New wildlife and a rare plant

16/5/2019

Three different tasks today, including clearing paths in the Knoll and refurbishing the Kidney Vetch patch on Stagbury. We were also requested to water wildflower seedlings at the lagoon. While we were hauling the water from the lagoon we noticed the increase in wildlife, including damselflies, water skaters and water boatmen. And, despite the sceptics around me who failed to spot it, I saw a newt among our pond plants!

Even more excitement ensued when Graham H discovered seedlings of Cut-leaved Germander on the side of the lagoon. These had sprouted from seed kindly donated by Peter Wakeham. The only other spot where this rare plant occurs locally is Fames Rough.

As you can see from the photo below, the Stagbury patch is thickly overgrown with a wide selection of plants all doing their utmost to obliterate the Kidney Vetch we have grown over several years. The food plant of the Small Blue butterfly, Kidney Vetch is short-lived and relies on dispersing its seeds into bare ground. If this gets too overgrown, the tiny Vetch seedlings lose out. This is why we regularly have to clear the patch of competing plants.
Today we cleared enough to put in some home-grown K. Vetch, more of which will be added when the work continues next week.

Click on photos to enlarge. Pics from Graham K.