10th July 2011 Malvern Group visit to Porton Down

Ramble round Area OP13: Semi-natural unimproved chalk grassland 40 to over 200 years old, with scrub, cleared scrub shrubs, trees and pockets of woodland. Weather warm, dry, sunny intervals/cloud, little wind. Conditions fairly dry, some rain and showers for a few preceding weeks after an extremelycold winter and dry spring.

Many thanks to Stuart, John and other experienced naturalists for their expertise in species identification.

Species recorded

Flowers/plants: Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria); Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus); Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara); Black bindweed (Bilderdykia cvonvovulus); Black medick (Medicago lupulina); Brown knapweed (Centaurea jacea); Clover (Trifolium pratense); Common cleavers (Galium aparine); Common eyebright (Euphrasia nemorosa); Common toadflax (Linaria vulgaris); Cowslip (Primula veris) (leaves); Creeping cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans); Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense); Daisy (Bellis perennis); Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna);Dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris); Dwarf thistle (Cirsium acaule) (?); Fairy flax (Linum catharticum); Field forget-me-not(Myosotis arvensis); Field scabious (Knautia arvensis); Germander speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys); Goatsbeard (Tragopogon pratensis); Hairy violet (Viola hirta) (leaves); Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia); Hearts-ease (Viola tricolor); Heath bedstraw (Galium saxatile); Hedge bedstraw (Galium molluga); Herb Bennett (Geum urbanum); Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum); Hoary plantain (Plantago media); Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum); Houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale); Lady’s bedstraw (Galium verum); Meadow vetchling (Lathyrus pratensis);Milkworts (Polygala)?; Mouse-ear (Cerastium); Mouse ear hawkweed (Pilosella officinarum); Musk thistle (Carduus nutans); Oxford ragwort (Senecio squalidus); Perforate St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum); Pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis); Quaking grass (Briza media); Ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata); Rock rose (Helianthemum nummularium); Salad burnett (Sanguisorba minor); Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris); Silverweed (Potentilla anserina); Spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare); Squinancywort (Asperula cynanchica); Stemless carline thistle (Carlina acaulis) (?); Tufted vetch (Vicia cracca); Upright hedge parsley (Torilis japonica); Viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare); White bryony (Bryonia cretica); Wild basil (Clinopodium vulgare); Wild mignonette (Reseda lutea); Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa); Wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca); Wild thyme (Thymus polytrichus); Yarrow (Achillea millefolium).

Trees/shrubs: Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa); Bramble (Rubus fruticosus); Buckthorn (Rhamnus catharticus); Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea); Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna); Juniper (Juniperus communis); Scot’s pine (Pinus sylvestris); Walnut (Juglans regia);Wild privet (Ligustrum vulgare).

Butterflies: Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni); Dark green fritillary (Argynnis aglaja); Large skipper (Ochlodes venatus); Marbled white (Melanargia galathea); Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina); Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus); Small heath (Coenonympha pamphilus).

Moths: Burnet moth (Zygaena) chrysalis and caterpillar; Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) caterpillars;Elephant hawk moth (Deilephila elpenor); Lesser elephant hawk moth (Deilephilaporcellus); Plume moth; Wood tiger moth (Parasemia plantaginis).

Beetles: Bloody nose beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa); Longhorn beetle; Soldier beetle.

Gall wasps: Gall on Bird’s foot trefoil; Gall on Bramble (Diastrophus rubi); Gall on Germander speedwell; Pincushion gall on rose (Diplolepis rosae); Smooth peagall on Dog rose(Diplolepis).

Other insects: Grasshoppers; Harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis); Nursery web spider (Pisaura mirabilis); Seven spot ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata); Yellow meadow ant (Lasius flavus)(anthill).

Birds: Blackbird (Turdus merula); Black-headed gull (Larus ichthyaetus); Buzzard (Buteo buteo); Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita); Crows (Corvuscorone); Dunnock (Prunella modularis); Goldcrest (Regulus regulus); Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major); Great tit (Parus major); Green woodpecker (Picus viridis); Jackdaw (Corvus monedula); Jay (Garrulus glandarius); Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus); Linnet (Carduelis cannabina); Magpie (Pica pica); Mistle thrush (Turdus viscivorus); 2 x Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus); Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus); Raven (Corvus corax); Skylark (Alauda arvensis); Song thrush (Turdus philomelos); Stock dove (Columba oenas); Swift (Apus apus); Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes); Wood pigeons (Columba palumbus); Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella).

Mammals; Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus).