Part 3

The group enjoys Roxton Woods.

The aim is to get people finding important sites for wildflowers in the Lincolnshire Wolds in order to help wildlife Conservation.

We met at the village hall for tea and biscuits and then Mark showed us a presentation about the different types of wildflower.

He showed us how to differentiate between the different families of plants and which ones were characteristic of chalk and neutral grassland in good condition, and which, if growing in large quantities, indicate a verge likely to be of low botanical value. In other words which were the 'good guys' and which were the 'bad guys.'

He showed us the survey sheets that have been produced and hopes that lots of people will carry out a Life on the Verge survey of their own. Just go to the website and book your verge, and a pack with all the information will be sent to you.

After a break, we ventured out and immediately spotted part of the daisy family in the shape of an ox-eye daisy straight outside the door. We then walked along into Elsham pasture a little way up the road, which had been opened to us by the landowner.

We found lots of different types of grasses. Quaking grass was particularly was interesting, as we could see it “quaking” or waving in the slight breeze, showing how it got it’s name As we moved up the pasture the colour of the grasses started to change to a lighter green and Mark showed us how the plants and grasses differed as we moved up the slope. After a while we stopped to sit and eat our picnic lunch.

Before long it started to rain so we all got up and moved along. As we went over to the side of the pasture we saw selfheal and some beautiful germander speedwell, though only one cowslip in flower as most had gone to seed.

Mark shows one of the types of buttercups in Elsham Pasture

There was a lovely carpet of buttercups and Mark showed us three types, which surprised me, as I hadn’t realised that there was more than one.

Guelder Rose

Germander Speedwell

Badger Setts

The rain started up again and though it was very heavy Mark valiantly carried on pointing out the many plants around us.
Birds sang, lots of small grasshoppers jumped about around us, and the rain soon stopped.
At 2 p.m., we slowly made our way to the start of the pasture and back down the road, all the while stopping for Mark to show us something else he had found.
We returned to the Hall for a welcome sit down and all thanked Mark for a surprising and very interesting day.

Jackie Kirk

We all go back for a nice cup of tea.

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