Sunday 7 August 2011

Plantlife

There don't seem to be many wildlife charities that aren't happy to take the blood money of corporate sponsorship. So it was nice to find that Plantlife seem so far to have refused the greenwasher's shekels.

I thought it would be nice to get involved with their Wildflowers Count survey - they sent me a pack with a handy ID guide and a 1km grid square to survey - and off I went.

Happily for me my square took me back to familiar ground at Markeaton Park. This is where I trained as a gardener many moons ago and, down on the farm, spent many happy years living in my caravan.

Away from the busy parts of the park there are lots of tranquil places where the wildlife is thriving. Starting off in the crem car park looking over the meadows where the cows still graze...


...round the back of the crem the unmanaged fields have plenty of rosebay willowherb...


...onwards up through the woods...


...venerable old trees on Markeaton Hill...





...and further down new woodland...


...a speckled wood butterfly...


...and wildflowers down by the lake...purple loosestrife...


...gypsywort...


...and wild angelica:

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