Molesey Heath monthly wildlife walks

Saturday 12th April Molesey Heath

Everywhere you turn on Molesey Heath life abounds. There’s an abundance of flowering plants and trees to admire and identify and we’ll compare White and Red Deadnettle, see how they differ from Stinging Nettle and discuss their relative culinary and medicinal properties. Common Hogweed is a plentiful and valuable wild food plant and we’ll compare it to its dangerous relative Giant Hogweed. We also look at the deadly duo of Hemlock and Hemlock Water Dropwort, the latter possibly the most poisonous plant in Britain, along with their more benign cousin in the Carrot family; Cow Parsley.
April is a great time to discover the flavoursome plants that make up a wild spring salad such as Dandelion, Ground Elder, Herb Robert, Garlic Mustard, Hops, Hawthorn, Nipplewort and Cuckoo flower.
Speaking of Cuckoos; will we catch a glimpse or hear the call? They are regular visitors to the reserve in Spring. Birdlife in general is bustling this month as nest building and chick raising continues and migrants come in from the continent. Warm winds from the South around the middle of the month will bring an influx of migrants from the continent who will proceed to fill the air with song. We’ll need to listen closely to separate the rich songs of Garden Warbler and Blackcap. More easily identified are Whitethroat as they practice song flights from every available bramble bush and Cetti’s Warblers sing out their distinctive song from riverside vegetation. And was that the first Swallow of the year that just swooped down to pick up one of a growing number of insects such as the plentiful St. Marks Fly? A bit of sunshine will bring out Brimstone, Comma, Holly Blue, Orange Tip, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood and Peacock butterflies.

Saturday 10th May Molesey Heath

Birds are in full throttle and it’s the best time to observe them before the trees come in to leaf. The full suite of summer migrants has arrived, territories need defending and chicks are begging for food. Along water courses, Reed Warblers are raising young and fending off the attention of passing Cuckoos. Green Woodpeckers are especially vocal as they defend territories. Swallows, Swifts, Sand Martins and House Martins swoop around for insects and Starlings swirl back and forth on feeding forays between the Heath and adjacent houses. Blackbirds are in their best voice of the year as is the Nightingale which can turn up in the scrubbier areas of the Heath. The song of the Nightingale is one of the great wonders of nature and a highlight of the wildlife calendar. If they are present, we will find them!
May is peak time for Green Hairstreak butterflies and we’ll search for them along suitable shrub and hedgerow habitat. Spring butterfly activity in general is peaking with the three White species, Brimstone, Orange Tip, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Speckled Wood, Common Blue, Holly Blue and Small Copper all on the wing and taking nectar from the abundant flowering plants. They are joined by a range of bees, hoverflies and the first damselflies of the season such as Common Blue Damselfly and Banded Demoiselle. Large beetles such as Rose Chafer and Cockchafer are also flying and taking nectar from Roses and Hogweed.
Those wishing to join the insects in sampling edible plants will find lots to choose from such as Hawthorn, Ox-Eye Daisy, Thanet Cress, Dog Rose, Bramble and Elder whose flowers will be harvested to make the first ‘champagne’ and cordial of the season and which will keep us refreshed throughout the summer months. We’ll also look out for the aniseed flavoured fronds of Fennel, the vivid green foliage of Horseradish as well as thousands of Dandelions, the flowers, foliage and roots of which have myriad culinary and medicinal applications. For those wanting simply to admire we may find Bee Orchid, Lords and Ladies, Guelder Rose and Wayfaring tree in flower.

Saturday 14th June Molesey Heath

Wildflowers and insects take centre stage. Lots of medicinal plants are on show; the famous flowers of St. John’s Wort can be found in the more open grassland areas, Prickly Lettuce relieves stress and insomnia, Horseradish stimulates the sinuses and the tastebuds and pungent Mugwort entices us to use its flowers for lucid midsummer night’s dreams. The beautifully fragranced blooms of the Linden tree can be used in a delicate tea infusion and Mallow flowers provide a sweet wayside treat. Yellow Flag Iris lights up watercourses and various Buttercup species do the same for the meadows along with the shocking pinks of Grass Vetchling and the pulsating purples of Hedgerow Cranesbill.
The big, stinky flowers of Hogweed provide a landing pad for insects such as Rose Chafer and Thick-legged flower beetle. Various Shieldbug species adorn the hedgerows and Stag beetles can be encountered across the reserve. Several species of damselfly are drifting about the grassland and scrubby areas and we’ll discuss the differences between the Common Blue and Azure Damselflies. Dragonflies are also starting to show with Brown Hawker, Emperor and Black-Tailed Skimmer highly visible on their territorial flights around the ponds and riversides.
Whilst by the river we’ll be looking out for Grass Snakes which are becoming increasingly active in the warmer weather as they hunt through the water for their favoured prey items; frogs.
On the bird front, Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler, not long back from their African wintering grounds, are still singing out their distinctive songs and busy defending territories in the thorny scrub.
A bit of wet weather might prompt an early crop of Horse or Field Mushrooms.

Saturday 12th July Molesey Heath

Molesey Heath is drenched in colour as high summer butterfly species are on the wing; Comma, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Painted Lady, Gatekeeper and Green-Veined, Small and Large Whites. We’ll check the local Buddleia for some of these species along with any day flying moths such as the Hummingbird Hawk, Mother Shipton, Burnet Companion and Jersey Tiger. Insects of all denominations are in their prime. Perhaps the most prominent of which will be the grassland butterflies such as Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and the Skipper species. If we get a chance, we’ll look at the difference between Essex and Small Skipper and enjoy the antics of Large Skippers zipping between the flowers of Creeping Thistle, Wild Carrot, Lesser Knapweed, Yarrow, Fennel and Bramble. This final trio of plants are good medicinal and edible species that, amongst a host of other uses, combine well to make a refreshing tea infusion.
Other wildflowers such Hedge Woundwort, Hogweed, Chicory, Agrimony, Teasel, Ragwort and various vetches, mustards and thistles enhance the colour palette further and are enlivened by the flowering heads of numerous grass species. The colour purple features heavily as stunning stands of Purple Loosestrife line the riversides and Purple Hairstreak butterflies haunt the crowns of Oaks trees along with the elusive Purple Emperor butterfly which we’ll search for up in the tree tops, in amongst stands of Sallows and along paths and tracks as the males get down to dine on dog dirt and fox scat.
The meadow plants attract a wide range of stunningly beautiful hoverflies which cleverly mimic bees and wasps in order to avoid predation by larger insects such as Brown, Migrant and Southern Hawker dragonflies which are now highly active all over the reserve.
The first of the fruits will be swelling on Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Dog Rose, Guelder Rose, Elder and Bramble in readiness for collecting in late summer and autumn to process into food, drink and medicine and saprophytic bracket fungi such as Dryad’s Saddle can been seen on dead and dying timber.

Saturday 16th August Molesey Heath

August offers an opportunity to add a couple of rare and interesting species to our summer butterfly list in the form of Clouded Yellow and Brown Hairstreak, the latter of which breeds in good numbers in the many Blackthorn stands which pepper the reserve. If we are in the right place at the right time, we may be lucky enough to get up close and personal with an egg laying female. Quite a spectacle!

At this time of year, the grasslands are ringing out with the calls of grasshoppers and crickets and two of the latter, the very common Dark bush-cricket and the far scarcer Roesels’ bush-cricket can be seen in hedgerows and grassy areas.

Dragonflies are still frantically hunting through the meadows and along watercourses and this month we can add Common and Ruddy Darter to our species list along with the more delicate and
demure Willow Emerald Damselfly. Time spent by the waterside may also result in a glimpse of recently fledged Kingfishers learning to hunt along the river in amongst the pads of Yellow Water Lilly, clumps of Fools Watercress and stands of Purple Loosestrife.

Back on dry land and away from the waterside, female Grass Snakes are looking for piles of rotting vegetation in which to lay their eggs. Perhaps we’ll see her in amongst the Stinging Nettles which are now producing enormous amounts of seed; one of nature’s ‘superfoods’. We’ll discuss how best to process and consume these seeds and their health benefits along with another commonly occurring abundant and nutritious food source in the form of Fat Hen. Along the many waysides of the Heath, we’ll find two plants that thrive on rough treatment; Pineapple weed and Plantain, both of which are good edible and medicinal species which combine well to provide a soothing and relaxing tea infusion, as do the flowers of the Common Hop which can be seen dangling from the stems of the parent plant as it winds its way up through trees and hedges.

A careful examination of the underside of the Oak tree leaves and their swelling acorns will yield numerous gall species, most prominently Knopper, Common spangle and the exquisite Silk-button spangle gall. Each created by tiny wasps and now housing their larvae.

Saturday 13th September Molesey Heath

September sees Summer give way to Autumn, Keats’ season of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’ and fruits are the order of the day as we come across Hips, Haws, Blackberries, Apples, Pears, Rowan berries, Sloes and Elderberries. The latter, in particular, can be readily processed in to a fine tonic for fortifying the immune system to fend off flus and colds as the nights draw in. We’ll discuss how best to preserve our harvest for use over the winter months in the form of soups, stocks, syrups, leathers, tinctures and teas.
A range of interesting bird species can turn up at this time of migration. We’ll see summer migrant birds such as Garden Warbler, Whitethroat and Blackcap taking advantage of the fruit crops as they stock up in readiness for their migration to Southern Europe and beyond. Listen out for Chiffchaffs who have ceased their incessant Spring song and shifted to a distinctive ‘hweet’ contact call. We might catch a glimpse of a hunting Hobby as it follows the swarms of Swallows and Martins South. We’ll keep an eye out for one of the resident Sparrowhawks as they silently spy on the roving flocks of mixed Tit species moving through hedges and woodland edge habitat on the hunt for insects and spiders.
Insect life is still buzzing as dragonflies hunt down wasps, bees, hoverflies, crickets and the last of the summer butterflies such as Speckled Wood and Small Copper. Early September marks our last chance to make acquaintance with the elusive Brown Hairstreak butterfly. Careful inspection of the meadow areas will reveal the stunning Wasp Spider waiting patiently for an unsuspecting grasshopper to fall into its beautiful web strung between the tall grass stems.
If it’s damp, we might find the first few Field Mushrooms, Parasols and Puffballs of the season.

Saturday 11th October Molesey Heath

Leaf colour can be breathtakingly beautiful at this time of year, particularly if the sun comes out to light up the reds of Cherry and Field Maple, the yellows of Ash, Willow, Birch and Hazel and the browns of Sycamore and Horse Chestnut.

Birdlife is changing as summer migrants head south to be replaced by visitors from the north in the form of Redwing and Fieldfare; handsome thrush species that come here to escape the harsh Scandinavian winter. Meadow Pipits move from their summer breeding grounds to winter on the less disturbed areas of open grassland and Jays, colourful members of the crow family, can be seen planting acorns in fields and hedge bottoms. Flocks of geese are also on the move. The calling of Tawny Owls becomes a feature of the Heath in the evening as vocal fledglings disperse to establish their own territories.
Grey Squirrels too, are noisily declaring their presence from the tree tops. Roe Deer are another resident mammal that can be seen quietly browsing on windfall apples in the less frequented areas of the reserve.

Ivy comes in to its own at this time as a late season nectar source for a range of insect species. The colour and diversity of insect life on a spray of flowering Ivy in the Autumn sunshine is a spectacle to behold and akin to a shallow dive on a tropical reef. The flowers are adorned by jewels of the natural world such as hunting Hornets, Common Carder and Ivy bees, Red Admiral and Comma butterflies and a range of stunning hoverfly species, all out to stock up on the last bit of fuel before the cold weather starts to bite.

There is a possibility of stumbling across the mysterious Robin’s Pincushion on the bare stems of Dog Rose or catching a glimpse of the rare Yellow Browed Warbler, a winter visitor from the Far East, which turns up regularly along the banks of the River Mole.
Anything can happen at this time of year but you have to be out there!

Saturday 8th November Molesey Heath

As the weather grows cooler and the air increasingly damp, fungi start to crop up in the open grassland and woodland edge areas of the site. We might find Shaggy Inkcap, Fly Agaric, Field Blewit, Parasol and various species of Waxcap mushrooms. We’ll talk about the toxicity and edibility of these mushrooms and the best way to cook them fresh or preserve them to take us through the winter ahead.
Mixed flocks of Long-tailed, Blue and Great Tits pick their way through hedge and woodland edge accompanied by Britain’s smallest bird, the Goldcrest. Occasionally they are joined by Firecrest, an increasingly regular winter visitor, told apart from the Goldcrest by the presence of a bold white eye stripe. It’s always worth checking these small flocks for Yellow-browed Warbler, a rare migrant from the East. Cold weather may prompt Short Eared Owls to move from their upland breeding ground to visit the rougher areas of grassland on the hunt for rodent species. Horse paddocks at the edges of the site can attract wintering Cattle Egret and Little Egret and we’ll be exploring these to see what turns up.
Birds in general are gorging on mass crops of hedgerow berries and we’ll look at how these fruits can be just as useful to humans through the winter months in the form of food and medicine. Burdock roots in particular are coming in to their own at this time of year and are one of the few viable sources of good quality carbohydrate we have available in the British Isles. We’ll discuss the law around harvesting them and how best to put those roots to use.

Leaf-fall renders the tress bare and exposed and this will enable us to more easily see the pale pin-heads of Brown Hairstreak eggs dotted along Blackthorn stems around the reserve. As the vegetation collapses in the grassland areas the spent egg sacs of Wasp Spiders become more easily visible.