Lye Valley Oxford 10th March

Common Frogs

 

Woodstock 9th March

Brimstone

 

Warburg Reserve, Bix - Sunday 9th March 2025

 A Grass Snake seen coming to the pond at Warburg Reserve. I believe it is a male and came to the pond on three separate occasions only to drink. It did not enter the water. Due to the warm weather today I think it has just come out of hibernation. It is certainly the earliest I have ever seen one here.

 

Common Frogs 

 

Letcombe Valley BBOWT, 27 February 2025

 Its that time of year again!

Common Frogs © Stephen Burch

www.stephenburch.com

St Bartholemhew's Churchyard, Nettlebed - 16th Oct

It seems we have "Waxcap grasslands" (my current project - see here) in Oxon burial grounds too.

Golden Waxcap
a default - the starting point

Parrot Waxcap
with greenish-toned, slimy caps and stems

Oily Waxcap
spot the difference ... plenty of these today

Blackening Waxcap or "Witches Hat"
a big and very blackened example

Those mushrooms mostly occur in the Chilterns region on remnants of former common land with acidic soils that survive in some churchyards, and only where there is no use of agri-chemical fertilisers. The following are further indicators of "unimproved grassland" quality.

Earthy Powdercap

Lilac Bonnet

My thanks are due to James Wainscoat for alerting me to the fungi potential of this site. All ID's are per an app that may not be 100% accurate.

Otmoor RSPB 12th August

 

Brown Hairstreak

Aston Rowant NNR (S) - 7th Aug

 

Chiltern Gentian

Lye Valley, Headington - 7th Aug

 

Grass of Parnassus
at one of just two Oxon locations

Elephant Hawk Moth Farmoor Reservoir