, as well as admiring them billow in the breeze, it was the perfect opportunity to test our ID skills. The meadows also contained great drifts of Betony (Stachys officinalis) and we found a small patch of Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica).
Betony (Stachys officinalis) and Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica)
We found a good range of invertebrates, of which the highlight had to be the rather beautiful Coppery Longhorn moth (Nemophora cupriacella). This was only the second record for Leicestershire, the first having been found just three days earlier!
European Chinchbugs (Ischnodemus sabuleti)
Coppery Longhorn moth (Nemophora cupriacella)
(Photos: Peter Smith, David Nicholls and Pouran Khodabaksh)
Thunderstorms and flash floods en route failed to deter our 13 members, who were rewarded with glorious weather for the afternoon's visit to one of the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust's finest reserves. The earlier rain probably did put off some of the more unusual butterflies but we recorded the first Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) of the season, as well as a selection of moths and other invertebrates.
As a former limestone quarry, the site hosts an array of lime-loving plants that are less familiar to those of us living around Leicester, including Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare), Yellow-wort (Blackstonia perfoliata), Dwarf Thistle (Cirsium acaule) and Fairy Flax (Linum catharticum). Orchids were also in full flower, namely, Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera), Common Twayblade (Neottia ovata) and hundreds of Common Spotted Orchids (Dactylorhiza fuchsii).
Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare) and Yellow Shell Moth (Camptogramma bilineata)
Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera) and Common Spotted Orchids (Dactylorhiza fuchsii)
Quaking Grass (Briza media) and Cryptocephalus cf. aureolus (possibly C. hypochaeridis but it's much less common)
(All Photos - Peter Smith)
Five of us visited Barnack with a focus on botany. The key plant of the site is Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris), which we found in many places across the reserve. Much of the reserve is fenced at this time of year to keep visitors from trampling the Pasque Flowers and three species of orchids: Man Orchid (Orchis anthropophora), Chalk Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea) and Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis). We saw the first two of these as well as Early Purple Orchids (Orchis mascula). Other interesting species included Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum officinale), Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris) and Purple Milk Vetch (Astragalus danica).
Clockwise from top left. Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris), Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula), Chalk Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea) and Man Orchid (Orchis anthropophora). (Photos - Simon Bennett)
We recorded 36 species of flowering plant and saw or heard a variety of bird species. A full report will be published in the Autumn 2024 Newsltter.
Copyright © 2024 Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society. All Rights Reserved. The Society is a registered charity in the UK.
Contact us| Privacy Policy and Legal Statement