QUODITCH EDUCATION DEVON
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QUODITCH EDUCATION DEVON |
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QUODITCH
MOOR NATURE RESERVE
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A
WALK IN JULY
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Six
months I now have named, From "The Months of the Year" collected
by the Squarson of nearby Lewtrenchard, Sabine Baring-Gould from various
parts of Devon.
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| Welcome to Quoditch Moor Nature Reserve in July. if you haven't visited us before you might like to take a look at our map. The land covers 32 acres (13 hectares) and is situated in Devon. Naturally the walk starts with the first field. |
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One of the common sights this month is the Silver washed Fritillary. Often you can find them on the right hand side as you enter the gate. |
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You might be lucky enough at the beginning of the month to spot the last of the Wood White Butterfies which are not uncommon in this field.They can be mainly seen during June, but a few stray over into the first week of July. The books tell us that it confines itself to the thickest and shadiest parts of woodlands, but ours seem different in that they come out into the field, particularly the eastern top corner. |
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The Wood White lays its eggs on vetches and Bird's Foot Trefoil, of which we have plenty in fields one and four. These usually appear in May , but sometimes there is a second brood in July. |
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Already the beech cobs are forming on the trees. |
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This is Sneezewort (Achillea Ptarmica), sometimes called Bastard Pellitory and can be seen in amongst the reeds in this field. It derives its name from its medicinal use. When dried and powdered it was sniffed up the nose, thus, as Culpeper puts it, ridding the head of "tough slimy humours" It has a hot biting taste and was also used in salads to "correct the coldness of other herbs" |
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Its a good time of the year to see Deer. |
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This one appeared in a moth trap at the end of July 2004 Tom Killick of Oxfordshire believes it to be a Yellow Dung-fly, (Scatophaga stercoraria) |
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