April Update 2024

Posted retrospectively

Text previously posted in Charlton Down Nature Area and Orchard Facebook page.

So what’s happening in the Nature Area right now in April? Well, we are waiting for a new gate and signboard, as well as new paths following the upheaval and damage during the pond re-build. New pond plants are being bought as oxygenators for the water, with submerged and floating aquatic plant varieties, shallow water forms, and marginal plants for around the perimeter of the pond. We will definitely need some helpers to put the plants in when they arrive.

Meanwhile, nature flourishes as usual, fast in covering the muddy areas, so that it is beginning to look less bare and wintry. The blackthorn blossom is mostly over (one of the bushes has also fallen during strong winds recently) but the pussy willows are out now, with new leaves opening on the willows, hazel, and field maple. The dead vegetation at the moment is the overwintering home for numerous invertebrate species, and shelter for small mammals and maybe amphibians as well.

On sunny days in the pond you can see a few tadpoles, whirly-gig beetles, rams-horn and wandering snails. It will take time to re-establish its fauna and flora. The first shoots are appearing on the floating stems of Bog Bean, with both leaves and flower buds showing. The water level in the main part of the pond is as high as the stones around the border, and with a bit more rain, the water will for the first time flow over the lip under the bridge into the shallow end of the pond.

Elsewhere, the cow parsley is growing fast with the stalks that bear the ferny leaves and flower buds now a foot high. Native hogweed, dandelions, daisies and celandines are all still flowering. To be honest, not many insects so far. Small birds making a lot of noise high in the trees. The occasional sign of mammals like deer footprints, badger droppings, and a single dead short-tailed vole.

Some seeds for shade-loving wild flowers are going to be sown beneath the trees and bushes soon. Some flowers like red campion, ragged robin, and meadow buttercup, already occur in the area in very low numbers so they need a boost. Others like meadowsweet, forget-me-not, and bell flower are new.

Finally, an interesting thing I have never seen before. Almost bare and muddy patches on the grass – lots of them. I think they are deer scrapes, with a musky scent where the deer urinates on them. I think it is where the male deer are marking out their territory. Can anyone tell me more about these?

Let’s see what the next month and the warmer weather will bring to our Nature Area. If you notice anything interesting or new, do let us all know.

Thanks.