Brenda Betteridge writes:
Julia’s pop-up walk on 18 September was a great success. Thirteen of us enjoyed spending this sunny Sunday morning in the Windrush Valley. After walking through the village of Asthall, our starting point, we took the lane which leads to Toque House and Asthall Farm where, on the south side of a barn, we noticed a vigorous member of the Amaranthaceae family.
John C. writes:
We don’t usually think of this time of year as a time to go looking for flowers but there are a number of late-flowering species that are as rewarding to find as the season winds down as the first spring flowers are as the season winds up. A particular favourite of mine is autumn gentian, Gentianella amarella. Whilst perhaps not as spectacular as spring gentians – which are rare in the British Isles – they’re not very uncommon and have, to my mind, a rather understated charm.
Come on a short sound walk with Sue Morton who writes:
What could be nicer than strolling along in the dark on a fine summer night listening to crickets? It’s something I never get tired of, although passers-by tend to give us a wide berth when we’re poking around in the undergrowth with the bat detector.
On the evening of 24 June, moth expert Julian Howe and I set up three moth traps in and around a private garden in Shilton.
Lindsay Fisher writes about two things:
Spotted on our usual Saturday stroll to Cafe Rouge this morning, a hummingbird hawk moth was also enjoying a sunny breakfast on some valerian flowers in Gloucester Place.
On Thursday 25 August, fourteen of us joined Martin Catt to enjoy a gentle ramble at North Leigh Common, identifying various plants and learning a little about their traditional uses and folklore.
John C. writes:
Getting home quite late from a nocturnal ramble to look (actually to listen for) for crickets with bat detectors, I noticed an unusual plume moth on the inside of the bathroom window.
It was a warm though overcast morning on 3 August when sixteen of us gathered to look for butterflies on the Wychwood Forest Trust’s Wigwell reserve at Charlbury. We were led by Roger Newman who gave each of us an identification sheet to use and keep, plus a brief demonstration of how to use the I-Record Butterflies site.
John C. writes:
As people might know, there was a ‘BioBlitz’ organised by WODC and TVERC at Kilkenny Country Park on Sunday 7 August. Sue and I went along to a couple of the sessions to see what we could ‘blitz’.
The Club had its usual publicity table at this year’s Wychwood Forest Fair, held at Foxburrow Wood, Hailey on 31 July. It’s always a good day out, with plenty of family fun and lots of opportunities to see what other organisations are doing.
WEST OXFORDSHIRE FIELD CLUB