No mow March, April, May, June, July, August, September etc..

 

No mow May starts in March in my Sussex garden.

Whilst, conservation grazing on Wolstonbury Hill, (south of Hurstpierpoint in West Sussex), is almost continuous as it is good for yellow meadow ants and chalk downland plants. On Wolstonbury Hill there might be 100,000 ant hills.

At Natural World - 2010-2011: 8. Butterflies: A Very British Obsession - BBC iPlayer  is an exceptional programme, which explains why ants are so important to our butterflies. 

Steers on Saturday 21 March 26 eating both coarse and finer grasses. 

Cattle have largely cleared Tor-grass, (Brachypodium pinnatum), often highlighted by conservation groups like Plantlife in relation to roadside verges.  It is a coarse, perennial grass that can become dominant and threaten biodiversity in calcareous grasslands. It thrives in low-grazing conditions, forming dense thatch that stifles wildflowers.

The Friends of Wolstonbury clear scrub with saws and loppers 21 March 26.

            Whisps of smoke from the scrub bonfire. 

Ten miles to the north in the High Weald, sandstone and clay strata support very different plants in my wildlife garden.

From March, a hundred or more snake's-head fritillaries are in flower plus numerous Cowslips, Primroses, violets and more.

That means that, apart from pathways in the lawn, I'll not be mowing until Autumn/winter. Four species of native orchids have grown in former years but last year's drought may have killed some of them.

Four species of ants thrive including a big, decades old yellow meadow ant hill.

Such a diversity of plants support very many insect species: a joy to observe.

Wolstonbury Hill, West Sussex, UK: spring shoots today

 It was a work party day today (see www.wolstonbury.com) and despite a grim weather forecast five attended.  Still recovering from illness my contribution was limited to a greeting.  

The scrub on the steep northern slope was being cleared with loppers and saws and burnt.

On the wooded north-facing slopes Heart tongued ferns were spectacular.

Previously, National Trust ranger Mike Botterill had used a brush cutter to remove dense scrub where it was too dangerous to drive a mower.

Lichens are an indicator of good air quality.

Hazel catkins have been out for weeks.

Above the National Trust had months earlier, mown areas here.

Gall on a dog rose,

Last year the "Friends of Wolstonbury" cleared this area over several sessions.

2025 was a bumper year for apples.  The crab apples from this tree are abundant.

Arum lilies are emerging. 

Arum lily

This beech tree has not blown over.  It was snapped off in a gale a couple of years ago.

Heterophilous ivy refers to the phenomenon in Hedera species (common ivy, H. helix) where the plant exhibits two distinct, markedly different growth forms and leaf shapes in its juvenile and mature phases.   This info' from Google AI. 

Growth Phases and Characteristics

• Juvenile Phase: This phase is characterized by trailing or climbing stems that use adventitious roots to attach to structures like trees or walls. The leaves in this phase are typically small, leathery, and deeply 3- to 5-lobed.
• Mature/Adult Phase: When the plant is well-established (usually after 10 years), it transitions to the adult phase. The stems become woody, lose their climbing roots, and become self-supporting. The leaves in this phase are unlobed, generally diamond-shaped or ovate. 

Flowering and Ecological Importance

• Flowers and Berries: The mature, non-climbing shoots produce yellow-green, spherical clusters of flowers, usually from September to November. These produce berries, which are an important winter food source for birds.
• Ecological Value: Ivy is a crucial, non-parasitic plant that provides vital nectar, pollen, and berries for insects and birds during autumn and winter. 

Wild garlic will carpet this area later with a mass of white flowers.

Hayward Heath u3a Nature walk from Ardingly reservoir, 3.6 miles, 6 November 2025

 Lead by Hilary and Marion, with 75 metres of ascent and descent this was a most enjoyable 3.6 miles walk for 12 members of Haywards Heath u3a nature walks group. 

Marion, Chris, Liz, John, Pam, David, Geraldine, Ruth, Hilary & Patricia

Pestle Puffball courtesy Hilary Smith

We were pleased to find a number of interesting fungi, including a Pestle Fungus which was new to us.

View westwards across Ardingly reservoir

Hilary with a Funnel fungus

The Good Samaritan

route recording courtesy of  Liz Hatton 

Our thanks to our leaders, Hilary and Marion and to all who joined the walk for their company and companionship supporting our wellbeing.  See also what the woodland trust say here.

Buchan County Park u3a nature walk 23 July 2025

 Buchan County Park was fabulous on our Haywards Heath u3a nature walk this day.  We walked a circular route of c.3 miles, which can be seen at https://out.ac/Ic4ndv although a recording gap occurred.

Above a Beech tree probably blown over in the 1987 hurricane and growing vertically from the fallen trunk.

Knopper gall

Many oak trees were full of sticky Knopper galls caused by a wasp.

Acorn or Knopper gall wasp (Andricus quercuscalicis) became established in Britain during the 1970s and is now widespread. Eggs are laid during early summer in the developing acorns of Quercus robur. Instead of the normal cup and nut, the acorn is converted into a ridged woody structure, resembling a walnut, in which the gall wasp larva develops. The gall is initially yellowish green and sticky but later comes greyish brown. The next generation forms inconspicuous galls on the male catkins of Turkey oak, Quercus cerris.  Ref:https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/oak-gall-wasps

Knopper gall

This appears to be a Mast Year for oaks.

Marsh thistle with Bumblebees and a Crab spider

See https://sussexrambler.blogspot.com/search?q=crab+spider for my photographs and accounts of crab spider kills of butterflies, flies and a honey bee.

Ling Caluna vulgaris and Erica cineria Bell Heather

Heathers were starting to flower and this lowland heath promises to be spectacular next month.

possibly Marsh Hair moss Polytrichum commune

My thanks to Marion for spotting this Damselfly.

For info' on White-legged Damselfly click here for British Dragonfly Society site

possibly Nymphoides peltata yellow floating heart

Dozens of insects were moving rapidly in the water appearing white.  I wonder if the white appearance was an air bubble on a water beetle.

Looks like another '87 hurricane felled tree.

With six of us on this nature walk, many pairs of eyes find more interesting things than on one's own.

For dozens of earlier nature walks with Haywards Heath u3a, please see https://out.ac/IBoN9X

Potter wasp & a Leafcutter bee in Cuckfield, West Sussex, UK yesterday.

 

A potter wasp on a foxglove yesterday.

Potter wasps are diverse in nest building. The different species may either use existing cavities (such as beetle tunnels in wood, abandoned nests of other Hymenoptera, or even man-made holes like old nail holes and screw shafts on electronic devices) that they modify in several degrees, or they construct their own either underground or exposed nests. The nest may have one or several individual brood cells. The most widely used building material is mud made of a mixture of soil and regurgitated water, but many species instead use chewed plant material.

The name "potter wasp" derives from the shape of the mud nests built by species of Eumenes and similar genera. It is believed that Native Americans based their pottery designs upon the form of local potter wasp nests.^[2] The female wasp scrapes up mud or dirt with her mandibles and front legs, combining it with water and saliva to form a mud ball she transports back to adds to her nest under construction.  Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potter_wasp

Generally on the wing from June to August, and rarely during May, September and October

Potter wasps (or Mason wasps) Are tube-dwellers.  The egg hatches after a few days and the larva eats the prey in one to two weeks. When fully fed the larva may remain motionless for a day or two before it voids waste products from the gut and spins a cocoon. When winter diapause is absent the pre-pupal stage lasts for about one week, followed by pupation. The adult appears about two weeks after the start of pupation. With winter diapause, the pre-pupal stage is extended for the winter season. After emergence the adult moistens the clay partition to facilitate an exit.  Ref:  https://bwars.com/wasp/vespidae/eumeninae/ancistrocerus-gazella

A Leafcutter bee, a Megachile sp. possibly, although a bit early for this species. Ref: https://bwars.com/index.php/bee/megachilidae/megachile-willughbiella