Bernwood Meadows

17 May 2026

Bernwood Meadows was once part of the Royal Forest of Bernwood where Norman Kings hunted deer and wild boar. The forest stretched for many miles across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire in a patchwork for fields, woodland and ponds. BBOWT now manages five reserves within the area, Bernwood Meadows being one. The meadows are grazed at the appropriate times and volunteers cut back the edges and coppice trees to discourage encroaching scrub, allowing wild flowers to thrive throughout the summer months.

Our visit was in traditional Field Club style, walking through two meadows at snail’s pace,bowed low over the ground in our hunt for flora and fauna. And our hunt was well rewarded! The Green-winged Orchids were still in abundance, looking very beautiful within a sea of meadow buttercups. Once our eyes were in, we spotted tiny AddersTongueFerns, multiple other meadow plants as well as an interesting selection of insects and caterpillars, (see list attached, though some insects were not identified) Fortunately, the dry Spring seems not to have affected the flora too much, probably due to the meadows being low lying and on clay.

Many thanks to Brenda whose botanical knowledge was terrifically helpful. The list of plants that she compiled can be found here

Some of our group parked in a different car park, and on the way back found a glow worm larva, probably on its way to find a site to pupate, and a very large and handsome Birch Sawfly.

Birds:
Robin
Garden Warbler
Chiffchaff
Carrion Crow
Buzzard
Red Kite
Chaffinch

Blackcap

Insects:
Black headed Cardinal Beetle
Leaf Beetle
Glow worm larva
Orange tip butterfly
Small Heath butterfly
Small White butterfly

Green-veined White butterfly

Speckled Wood butterfly

Lackey moth caterpillar

Figure of Eight moth caterpillar

Birch sawfly

Mystery black larvae – very abundant – any ideas?

Julia Reid