Enstone Eco - August Newsletter

Hello everyone,

August is a gentle, golden time of year. The verges are heavy with seedheads, the hedgerows are starting to blush with blackberries, and if you look up on a warm evening you might still catch the swifts wheeling overhead before they leave us for another year. We’ve been busy with our surveys over the past few weeks, and we’d like to thank everyone involved for their time, enthusiasm and support.

Wildlife and Nature Sightings - A morning of Noticing Nature

Dawn, Cathy and Jill enjoyed a beautiful morning up near the allotments, where our latest survey recorded 29 plant species, including 11 that were also present during our May visit. Alongside the plants, we spotted a Brown Argus butterfly and a Common Carder bumblebee, adding a welcome bit of movement to the day. At first glance, the field appeared to be nothing more than a stretch of brown grass swaying in the breeze. But as we paused and looked more closely, an extraordinary amount of detail emerged. There were striking seed heads, a handful of resilient flowers still holding on despite the recent heat, and a surprising number of Tunnel Spider webs, each one a delicate architectural masterpiece. One of the highlights was the Woolly Thistle, whose intricate spiral structure drew plenty of admiration. Its form is both robust and beautifully patterned, and it prompted us to look further into its fascinating biology following a Fibonacci spiral. Dawn has kindly shared her photos, and it was, in her words, “a lovely hour spent Noticing Nature.” We’d thoroughly recommend it. You don’t need a survey sheet or any expertise, just a bit of time and a curious eye.

Increasing Biodiversity in the Village: Mid-July Survey

Ruth and Dawn were out in the Old Church Yard for our mid-July biodiversity survey, and it was quite a contrast to our chilly April visit, as the photo says it all. The wildflower area is developing beautifully, with strong growth of Wild Carrot, Knapweed, and Kidney Vetch, along with a good proportion of Yellow Rattle seed heads. The reduction in grass is clearly helping the space become more diverse and better established.

The weather was perfect for butterfly observations, with 100% sunshine and no wind, and it certainly paid off. We recorded 9 species and 23 individual butterflies, which is a record for our churchyard surveys. A Peacock butterfly was seen feeding on the Wild Carrot, and Meadow Browns were plentiful throughout the site. Wandering through the cut pathways, we also found Common Blues resting in the uncut grasses, a real highlight. This is such a marvellous change since before the grass was allowed to grow longer and the new wildflower areas were created. Before these changes we could only find one white butterfly. What a brilliant result! We plan to return for another survey once the churchyard has been cut, to see how the habitat continues to evolve.

Riverfly and Water Quality Monitoring

We would like to thank everyone in the village who continues to support our Riverfly and Water Quality Testing. Your involvement provides essential data on the health of our streams and rivers, information we rely on to help protect these important habitats.

Upcoming Riverfly testing dates:

•     26th August at 10am

•     16th September at 10am

Please visit the website to RSVP. Andy, Carol and Dawn would love to share their favourite “Aliens” with you!

https://www.enstone-eco.co.uk/events

Seasonal Feature: Late Summer, and Letting Things Be

If there’s one small thing worth doing in the garden this month, it might be doing a little less. As summer starts to fade, the temptation is to tidy everything away, but those faded flowerheads and drying stems are a larder for wildlife. Seedheads feed finches and other birds through the leaner weeks ahead, and hollow stems give insects somewhere to shelter. Blackberries are ripening in the hedgerows too, so it’s a good moment for a gentle forage, leaving plenty behind for the birds and the dormice. And keep half an eye on the sky: our swifts and swallows will be gathering and heading south soon, so enjoy them while they’re here.

Photos

Thank you to Dawn for the photos from Fulwell, the Allotment area and the Old Church Yard. If you’ve captured anything around Enstone this summer, whether it’s a butterfly from your Big Butterfly Count, a hedgerow full of berries, or simply a corner of the village looking lovely, please do send it our way. We’d love to feature your pictures in future newsletters and on the website.

That’s all for August. Keep connecting with nature. Some of the best sightings come from a single walk with your eyes open. If you spot anything interesting, do share it with us.

Warm wishes,

The Enstone Eco Team