Enstone Eco – July 2025 Newsletter -Celebrating Nature, Community and Collaboration! 🏘️
- Ian Cave
- Jun 29
- 4 min read
June was a month of discovery, partnerships, and inspiration – setting the stage perfectly for a buzzing summer of biodiversity. See some great photos below of things captured around the village!
🔬 A Great Visit to BWT Alpine F1’s Whiteways Site
On Friday 13th June, a small group of Enstone Eco volunteers were warmly welcomed to explore the quarry wildlife site at the BWT Alpine Formula One Team’s headquarters in Whiteways, right here in Enstone parish.
We were impressed by how well the site is being managed to foster biodiversity and were also given a tour of the Technical Centre where the race cars are built, courtesy of Alpine's Sustainability Lead, Emily Cullen. She was able to explain how a lot of work goes into finding ways in which the F1 racing can become more sustainable by adopting recyclable materials, using sustainably generated electricity, fuel and manufacturing processes. We hope to work together in future and hopefully have another visit next year. This includes our volunteers geting involved in future planting of pollinator friendly areas. This is just the beginning of what we hope will be a long-lasting collaboration. A huge thank you to the Alpine team for their generosity, insightful guidance, and hospitality.
🌱 Shout Out to Young Eco-Champions
We were thrilled to hear from a homeschool teacher Christine Leslie and her student Danielle, who found our website’s resources inspiring for their recreational gardening program. Danielle went a step further and discovered two excellent articles on eco-friendly gardening, which we’ve now added to our resource section. Thank you both for sharing and showing that environmental action starts early!
🦋 The Big Butterfly Count Returns – 18 July to 10 August
Get your eyes to the skies and your ID apps ready – the Big Butterfly Count is back! From 18th July to 10th August, join thousands across the UK in this vital citizen science survey. Butterflies are not just beautiful – they’re key indicators of biodiversity health. With numbers in decline, your 15-minute count could help scientists monitor environmental changes and guide conservation efforts. Visit the Butterfly Conservation website to learn more and download your ID guide.
☕ Coffee, Cake & Old Churchyard Wildlife
A huge thank you to everyone who joined the relaxed coffee morning at St Kenelm’s Church, and especially to Craig for leading informal tours of the churchyard! Visitors and local residents enjoyed learning about the wildflowers and how the Church Council are actively managing the grass to help nature recover in this oasis. This is strongly supported by the Diocese of Oxford Biodiversity initiative
The good news following the wildflower seed planting last autumn, the new Yellow Rattle has supressed the grass and allowed new species such as the Kidney Vetch to grow for first time. It's a lovely yellow flower. The Pyramidal Orchid has also returned and looks beautiful.
🌊 Riverfly Monitoring – Join Us by the Glyme
Our Riverfly Monitoring dates are now live on the website! These sessions are a brilliant way to learn about freshwater invertebrates and assess the health of our local river. All are welcome – no prior experience needed. Please RSVP on the events section of our website - https://www.enstone-eco.co.uk/events
📅 Upcoming dates:
Saturday 19 July
Wednesday 20 August
Saturday 27 September
Wednesday 22 October
🌿 Surveying Enstone Corner & St Kenelm’s - Saturday 26 July, 10am
Put your iNaturalist skills to use and join Ian and Dawn for a relaxed survey of what's growing around Enstone Corner, St Kenelm’s, and other parish spots. It's a fantastic way to learn, help build our local biodiversity record, and enjoy the outdoors. See our website event page to RSVP and get details.
🌳 Save the Date: Ditchley Estate Biodiversity Day – Sunday 6 July
Looking for a wild day out? Don’t miss the Biodiversity Day at Ditchley Estate on Sunday 6th July, from 11am–3pm. This free event includes access to stunning parts of the estate usually closed to the public, with walks past ancient trees, wildflower areas. Bring a picnic, enjoy nature at your own pace, and discover the richness of biodiversity at this hidden gem. Entry via Charlbury Gates (What3Words: ///gateway.sprouting.subtitle).
🐛 Local Caterpillar Celebrities found in Enstone this month!
Cinnabar moth caterpillar (Tyria jacobaeae): typically found on ragwort plants.
Peacock butterfly (Aglais io): Unlike the brightly coloured adult Peacock butterfly, the Peacock caterpillar has a velvety black body with small white spots and short spines on each segment. Most commonly feeds on Common Nettle and Hops.
Eyed Hawkmoth (Smerinthus ocellata): They overwinter as shiny black/brown pupae, below or near the larval foodplant. The caterpillars can be seen from June to September and resemble the Poplar Hawk-moth caterpillar, apart from the bluish-coloured spike at the rear.
🌺 Enstone Primary School Wildflower Planting
A big thank you to Kari and Jill for helping the schoolchildren grow and plant out their own wildflowers in the school garden. Thanks also to the teachers and Teaching Assistants at the school.
🔍 Riverfly Monitoring Success!
This is from Carol and Andy's garden and is possibly a Vapour Moth caterpillar, as well as a Cased Caddis - one of the type of riverfly larvae we find when monitoring riverflies!
Whether you’re inspired by cutting-edge innovation at Whiteways, learning from young minds like Danielle’s, or simply enjoying butterflies and river creatures in your garden, thank you for making a difference with Enstone Eco!
The Enstone Eco Team
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