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1 www.lensweb.wordpress.com
Biodiversity enhancement as well as flood prevention is the aim as the the Environment Agency
project team managed to get down to 800mm in one scrape (see photo) and 1m in the other (currently under construction), with very gently sloping sides. Unfortunately we haven’t had any rain so they’re not looking very wet yet but the potential is definitely there to make some significant wetland habitat as the subsoil is very clay rich and this was the site of an old pond.
Biodiversity Blitz at Manor Farm
Volume 2 Issue 15
LENS
Wildlife
Watch Spring 2015
LENS Long Eaton Natural
History Society
Friends of Forbes Hole Friends of West Park First for the Midlands
2
2014 Weather 3-6
Forbes Hole reports 7-9
Bird /Garden reports 10-17
Gwen Hardy birds 18-26
Grey squirrel/brown 27
Inside this issue:
Report wildlife records including mammal records for inclusion in
the new Nottinghamshire Mammal
Atlas
LENS Recorder
LENSnaturalhistory@gmail.com
Wildlife emergency number call
police 101
Erewash Borough Council Contact
Centre 0115 9072244.
Deadline for next LENS bulletin
September 2015
LENS Tree Quiz
Photo credit Marion Bryce
LENS Tree Quiz
Manor Farm Biodiversity Enhancement
Photo credit Dan Widdowson
Parents and children were delighted to test
their knowledge of native trees and their
fruits in Joan Breakwell’s tree quiz. It was not
easy. Successful participants were rewarded
with an apple drink. Some took the opportuni-
ty to plant their very own tree seed.
It was a bit cold but the Leisure Centre was
open to provide washing facilities and hot
drinks. Many thanks to the Manager, Mr Hodg-
kinson for permission to host this event.
Future events Contact details
43
U3A Plants 28-35
Flora of Derbyshire 36
Trowell Marsh 37-38
Stoney Clouds 39-40
Butterfly transects 41
Ringlet expansion 42
2 www.lensweb.wordpress.com
It was a lovely day for the Wood-land management morning held on January 24.
Some work was carried out to coppice willow saplings along the
pond edge
Scrub was cut back from path-ways and litter removed included some tree protectors.
Clearance around the steps close to the car park will help to devel-op a wildflower area to enhance the close to nature experience of visitors who enjoy the newly
opened out vista of the pond.
Led by Jaimey Richards
Jaimey has organised a num-ber of activities on Erewash Borough Council wildlife sites
Ask for a copy of the pro-gramme which has been dis-
tributed via the Erewash Tree Wardens circulaton list and also see the LENS outreach programme and diary of events on the website.
Pioneer Meadows has a new
management plan written by Der-byshire Wildlife Trust and Erewash Borough Council has obtained a stewardship grant from Natural England.
LENS will lead a fungal foray, or-ganised by EBC’s Jaimey Richards
on Sunday 18th October 10am – 12pm
All wildlife records are welcomed from this site.
Brian Gough identified an unusual plant growing at Pioneer Meadows LNR as Stranvaesia davidiana, a garden ornamental from China. Alan Wilmot writes ‘There are a
few records for it growing in the wild in Britain as a bird sown shrub of waste ground. There are a num-ber of records for the London area but few from further north. The nearest to us appear to be Chester
and Leeds so your plant might
be first for the Midlands.’ It is not a popular garden plant due to the unpleasant smell of the flowers.
Himalayan balsam is an invasive
species which damages biodiversi-ty as it outcompetes native plant species. The shallow rooted plant can be controlled by hand pulling
before seed is set. To tackle the problem at West Park Fox Covert SK486344. David Lally dclal-ly@icloud.com has made a draft timetable for "balsam bashes” for next year and welcomes all volun-teers.
Jaimey Richards (EBC) will lead a
woodland and meadow work party
September 18th 10am-1pm Con-
tact:
jaimey.richards@erewash.gov.uk
Friends of West Park
First for the Midlands
Friends of Forbes Hole
Stranvaesia davidiana
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Creating Vistas at Forbes Hole
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Himalayan Balsam Impatiens glandulifera
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Dates for balsam bashing
meet Fox Covert
Tuesday, 12 May 2015 7 pm Thursday, 28 May 2015 7 pm Sunday, 7 June 2015 11 am Tuesday, 9 June 2015 7 pm Thursday, 25 June 2015 7 pm Tuesday, 14 July 2015 7 pm Thursday, 23 July 2015 7 pm
Sunday, 2 August 2015 11 am Tuesday, 11 August 2015 7 pm Thursday, 27 August 2015 7 pm
Tuesday,8 September 2015 7 pm Contact::David Lally dclally@icloud.com
10
11
12
Swans revisited the pond on 24th Oct with a pair and a juve-nile. They remained until 27th Oct and did not re-appear until 8th-15th, again one pair and a juvenile. A lone adult appeared briefly on 21st Feb.
Just as we were convinced that there would be no sightings
of tufted duck or goosanders this year, one pair of goosan-ders arrived on 17th Feb. The numbers increased daily to include 8males and 6females on 24th Feb. Unfortunately, to date there have been no sightings of tufted duck. We also have to report that again there are no moorhen or coot on the pond. Mallard still visit the garden, numbers anything
up to 20!
Sparrows have been regular garden visitors with a maxi-
mum number of 16 on 5th Sept and 15 on 7th Feb. Reed buntings have been interesting visitors to the feeding sta-tions. A lone male on 24th Oct and again on 13th Dec from when it became a daily visitor until 26th Dec when it was joined by a female. Since then they have appeared daily in varying numbers with the maximum totalling 5 males and 3 females.
Reed Bunting at Quorndon Crescent Feeder
Photo credit Fay Blackburn
A grey wagtail made an unexpected appearance on 5th and 7th Dec picking up mixed corn seed from the garden path that had been left by the mallards. A female greater spotted woodpecker arrived on 18th and
19th Dec and 3rd, 8th and 30th Jan. Starlings have been noted on a number of occasions along with coal tits and daily sightings of blue tit, great tit, long-tailed tit, greenfinch, chaffinch, goldfinch, dunnock, robin,
blackbird, collared dove, wood pigeon and magpie.
A dead robin by the feeders on 20th Feb made us suspect the possible presence of a sparrow hawk and this was confirmed the following day when a male bird landed on the hedge just a few feet away from the kitchen win-dow, affording us a remarkable view of this striking predator. The next day our neighbour reported that a fe-male sparrowhawk had taken a blackbird in their garden.
Gr Crested Grebe, several, Little Grebe 1, Lesser Black-back gull 2, Black-headed gull, many, Cormorant 4, Heron 1,
Little Egret 1 (more or less resident), Swan 1 juv, Mallard 6, Gadwall 1pr
Widgeon 2, Tufted duck 100approx, Pochard 10, Goldeneye 4, Goosander 8, Coot, many, Moorhen 4, Oyster Catcher
1, Kestrel 1,
Wood pigeon 2, ***Green Woodpecker 2*** Magpie 4, Robin 3, Blackbird 3, Long-tailed tit 8, Blue tit 4, Great tit 6,
Chaffinch 6, Bullfinch 1, Goldfinch 6, Crow 4, ***Goldcrest 2*** Dunnock 2
PASTURE LANE WORKINGS - 23rd January 2015 33 sightings
in approx. 90 minutes RSPB Bird Watch at Long Eaton School 2015
Photo credit Fay Blackburn
OUT AND ABOUT On Friday 20th February, in response to a request for vol-unteers, we joined two staff members of the Long Eaton School to assist with the Year 9 Environmental Science class in their assignment to the RSPB Annual Bird Survey. The 25 pupils were divided into four groups and we trav-ersed the playing fields before following the bank of the Ere-wash Canal and the school perimeter fence of the ad-
joining fox covert. Obviously some pupils displayed more interest in the proceedings than others but several were evidently quite enthusiastic and we spend the hour stress-ing the importance and relationship of birds within the environment. Each child was given an identification chart and amongst the birds recorded were 70+ black-headed
gull and 4 common gulls, moorhen, mallard, crow, magpie,
jackdaw, starling, blackbird, wood pigeon, pied wagtail, chaffinch and house sparrows, this more or less comprised the list.
Barker’s Pond– Our Garden
Fay and John Blackburn
13
Garden Birds and Butterflies
Alan Heath
14
Garden Birds 6 Sussex Way, Sandiacre NG1– 5NU
Stuart Gilder
15
Bird J F M A My Jn Jy A S O N D
Blackbird 4 5 3 4 4 5 6 4 4 7 9 4
Blk-headed gull 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bluetit 2 2 2 2 3 6 6 5 2 2 3 2
Buzzard 0
Chaffinch 1 3 4 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2
Chiffchaff 2
Coal tit 1 1 1 1
Collared dove 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1
Cormorant 0 0
Carrion crow 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1
Dunnock 1 2 2 2 2 1 3 2 3 2 2 2
Feral pigeon 2
Fieldfare 0
Goldcrest 1
Goldfinch 8 10 7 8 11 10 6 16 17 11 17 30
Grasshopper
wrbler
1
Great tit 2 2 2 2 8 10 4 4 2 2 2 2
Greenfinch 5 7 6 4 3 4 6 6 4 4 6 5
Gt spotted
wdpkr
0 1 1 1
Grey heron 1 0 1 0 0 1
Herring gull 0
House martin 0 0 0 0 0 0
House sparrow 6 5 5 4 7 10 8 11 9 7 13 9
Jay 1 1
Lesser redpoll 1 1
Long tailed tit 4 4 2 2 2 7 2 4 4 7 9 4
Magpie 2 1 4 4 2 7 3 3 1 2 1 1
Mallard 2 3 2 2 1 2 2
Mistle thrush 0 0
Redwing 1 9
Reed bunting 2
Robin 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 2
Siskin 1 2 2
Song thrush 1
Sparrowhawk 0 1 0
Stock dove 1 2 3 2 3 3 3 2 2 3
Starling 1 1 15 24 32 1 2
Swift 0
Tree sparrow 1
Wood pigeon 6 6 5 5 6 3 3 4 5 7 5 4
Wren 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Joan & Keith Breakwell, 60 Wensleydale Road, Garden Birds 2014 The figures are the highest number of each species seen in the garden at any one time during the month.
0 denotes a bird that was seen, but didn’t land in the garden.
16
Butterfly J F M A M Jn Jl A S O N D
Small white 1 2 1 3 2 1 1
Large white 1 2 2 1 1 2 1
Green-veined white 1 1 1 2 1
Comma 1 1 1 1
Holly blue 3 3 1 2 2 1 1
Small tortoiseshell 3 1 1 1 1 1
Gate-keeper 8 1
Speckled wood 2 2 3 1 2 2 2
Peacock 1 6 1 4 1 1 1
Red admiral 1 1 3 1 1
Brimstone 1 1 1 1
Orange tip 2 2
Ringlet 2 1
Large skipper 1
Meadow brown 1
Dragonfly J F M A M Ju Jl A S O N D
Azure damselfly
Banded demoiselle 1 1 2
Blue-tailed
dmselfly
1
Broad-bodied chser 1 1
Brown hawker 1 2
Cmmn blue dmslfly 1 4 4
Common darter 4 2 3 3
Lge red damselfly 3 1 1
Migrant hawker 2 1
Southern hawker 1 2 2 1
Joan & Keith Breakwell, 60 Wensleydale Road, Garden Butterflies and Dragonflies 2014
17
Garden Birds 4 Hardy Close, Long Eaton
Gwen Bates
18
Our house has a south facing front and a north facing back with gardens on all 4 sides. The back garden is domi-nated by a huge horse chestnut tree, this featured on East Midlands Today in a feature about leaf problems. The front garden is the biggest and is filled with a variety of flowers, shrubs and trees and a well-tended vegetable patch. Until last year we had a cooking apple tree called Peasgood Non Such which kept the whole family sup-plied with apple pies and crumbles for most of the year! Sadly it succumbed to a fungal disease and it was felled
late last year. My husband used to keep bees and has always been keen on organic gardening so we planned the garden to be friendly to nature. We have a good sized buddleia that attracts plenty of butterflies and the garden always has
flowers for bees.
I joined the BTO birdwatch when it first started and I enjoy watching and recording the variety of feathered visi-tors we have. There are 3 feeding stations although the birds ignore the one in our pear tree. Happily they do visit the Niger seed feeder in the middle of the garden near to the bird bath and the bird table that we have next to a yew tree at the front of a shrub bed. I keep the bird table well stocked with sunflower hearts and dried meal worms. And the birdbaths in both gardens well stocked with water. We attract the usual garden birds such as Great Tits, Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Green Finches, Gold Finches, Chaf-
finches, Sparrows, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Thrushes and the ever present Collared Doves and Wood Pigeons. We have also been lucky to have had Green Woodpecker and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker visit as well as a Gold-crest which we mistook for a Wren until it grazed for greenfly over the climbing rose outside the lounge window!
We also have 2 nest boxes on the front of the house and I am pleased to report that we have had many broods of Blue Tits raised in them over the years, although we have never been around at the right time to see the ba-bies leave the nest.
When we first came to live in the Long Eaton area we could walk from our garden across the fields to the canal and Trent Lock. Now, 50 years later, we are completely surrounded by housing, except for the football ground off Manchester Street.
Our Garden – 4 Hardy Close, Long Eaton
Gwen Bates
19
Since Gwen joined the British Trust for Ornithology and its Garden Birdwatch Project in 1995 she has kept a
weekly record of birds visiting her garden at 4 Hardy Close, Long Eaton.
Let us have a closer look at this valuable dataset. After tabulation of the monthly highest counts, an annual
total and average was calculated for each species. A percentage change was calculated compared with pre-
vious years.A t-test was used to calculate the significance of changes set at a probability of less than
0.05%, the smaller the probability the greater the likelihood of real changes. Where there is a great variation
in the counts each year, it is more difficult to prove real changes are taking place, which is why it is good to
have a consistent series of records to carry out comparisons:
Total number of sightings = 13 680
Total no of species 1995-2014 = 32
Total no of species sighted in 2014 = 21
Highest no of species = 24 in 2001
Lowest no of species = 18 in 2008
Year with highest count = 931 in 2004
Year with lowest count = 469 in 2008
Total annual count in 2014 =587
Heron (1999), siskin (1998) willow tit (2000), and green woodpecker (2013) have only been seen in one year.
Most common birds 1995-2013
20
Most common birds 1995-2013
Most common 2006 -2013
21
Most common 2014
Statistically significant increases in 2014 compared with the average counts 1995-2013:
All years 2014 % increase Probability of
significance
Blue tit
36 42 15% 0.00022
Great tit
17 27 46% 8.07E-07
Jackdaw
0 4 100% 4.87E-17
Pied wagtail
<1 1 100% 1.67E-07
Wood pigeon
30 51 69% 1.60E-09
22
Statistically significant decreases in 2014 compared with the average counts 1995-2013:
All years 2014 % decrease Probability of
significance
Blackbird 47 37 -22% 2.59E-13
Bullfinch 5 2 -57%
0.01661
Greater spotted woodpecker 1 0 100% 0.00147
Housesparrow 126 59 -53%
0.00081
Long tailed tit 12 0 100% 0.00322
Magpie
14 7 -49% 0.00045
Mistlethrush 3 0 100% 0.00861
Robin
16 13 -20% 0.0025
Songthrush
7 3 -55% 0.00114
Starling
-26%
Wren 8 5 -35%
0.0045
Not seen in 2014
Blackcap
Fieldfare
Goldcrest
Greater spotted Woodpecker
Green woodpecker
Heron
Long tailed tit
Mistle thrush
Redwing
Siskin
Willow tit
At first glance it seems 2014 was not a good year for 4 Hardy Close with 11 species showing a significant
reduction compared with previous years.11 species not seen at all and there was a very significant reduc-
tion of 15% in the total annual count in 2014 compared with the average annual counts since 1995
BUT it can be seen that there is a very significant reduction of 40% in counts when the average annual count
pre-2006 is compared with post 2006. If the post 2006 results are averaged there is no significant reduc-
tion in the total annual count in 2014!
23
Some change in the local environment has occurred which has affected some species more than others
24
Statistically significant changes in annual average bird counts pre-2006 compared with post 2006
pre-2006 post 2006 % increase or
decrease
Probability of
significance
Bullfinch 3 6 +91%
0.04532
Dunnock
17 11 -35% 0.01842
Housesparrow 172 54 -75% 1.73E-06
Jackdaw 0 1 +100% 0.02305
Magpie 16 8 -51% 0.0146
Mistlethrush 5 0 -100% 0.01269
Starling
227 93 -59% 0.01216
Songthrush
9 2 -76% 1.33E-05
Sparrowhawk 2 <1 -79% 0.01845
Wood pigeon
27 34 +25% 0.00546
Wren 10 4 -63% 1.81E-05
3 species have increased (Jackdaws were first seen in 2012) and 8 species have decreased, significantly since 2006.
Statistically significant increases in 2014 compared with the average counts 1995-2006:
Pre-2006 aver-
age annual
count
2014 % increase Probability of
significance
Bluetit 37 42 15% 0.0057
Great tit
18 27 51% 1.27E-5
Jackdaw 0 4 100% 4.95E-14
Wood pigeon 27 51 91 4.81E-07
25
Statistically significant decreases in 2014 compared with the average counts 1995-2006
Pre-2006
average an-
nual count
2014 % decrease Probability of
significance
Blackbird 49 37 -12% 2.48E-7
Bluetit 17 13 -25% 0.00819
Fieldfare
<1 0 -100% 0.03881
Greater spotted
woodpecker
1 0 -100% 0.01368
Housesparrow 172 59 -66% 5.01E-6
Long tailed tit 13 0 100% 1.50E-05
Magpie 16 7 60% 0.001
Long tailed tit 5 0 100% 0.00571
Robin 17 13 24% 0.00149
Song thrush 9 3 67% 5.25E-6
Starling 237 134 34% 0.00369
Wren 10 5 50% 1.78E-05
Statistically significant increases in 2014 compared with the average counts 2007-2013:
Post-2006 2014 % increase Probability of
significance
Blue tit
33 42 28% 0.02682
Coal tit
4 8 84% 0.02898
Great tit 19 27 40% 0.02264
Jackdaw
0 4 100% 2.56E-05
Pied wagtail
<1 1 100% 0.00096
Sparrowhawk <1 1 100% 0.04653
Wood pigeon
34 51 52% 0.00012
Statistically significant decreases in 2014 compared with the average counts 2007-2013:
26
Blackbird 39 37 -4%
0.00667
Bullfinch 6 2 -66% 0.04306
Goldfinch
37 29 -21% 0.00387
Statistically significant decreases in 2014 compared with the average counts 2007-2013:
The results show there may have been a significant change in the local environment which resulted in a signifi
cant reduction in bird counts. After 2006 mistlethrush has not been seen and the number and frequency of
other species has reduced. A new norm with reduced numbers has been established and 2014 seems not to
have been such a bad year after all! Compared with post-2006 records 7 species show a statistically signifi-
cant increase in numbers although it was not such a good year for blackbird, bullfinch or goldfinch. It will be
interesting to see if the generalised increase of bird counts will continue or if the changes are such that the
reduced level of counts will continue in future years.
Marion Bryce January 2015
27
Another species with a justified reputation as a pest species. Not just a Nottinghamshire resident but present throughout the Country and in many other parts of the world.
The Brown rat Rattus norvegicus is a native of central Asia which was introduced to the British Isles around 1720. It has subsequently spread throughout the British Isles, and indeed much of the temperate World, carried especially by humans in ships.
Identification should be relatively easy but quite a number of people seem to confuse this species with Water
vole. Brown rats have greyish-brown fur, prominent pointed muzzles, eyes and ears. They have long, al-most naked tails which are almost as long as the head and body combined. Water voles tend to be darker with blunt muzzles, ears which are hardly visible and shorter, hairy tails> Rats head & body are 150 - 270
mm long and have a tail length of 105 - 240 mm. They weigh up to 600g, but usually 200-300g. They sel-dom live longer than a year. Reproduction takes place all year round. Females can begin to breed at 3-4 months old, and if food is readily available may breed continuously, but typically have five litters a year. Litter size increases from around 6 in young females weighing 150g, to 11 in females of 500g. The young
are born blind and hairless, but their eyes open at 6 days, and they are weaned at about 3 weeks.
Brown rats are omnivorous and will consume almost anything, but cereals form a substantial part of their diet. Brown rats are not territorial and live in loose colonies with a hierarchy based on size and age. Rats dig their own burrows, and entrances are usually joined by obvious well-used runs.
As an alien, a major pest of stored foodstuffs, and the carrier of various human diseases (including Weil’s disease and plague), the rat is considered as a major pest species and great efforts are made to eradicate
it. This is particularly true in domestic situations and in populations on many islands where they have a major impact on much native fauna including many scarce breeding birds.
I am sure that there are few people who have not seen this species; indeed many will have them visiting their gardens. However, despite them being the only species in southern England with Reds being confined to a few isolated sites, reports of reds in urban gardens are still being received.
Grey Squirrels Sciurus carolinensis were brought to Britain in 1828 when some were brought to Wales as novel-ties. Further releases were made from the late 1880’s and the species has subsequently spread across most of mainland Britain.
Grey Squirrels are larger than reds with a length of 24-28.5 cm. and a tail length of 19.5-24 cm. Females weigh 0.4-0.72 kg, and males 0.44-0.65 kg. They generally have a speckled silver-grey coat, with a brownish tinge on feet, face and along the back, especially in summer; the tail is fringed white. Red Squirrels have a uniform red-
dish-brown fur. Females live for up to 5 years and males around 2-3 years. Squirrels are diurnal, with peaks
of activity in the early morning and late afternoon. They are not territorial, but share home ranges and tem-porally abundant food sources. They make a nest (drey) of twigs (cut, live from the tree. Dreys are usually tucked in a fork against the trunk, though squirrels also use large holes in trees as drey sites. Grey squirrels are essentially animals of deciduous woodland, and are dependant upon the large seeds of such trees as oak, beech, hazel, sweet chestnut and walnut. In autumn, when abundant, these seeds are stored, often underground. Because deciduous fruit falls to the ground in autumn, grey squirrels spend much more time
foraging on the ground, and burying fruits there, than Red Squirrels.
Females usually have two litters a year, in early spring and summer. Young squirrels are born blind and hairless, in litters of 3-4, after a gestation of 44 days. Lactation lasts up to 10 weeks, though the young start to take solid food after about 8 weeks. They can breed at 10-12 months old.
Grey Squirrels carry a virus which is fatal to reds but to which they themselves are immune. They cause at least £50 million a year in damage to commercial forestry and ancient woodland killing trees by stripping bark. They also cause problems by taking the eggs and young of many song birds. With the move to more
urban areas they bring many problems to our gardens and wildlife. They have no legal protection and are classed as a pest species. Under schedule 19 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act it is an offence to release them into the wild.
GREY SQUIRREL by John Ellis
BROWN RAT by John Ellis
28
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Butt
erc
up, C
reepin
g
Ranunculu
s r
epens
Butt
erc
up, M
eadow
R
anunculu
s a
cris
Cam
pio
n, B
ladder
Sile
ne v
ulg
aris
Cam
pio
n,
Red
Sile
ne d
ioic
a
29
Cam
pio
n, W
hite
Sile
ne latifo
lia
Cela
ndin
e,
Lesser
Ranunculu
s fic
aria
Chic
kw
eed,
Com
mon
Ste
llaria m
edia
Chic
kw
eed,
Gre
ate
r S
tella
ria n
egle
cta
Cin
quefo
il, C
reepin
g
Pote
ntilla
repta
ns
Cle
avers
or
Goosegra
ss
Galiu
m a
parin
e
Clo
ver,
Red
Trifo
lium
pra
tense
Clo
ver,
White
Trifo
lium
repens
Coltsfo
ot
Tu
ssila
go farf
ara
Com
frey,
Com
mon
Sym
phytu
m o
ffic
ianale
Com
frey,
Russia
n
Sym
phytu
m x
upla
nd-
icum
Com
mon W
hitlo
wgra
ss
Ero
phila
vern
a
Corn
flo
wer
Centa
ure
a c
yanus
Cow
Pars
ley
Anth
riscus s
ylv
estr
is
Cow
slip
P
rim
ulu
s v
eris
Cra
nesbill
, C
ut-
leaved
Gera
niu
m d
issectu
m
Cra
ne’s
-bill
, D
ove’s
-foot
Gera
niu
m m
olle
Cra
ne’s
-bill
, M
eadow
G
era
niu
m p
rate
nse
Cra
nesbill
, S
mall-
flo
were
d
Gera
niu
m p
usill
um
Cre
ss, T
hale
A
rabid
opsis
thalia
na
Cuckoo P
int
(Lord
s a
nd L
adie
s)
Aru
m m
acula
tum
Daff
odil
Narc
issus p
seudonarc
is-
sus
Dais
y
Belli
s p
ere
nnis
Dais
y,
Ox-e
ye
Belli
s p
ere
nnis
Dandelio
n [
agg]
Ta
raxacum
[agg]
D
ead n
ett
le, W
hite
Lam
ium
alb
um
Dock, B
road-le
aved
Rum
ex o
btu
sifoliu
s
Dock,
Curle
d
Rum
ex c
rispus
Dogs M
erc
ury
M
erc
ura
lis p
ere
nnis
Dra
gon’s
teeth
T
etr
agonolo
bus m
ariti-
mus
Enchante
r’s-n
ights
hade
Circaea lu
tetia
na
Evenin
g P
rim
rose, Larg
e-f
low
ere
d
Oenoth
era
gla
zio
via
na
Everla
stin
g-p
ea,
Bro
ad-le
aved
Lath
yru
s la
tifo
lius
Dock,
Gre
at W
ate
r R
um
ex h
ydro
lapath
um
Fe
rn,
Bro
ad B
uckle
r D
ryopte
ris d
ilata
ta
30
Fe
rn,
Hart
s-t
ongue
Asple
niu
m s
colo
pendri-
um
Fe
rn,
Male
D
ryopte
ris f
ilix-m
as
Fe
verf
ew
T
anacetu
m p
art
heniu
m
Fig
wort
, W
ate
r A
lliu
m o
lera
ceum
Fo
rget-
me-n
ot, F
ield
M
yosotis a
rvensis
Fo
rget-
me-n
ot, W
ate
r M
uosotis s
corp
ioid
es
Fo
rget-
me-n
ot, W
ood
Myosotis s
ylv
atica
Fo
xglo
ve
Dig
italis
purp
ure
a
Gip
syw
ort
Lycopus e
uro
paeus
G
oats
beard
T
ragopogon p
rate
nsis
Gold
en-r
od
Solid
ago v
irgaure
a
Gro
und I
vy
Gle
chom
a h
edera
cea
Gro
undsel
Senecio
vulg
aris
Hare
bell
Cam
panula
rotu
ndifolia
Haw
kbit,
Autu
mn
Leonto
don a
utu
mnalis
Haw
kbit,
Lesser
Leonto
don s
axatilis
Haw
kbit,
Rough
Leonto
don h
ispid
us
Haw
ksbeard
, S
mooth
C
repis
capill
aris
Haw
kw
eeds
Hie
raciu
m s
pp.
Hedge-p
ars
ley,
Uprig
ht
To
rilis
ja
ponic
a
Hem
lock
Coniu
m m
acula
tum
Hem
p-a
grim
ony
Eupato
riu
m c
annabin
um
Hem
p-n
ett
le, R
ed
Gale
opsis
angustifo
lia
Herb
-Robert
G
era
niu
m r
obert
ianum
Hogw
eed
Hera
cle
um
sphondyliu
m
Honeysuckle
Lonic
era
pericly
menum
Hop, W
ild
Hum
ulu
s lu
pulu
s
Hors
era
dis
h
Arm
ora
cia
rusticana
Hors
eta
il, F
ield
(snake g
rass,
puz-
zle
gra
ss)
Equis
etu
m a
rvense
Hors
eta
il, W
ate
r E
quis
etu
m f
luvia
tile
Iris
/ Y
ello
w F
lag
Iris
pseudacoru
s
Ivy
Hedera
felix
Knapw
eed,
Com
mon (
or
"Hard
head")
C
enta
ure
a n
igra
Knotg
rass [agg]
Poly
gonum
avic
ula
re
Lady’s
-mantle
Alc
hem
illa s
p.
Lady’s
Sm
ock
Card
am
ine p
rate
nsis
31
Lett
uce, P
rickly
Lactu
ca s
err
iola
Loosestr
ife, P
urp
le
Lyth
rum
salic
aria
Lucern
e o
r A
lfalfa
Me
dic
ago s
ativa
Mare
sta
il H
ippuris v
ulg
aris
Mars
h-B
edstr
aw
,Com
mon
Galiu
m p
alu
str
e
Mars
h-m
arig
old
C
altha p
alu
str
is
Meado
wsw
eet
Fili
pendula
ulm
aria
M
edic
, B
lack
M. lu
pulin
a
Melil
ot
Me
lilotu
s s
p.
Mig
nonett
e, W
ild
Reseda lu
tea
Merc
ury
, D
og’s
M
erc
uria
lis p
ere
nnis
Mouse-e
ar,
Fie
ld
Cera
stiu
m a
rvense
Mug
wort
(or
Com
mon W
orm
wood)
Art
em
isia
vulg
aris
Mulle
in
Verb
ascum
sp.
Musk-m
allo
w
Ma
lva m
oschata
Musta
rd,
Garlic
(or
Jack-b
y-t
he-h
edge)
Alli
aria
petio
lata
Musta
rd,
Hedge
Sis
ym
briu
m o
ffic
inale
Nett
le, C
om
mon
Urt
ica d
ioic
a
Nig
hts
hade, E
nchante
r’s-
Circaea lu
tetia
na
Nig
hts
hade, W
oody (
or
Bitte
rsw
ee
t)
Sola
num
dulc
am
ara
Nip
ple
wort
Lapsana c
om
munis
Old
Man’s
Beard
C
lem
atis v
italb
a
Orc
hid
, C
om
mon s
pott
ed-
Dacty
lorh
iza f
uchsii
Orc
hid
, N
ort
hern
Mars
h
Dacty
lorh
iza p
urp
ure
lla
Oxto
ngue,
Bristly
Pic
ris e
chio
ides
Pars
ley, H
edge U
prig
ht
To
rilis
ja
ponic
a
Pin
eapple
-weed (
or
Ma
yw
eed)
Ma
tric
aria
dis
coid
ea
Pla
nta
in,
Gre
ate
r P
lanta
go m
ajo
r
Pla
nta
in,
Hoary
P
lanta
go m
edia
Pla
nta
in,
Rib
wort
P
lanta
go la
nceola
ta
Prim
rose
Prim
ula
vulg
aris
Purp
le-lo
osestr
ife
Lyth
rum
salic
aria
Ragged R
obin
Lychnis
flo
s-c
uculi
Ragw
ort
, C
om
mon
Senecio
ja
cobaea
Ragw
ort
, O
xfo
rd
Senecio
squalid
us
Ram
sons (
wild
garlic
) A
lliu
m u
rsin
um
Raspberr
y
Rubus id
aeus
Redshank (
or
Pers
icaria
) P
ers
icaria
maculo
sa
32
Reed,
Com
mon
Phra
gm
ites a
ustr
alis
Rhododendro
n
Rhododendro
n p
onticum
Rush,
Hard
Juncus inflexus
Rush, S
oft
Juncus e
ffusus
Sanic
le
Sanic
ula
euro
paea
Scabio
us, D
evil’
s b
it
Succis
a p
rate
nsis
Scabio
us, F
ield
K
nautia
arv
ensis
Sedge,
Lesser
Pond
Care
x a
cutifo
rmis
Sedge, P
endulo
us
Care
x p
endula
Sedge (
unknow
n s
pecie
s)
Care
x s
p.
Self H
eal
Pru
nella
Vulg
aris
Silv
erw
eed
Pote
ntilla
anserin
a
Skullc
ap, Lesser
Scute
llaria
gale
ricula
ta
Slo
e o
r B
lackth
orn
P
runus s
pin
osa
Sorr
el
Rum
ex s
p.
Sorr
el, C
om
mon
Rum
ex a
ceto
sa
Snow
berr
y
Sym
phoricarp
os a
lbus
Snow
dro
p
Gala
nth
us n
ivalis
Sow
Th
istle, P
rickly
S
onchus a
sper
Sow
Th
istle, S
mooth
S
onchus o
lera
ceus
Speedw
ell,
Germ
ander
Vero
nic
a c
ham
aedry
s
Speedw
ell,
Wood
Vero
nic
a m
onta
na
Sple
enw
ort
, M
aid
enhair
Asple
niu
m trichom
anes
agg
Spurg
e
Euphorb
ia s
p.
Spurg
e,
Pett
y
Euphorb
ia p
eplu
s
Stitc
hw
ort
, Lesser
Ste
llaria g
ram
inea
St. J
ohn’s
-wort
, H
airy
Hypericum
hirsutu
m
St. J
ohn’s
Wort
, P
erf
ora
te
Hypericum
perf
ora
tum
Sto
necro
p, E
nglis
h
Sedum
anglic
um
Sto
necro
p,
Rock
Sedum
fors
tera
num
Str
aw
berr
y, W
ild
Fra
garia
vesca
*S
traw
berr
y, W
ild (
need to c
heck if
not
Barr
en S
traw
berr
y)
Fra
garia
vesca
Ta
nsy
Ta
nacetu
m v
ulg
are
Ta
re,
Hairy
Vic
ia h
irsuta
Ta
re,
Sm
ooth
V
icia
tetr
asperm
a
Te
asel
Dip
sacus fullo
num
Te
asel, S
ma
ll D
ipsacus p
ilosus
Th
istle
, C
reepin
g
Cirsiu
m a
rvense
Th
istle
, S
pear
Cirsiu
m v
ulg
are
To
adfla
x,
Com
mon
Lin
aria
vulg
aris
To
adfla
x,
Sm
all
Chaenorr
hin
ium
min
us
33
To
rmentil
Pote
ntilla
ere
cta
Tre
foil,
Birdsfo
ot
Lotu
s c
orn
icula
tus
Tw
aybla
de,
Com
mon (
an o
r-chid
) N
eott
ia o
vata
(Lis
tera
ovata
)
Vetc
h,
Com
mon
Vic
ia s
ativa
Vetc
h, T
ufted
Vic
ia c
racca
Vetc
hlin
g, M
eadow
Lath
yru
s p
rate
nsis
Vio
let, C
om
mon D
og
Vio
la r
ivin
iana
Wate
rcre
ss
Rorip
pa n
astu
rtiu
m
aquaticum
Wate
rcre
ss, F
ool’s
A
piu
m n
odiflo
rum
Wate
r-lil
y, Y
ello
w
Nuphar
lute
a
Wate
r-pla
nta
in
Alis
ma p
lanta
go-
aquatica
Will
ow
-herb
, B
road L
eaved
Epilo
biu
m m
onta
num
Will
ow
-herb
, G
reat
(Codlin
s
and C
ream
) E
pilo
biu
m h
irsutu
m
Will
ow
herb
, H
oary
E
pilo
biu
m p
arv
iflo
rum
Will
ow
herb
, M
ars
h
Epilo
biu
m p
alu
str
e
Will
ow
-herb
, R
osebay
Epilo
biu
m a
ngustifo
lium
Wood A
vens/H
erb
Bennet
Geum
urb
anum
Woodru
ff
Galiu
m o
dora
tum
Worm
wood
Art
em
isia
absin
thiu
m
Woundw
ort
, H
edge
Sta
chys s
ylv
atica
Woundw
ort
, M
ars
h
Sta
chys p
alu
str
is
Yarr
ow
A
chill
ea m
ille
foliu
m
LE
AD
U3
A -
Pla
nt
Gro
up
S
ITE
Deep
dale
Appro
ach
Dim
min
s-
dale
NR
Elv
asto
n
Castle
Natu
re
Rese
rve
Gold
en
Bro
ok
Sto
r-
age
La
go
on
Ere
wa
sh
Canal,
Sandia
cre
T
icknall
Lim
eyard
s
Chella
sto
n
Brickw
ork
s
Toto
n
Sid
-
ings
Pio
ne
er
Mea
do
ws,
Kirk H
alla
m
End
of
Pastu
re
Lan
e,
Lon
g
Eato
n
Benn
erl
ey
Via
duct,
nr
Ilkesto
n
Wo
od
y P
lan
ts o
bs
erv
ed
2014
GR
ID R
EF
S
K170
706
SK
379220
SK
406333
SK
469333
S
K353241
S
K
492346
SK
455396
SK
507317
SK
476434
DA
TE
13/0
8/2
01
4
14/0
5/2
01
4
12/0
3/2
01
4
23/0
7/2
01
4
28/0
5/2
01
4
11/0
6/2
01
4
########
09/0
4/2
01 4
01/1
0/2
01
4
09/0
7/2
01 4
10/0
9/2
014
Ald
er,
Com
mon
Aln
us g
lutin
osa
Ald
er,
Buckth
orn
F
rangula
aln
us
Ald
er,
Gre
y
Aln
us in
cana
Apple
, C
rab
Ma
lus s
ylv
estr
is
Apple
, D
om
estic
Ma
lus d
om
estica
Ash,
Com
mon
Fra
xin
us e
xcels
ior
Aspen
Populu
s t
rem
ula
Beech C
om
mon
Fa
gus s
ylv
atica
34
Birch, S
ilver
Betu
la p
endula
Birch, W
eepin
g
Betu
la p
endula
‘Y
oungii’
Bla
ckth
orn
(S
loe)
Pru
nus s
pin
osa
Buddle
ja
Buddle
ja a
ltern
ifolia
Buddle
ja
Buddle
ja d
avid
ii
Cherr
y, W
ild
Pru
nus a
viu
m
Chestn
ut, C
om
mon H
ors
e
Aesculu
s h
ippocasta
neum
Cra
b, W
ild
Ma
lus s
ylv
estr
is
Curr
ant
(type?)
Rib
es s
p.
Dogw
ood,
Com
mon
Corn
us s
anguin
ea
Eld
er
Sam
bucus n
igra
l
Elm
U
lmus m
inor
var.
vulg
aris
Elm
, E
nglis
h
Ulm
us p
rocera
Elm
, W
ych
Ulm
us g
labra
Fa
lse A
cacia
R
obin
ia p
seudoacacia
Gooseberr
y
Rib
es u
va-c
rispa
Gors
e, F
urz
e
Ule
x e
uro
paeus
Gueld
er
Rose
Vib
urn
um
opulu
s
Haw
thorn
, C
om
mon
Cra
taegus m
onogyna
Hazel
Cory
lus a
vella
na
Holly
Ile
x a
quifoliu
m
Larc
h, E
uro
pean
Larix d
ecid
ua
Larc
h
Larix s
p.
Lim
e,
Com
mon
Tili
a x
vulg
aris
Lim
e, S
mall
leaved
Tili
a c
ord
ata
Maple
, F
ield
A
cer
cam
pestr
e
M
aple
, N
orw
ay
Acer
pla
tanoid
es
Oak, E
nglis
h o
r P
eduncula
te
Querc
us r
obur
Oak, R
ed
Querc
us r
ubra
Oak, T
urk
ey
Querc
us c
err
is
Pin
e, A
ustr
ian
Pin
us n
igra
Popla
r, H
ybrid
Bla
ck
Populu
s x
canadensis
35
Popla
r, W
hite
Populu
s a
lba
Privet, G
ard
en
Lig
ustr
um
ovalif
oliu
m
Privet, W
ild
Lig
ustr
um
vulg
are
Red C
urr
ant
Rib
es r
ubru
m
Rhus (
Sta
gshorn
Sum
ach)
Rhus typhin
a
Rose,
Dog
Rosa c
anin
a a
gg.
R
ose,
Gueld
er
Vib
urn
um
opulu
s
Rose, F
ield
R
osa a
rvensis
Row
an (
Mounta
in A
sh)
Sorb
us a
ucuparia
Slo
e o
r B
lackth
orn
P
runus s
pin
osa
Spin
dle
Tre
e
Euonym
us e
uro
paeus
Sycam
ore
A
cer
pseudopla
tanus
Wayfa
rin
g T
ree
Vib
urn
um
la
nta
na
Whitebeam
, S
wedis
h
Sorb
us inte
rmedia
Will
ow
, A
lmond
Salix
tria
ndra
Will
ow
, C
rack
Salix
fra
gili
s
Will
ow
, G
oat
Salix
capre
a
Will
ow
, G
rey
Salix
cin
ere
a
Will
ow
, O
sie
r S
alix
vim
inalis
Will
ow
, W
eepin
g
Salix
sepulc
ralis
Will
ow
, W
hite
Salix
alb
a
Yew
, C
om
mon
Ta
xus b
accata
Dave P
inney w
rite
s.
Ple
ase f
ind a
ttached o
ur
Long E
ato
n a
nd D
istr
ict
U3A P
lant
Stu
dy G
roup 2
014 s
pre
ad-
sheet.
I a
m s
ure
that
there
will be a
few
err
ors
so feel fr
ee t
o c
orr
ect
any y
ou s
pot
but
ple
ase let
me k
now
.
You w
ill see t
hat
there
are
tw
o c
ate
gori
es o
f pla
nts
, herb
aceous a
nd w
oody.
Gra
sses a
re ‘w
ork
in p
rogre
ss’ .
Our
U3A g
roup m
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37
In early 2014 LENS was asked to do an Environmental Survey at Trowell Boards next to the Erewash Canal ‘hot
waters’ (Stanton Ironworks was on the other side of the canal ) now Trowell Marsh Nature Reserve.. The Canal
and River Trust had bought some land close to the nature reserve 20 years ago, so they had somewhere to dump
canal dredgings. These have toxic residues so can’t be spread on agricultural land but now this is a sensitive
wildlife site so they need to know if protected species such as great crested newt, grass snake, tree sparrow are
present.
The nature reserve is between the canal and the railway and is a bit of a secret garden. Pushing through a nettly
stile, is a path through a hawthorn copse where the ground is quite bare. Beetles hide under small piles of con-
crete rubble. A snail eating beetle.
House sparrows, goldfinches and whitethroat sang in the hedge which bordered the railway line.
The many colourful wildflowers in the meadow were alive with many insects, comma, gatekeeper and ringlet.
Cinnabar and latticed heath moths. An iridescent green St John’s Wort leaf beetle and a seed eating beetle bur-
rowing its head into a mauve knapweed flower.
There were more banded agrions than I have ever seen on one site.
One night we went to listen for bats, brown long eared and common pipistrelle. Daubentons swept the canal sur-
face.
A jay screamed from its woodland lair mostly hawthorn with a few ‘proper’ trees such as spindle, turkey oak and
apple. Pink orchid spikes on the path. The shaded understorey covered with ground ivy, figwort and a hybrid
comfrey,speckled wood in the dappled light.
Trowell Marsh
Snail eating beetle Cychrus caraboides
Trowell Marsh June 2014
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Whitethroat
Trowell Marsh June 2014
Photo credit Marion Bryce
The Meadow
Trowell Marsh July 2014
Photo credit Marion Bryce
A stripey bug Pycnoptera striata
Trowell Marsh July 2014
Photo credit Marion Bryce
38
Common frog, common newt and common toad under carpet tiles and carabid with staphylinid beetles.
At the farther end, wet feet, a splash of yellow loosestrife in a cloud of meadowsweet, marsh willowherb, hem-
lock and skullcap among reedmace and reed grass. Hawkers and hoverflies and green veined whites, glossy
wax snail and marsh slug. Willowherb leaf beetles and skullcap leaf beetles gems on the green leaves.
A site with much natural history interest but as the summer progressed the grass in the meadow grew taller
and creeping thistle scratched, nettle and bramble grew high in the wood.
‘A problematic nature reserve’ difficult to access but the Erewash Borough Council team pulverised the towering
vegetation and a good team from LENS removed the cuttings.
It was not until Autumn I found the other, larger, half of the nature reserve. Woodland, oak, ash and willow and
a lot of Japanese knotweed. A path through and a great site for exploration with Wellington boots led to a
world of weird and wonderful fungi.
Now you know why and how LENS became a prime contact for Trowell Marsh and will invite you to take part in
the grass raking on the meadow this year! Marion Bryce February 2015
Yellow Loosestrife and Meadowsweet
Trowell Marsh June 2014
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Skullcap leaf beetle
Trowell Marsh June 2014
Photo credit Marion Bryce
LENS Volunteers on Meadow
Trowell Marsh October 2014
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Dog Stinkhorn
Trowell Marsh November 2014
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Sunday
27 September
2-4pm
Trowell Marsh LNR
Little Hallam Lane, Ilkeston
Meet at canal bridge
Meadow management
Hay turning on the meadow
Led by Marion Bryce (LENS)
LENSnaturalhistory@gmail.com
39
It is always a delight to walk around Stoney Clouds Sandiacre. The sandstone rocks and thin acid soils have a dif
ferent flora compared to the muds and shales around Long Eaton. It is dark in the dense planted mixed deciduous woodland at the top but there are a few veteran trees in among the competing saplings. The hedged meadow shows ridge and furrow which is visible on land that was ploughed in an Open Field System but which has not
been ploughed since then. A lot of the meadow area is high in phosphates, but the thinner dry acid grassland has an interesting flora including harebell, sheep’s sorrel, pignut, bulbous buttercup and sheep’s fescue grass and there are colourful fungi wax caps and golden spindles in autumn. There is a rock outcrop with a steep escarpment bluebells grown under the twisted oaks. ‘Cardboard Hill’ is where children slide down on cardboard boxes and on sledges if it snows this helps to keep the invasive bracken at bay. Stoney Clouds is a Local Nature Reserve owned and managed by Erewash Borough Council. In 2014 Derbyshire Wildlife Trust reviewed the management
plan for the reserve and Natural England awarded a stewardship grant. http://www.erewash.gov.uk/
media/files/Erewash_in_Bloom/Stoney_Clouds_LNR_Management_Plan_2013_-_2023.pdf
Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly sunning
by hedge, Stoney Clouds 18 August 2013
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Speckled Wood butterfly on bracken Stoney Clouds 15 September 2014
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Sand Digger Wasp Stoney Clouds 18 August 2013
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Devil’s bit scabious Succisa pratensis Stoney Clouds
15 September 2014
Photo credit Marion Bryce
38
Sandstone outcrop at Stoney Clouds 20 May 2013 Photo credit Marion Bryce
40
Nightlife-Elephant Hawk Moth
Stoney Clouds 09 May 2010
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Barbut’s cuckoo bee Stoney Clouds
15 September 2014
Emperor Dragonfly Stoney Clouds
15 September 2014
Golden rod Solidago virgaurea Stoney Clouds
15 September 2014
Bluebells grow beneath the twisted oaks at Stoney Clouds 20 May 2013
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Golden spindles Stoney Clouds
15 September 2014
Photo credit Marion Bryce
Saturday
June 13th
10am – 12pm
Stoney Clouds LNR,
Church Street, Sandiacre
Meet at Church Street entrance
Tour of Stoney Clouds biodiversity
Uncover the rich wildlife in this
attractive mosaic of habitats
Led by Teresa Hughes (DWT)
41
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
NU
MB
ER O
F B
UTT
ERFL
IES
WEEK NUMBER
2014 BUTTERFLY COUNTS BY WEEK NUMBER AT 3 SITES
TOTON WASHLANDS
MAYFIELD
FORBES
BUTTERFLY TRANSECTS 2014
Butterfly transects were carried out according to Butterfly Conservation guidelines. For these charts the high-
est single count in any one week was plotted. Grid reference of sites as follows, Toton Washlands SK496343,
Mayfield Grove Buffer Stop SK492343, Forbes Hole SK495324.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
SMAL
L SKI
PPER
ESSE
X SK
IPPE
R
LARG
E SK
IPPE
R
DING
Y SK
IPPE
R
BRIM
STO
NE
LARG
E W
HIT
E
SMAL
L WH
ITE
GREE
N VE
INED
WHI
TE
ORA
NGE
TIP
SMAL
L COP
PER
BRO
WN
ARG
US
COM
MO
N BL
UE
HOLL
Y BL
UE
RED
ADM
IRAL
PAIN
TED
LADY
SMAL
L TO
RTOI
SESH
ELL
PEAC
OCK
COM
MA
DARK
GRE
EN F
RITI
LLAR
Y
SPEC
KLED
WO
OD
MAR
BLED
WHI
TE
GATE
KEEP
ER
MEA
DOW
BRO
WN
RING
LET
SMAL
L H
EATH
NUM
BER
OF
BUTT
ERFL
IES
2014 BUTTERFLY SPECIES BY NUMBER AT 3 SITES
TOTON WASHLANDS
MAYFIELD
FORBES
42
Volume 2 Issue 15 Page 42
Week 1 was 1 April and we seemed to miss the start of the season by about 3 weeks so I added a count for week 0. After a sunny start to the year we had a
number of weeks when the cloud cover stopped the butterflies from flying and counts of 0 were received. Mayfield Grove, a problematic site becoming overgrown by scrub and a dumping ground for rubbish still showed the highest butterfly counts due to high
numbers of ringlets. Marbled white and dark green fritillary were new additions to the amazing variety of species on the site. The footpath to Norfolk wildlife space saw high numbers of large skip-pers. Extensive scrub management was carried out at Toton Washlands
2012 Temperature exceeded 50F on 13 days in January
Warmest February 66F on 23rd
Alan Heath has produced a continua-tion of his 50 year report(1960-2009). It covers the 5 year period 2010-2014. Copies are available in the reference section of Long Eaton
library.
Here are the record breaking high-
lights of 55 years of weather record-
ing
Notable weather events
2010 Very cold December.
Noctilucent clouds on 9 July.
2011 Warmest April day
81F on 23rd
Warmest September day
87F on 30th
Warmest October day 84F on 1st
Lowest rainfall 16.11 ins
Wettest April
Warmest May
Coldest August
Highest rainfall 36.10 ins
Local rivers in flood
November and again in December 2012
2013 There were 14 days with tempera-tures of 50F or more in December
2014
Wettest January
Driest September
Warmest Halloween day
292 tetrads ( an increase of 5 times
since 1995). The Ringlet figures are
even more dramatic – 14 localities in
1995, which increased to 32 squares
in the year 2000, and the figure for
2013 was 256 tetrads (an increase of
18 times since 1995 and 8 times
since the year 2000).
Ken Orpe has sent information on
the expansion of the Speckled
Wood and the Ringlet in Derby-
shire-
Speckled Woods were noted at
59 localities in 1995, which in-
creased to 156 squares in the year
2000, and the figure for 2013 was
Speckled Wood and Ringlets in Derbyshire
Ken Orpe
but this was not reflected in higher butterfly numbers, although a good variety of day flying moths were seen including chimney sweeper. The Es-
sex skipper range extended to Toton Washlands. The season that had started early also finished early and the overall counts were similar to 2013.
Marbled white at Mayfield 24
June 2014
Photo credit Colin Benn
Weather Records in Long Eaton 2010-2014
Alan Heath
Long Eaton Butterfly Transects
2013 2014
TOTON 835 769
MAYFIELD 1140 1146
FORBES not done 769
Ringlet
Photo credit
Marion Bryce
43
LENS Long Eaton Natural History
Society
Membership Renewal Form
I would like to be a member of Long Eaton Natural History
Society
Name ________________________________
Address ________________________________
________________________________
Postcode_________________________
Tel no___________________________
Email____________________________
I enclose a cheque/postal order for £8.00
The annual subscription entitles members to attend meetings at £1.00 per session.
I agree/do not agree that LENS can keep my name on a database.
Please return completed form to the Hon Treasurer, Helen
Knewstubb,
9 Kingsley Crescent, Sawley Long Eaton NG10 3DA
Future events 2015
14th September First indoor meeting
Indoor meetings start at 7.15pm in the Social Activities Annex,
Long Eaton Public Library, Broad Street , Long Eaton. Cost £1 for
members, £2 for visitors. All welcome.
CONTACT:
Alan Heath 0115.9733766/Lensnaturalhistory@gmail.com
We would l ike to you to join LENS for a number of
conservation act ivi t ies; you wi l l need to bring stout
shoes/boots and or wellies; warm clothes; waterproofs;
flask or other sustenance to keep you going! Pick up a
summer programme at one of our meetings.
Peregrine Falcon at Long Eaton School
December 2014
Photo credit Adrian Orrell
Thanks to all contributors
and Colin Benn, David
Pinney, Alan Heath,
Adrian Orrell, Dan
Widdowson and Marion
Bryce for photographs
used in this bulletin.
Please send pictures and
wildlife news to the Editor,
Marion Bryce
EMAIL ADDRESS:
Lensnaturalhistory@gmail.com
CONTACTS
Gwen Sandhu nee Ellis 15 Nov 2014
Photo credit Marion Bryce
It is with great sadness we report the
death of Gwen Sandhu, a great environ-
mental campaigner and daughter of Fred
and Ruth Ellis, founder members of LENS.
At the Insect Show she was planning a
family celebration of the life of her father
who would have been 90 in December.
She wanted to know all about his conser-
vation activities as founder Chairman of
LENS and leading working parties for Der-
byshire Wildlife Trust at Risley Glebe dig-
ging a large pond for great crested newt
translocation and also with his wife Ruth-
regularly manning the sales caravan at
Dovedale.
Gwen was involved with Derby Environ-
mental week for some years and main-
tained a strong environmental lobby on
local government activities.
Gwen died 25 Nov after a very short ill-
ness and is a great loss to the world of
conservation.
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