QUODITCH EDUCATION DEVON  

 QUODITCH MOOR NATURE RESERVE

A WALK IN NOVEMBER

Page Two

 
Now you are in field four.

It's possible to see the piles of brushwood lying around from where the field was cleared of its trees a few years ago.

Walk across this field in an easterly direction and you'll come back to the ride.

 

The ride at this point is full of puddles, making progress quite difficult. Keep to the right bank and you'll stay relatively dry. But don't go through the puddles, they 're very slushy and the mud is quite deep.

The trick, if you get your foot stuck, is not to lift your leg straight up, that'll leave your boot behind. Instead, twist your foot as you lift. This gives a good grip inside the boot and it should come with you.
Whilst you are at this point, take a look to your right at the field next door. A few years back this field was drained. It has also been ploughed and re-seeded at some time with more productive grasses. No doubt, over the years it has received some forms of chemical treatment. Notice how, at this time of the year, it is a uniform green colour, entirely different from our fields (This shows up well in our aerial photo ). It does not have the variety of species, the wild flowers etc. But it has a much greater productivity. The grass is far more nutritious than ours and can produce two or three cuts per year.
   


When you come level with field five cut left back into the woodland.
All the leaves have disappeared from the trees by now, leaving a carpet of leaves on the floor. The open aspect allows more light into the area than in the summer and gives us a chance to examine the ground.
Even though the area looks dead you can find fresh growth by looking down. The mosses are quite vivid at the moment.
 

Field six appears much like five at the moment, a mixture of tree trunks and dead leaves with some beautiful green mosses.
The stream level has dropped since last month, but it's still quite murky from all the soil being carried along.
 

The quickest way back to the start point is to turn around at this point and walk straight up the ride. We hope you have enjoyed your visit. Do come and see us again. 
Page rebuilt 13th June 2009

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