QUODITCH NOVEMBER WALK

QUODITCH EDUCATION DEVON

QUODITCH MOOR NATURE RESERVE A WALK IN NOVEMBER
Now you're suitably shod you can set off. The area you are in at the moment is called field one. It's eight acres in size and is a mixture of grass and reed beds. About forty years ago it was ploughed, so only parts of it have the traditional grasses found on Culm.


It's wet even in the summer, but at the moment with the lack of drainage it's very wet and slippery, far too wet to bring in a car. The grass has remained short after the summer grazing. The reeds are beginning to turn brown and wither away.

	Yet in amongst the reeds new growth is coming through ready for next year. The marsh plume thistles and the various mints amongst others.

Although most of the fungi have disappeared by this month there are still some to be found. This one, candle snuff fungus (xylaria hypoxylon), is growing in proliferation in most of the areas of the reserve. You can see some to the left of the main gate and at the bottom of this field just as you walk through to the ride.

	Where the cattle have left their pancakes new fungal life is growing.

The ride is very wet and muddy after all the rain of the previous month and at the beginning of this one.
You can see the tracks of the deer as they cut across the ride to reach the fields. You can also tell how many humans have been along here. It's easier at this point to cut in to the woods to the left and head through towards field two.

At this time of the year field two looks like this.

The leaves have fallen from the trees, making the whole woodland more open. It's possible to see outside our land into the adjoining fields. Already the leaves are beginning to rot down, adding humus to the soil, but at the same time they have quite an acrid smell.	The field itself is very wet. The remains of the old drainage ditch in the middle stand out clearly, not only from the water in it but also because of the reeds that follow its course.

Move on now through the woodland path to field three.
	The area is quite dark at this time of year. The sun is low in the sky and, because of the trees, does not shine onto the field for a lot of the day. The funny thing is that in the summer this is, to us, the most friendly field, yet in the winter it is a bit chilling.

The walk southward through the woods that leads to the perimeter path is covered in dead leaves.
*Nearby on the right of this spot are some birch polypore fungi (Piptoporus Betulinus or Polyporus Betulinus).* Over the years they work their way into the treesa and kill them.





When you have followed that path through and along the perimeter you will come out into field four. Click on the Wellies to continue.
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Page rebuilt 13th June 2009