Back to the Index page

Seven members met at the Thirlby entrance to Garbutt Wood on a rather unsettled day to explore the woods and shoreline around Gormire. After all the recent rain the water level was noticeably higher than on my previous visit a month ago, and the path around the lake was muddy in several places. Sadly many of the best plants such as the tufted loosestrife (Lysimachia thyrsiflora) had finished flowering so we had to make do with the seedpods – and most of the birds were elusive and quiet as well! However, we did manage to see a good number of plants including ragged robin, water-forgetmenots, skullcap and spotted orchids in full bloom. As the light was bad I only managed one or two shots: please see the notes for my June trip for pictures of the plants growing here.

Plants recorded

**Edit: I am now less convinced by this id, having seen undoubted M. secunda in Rosedale (a better, more acid habitat for it). I am inclined to think that this Gormire plant is in fact Tufted Forgetmenot M. laxa – which just goes to show what a triky group the forgetmenots are! GS 2018.

Other species recorded

Insects
Blue and red damselflies, speckled wood and ringlet butterflies, various beetles including a yellow-and-black one almost an inch long, a moth with brown upperwings and orangey-red underwings, pond skaters.

Birds
Long-tailed tit, great tit, marsh tit, chaffinch, greenfinch, bullfinch, chiffchaff, blackcap, jackdaw, blackbird, song thrush, goldcrest, coot and tufted duck. Thanks to Tom for the list.

Others
Small froglets, one toad, leeches (probably horse leeches) in the lake. Unknown fungus (small toadstols, right).