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Manor Vale 4th July 2015

led by Ken Hutchinson

Species lists below

RNHS members at Manor Vale


This meeting was the second of our two visits to Manor Vale, Kirkbymoorside in 2015 forming this year’s study of a specific area. Background details on Manor Vale are contained in the first report of 10th May 2015. Eight members attended on a glorious summer’s day with temperatures in the lower twenties as opposed to the high twenties of recent days.

Manor Vale is a wood at its best in Spring as we discovered on our last visit. As the season progresses the wood becomes dense with vigorous growth. Foliage of dogs mercury, ransoms and cow parsley dominate. Field rose and dog rose in flower were welcome additions along the eastern side. There were plenty of speckled wood butterflies in the sunny glades along this route.

insects and cranesbill flower

Hoverfly(Volucella pellucens), Fly Chloromyia formosa,
Ringlet butterflies and Meadow cranesbill


At the north eastern edge the small area of grassland revealed small pockets of salad burnet in flower and lady’s bedstraw just coming in to flower. It was disappointing not to find other limestone-loving plants or common spotted orchids. It is understood that volunteers have started to work on this area and have already conducted one cut and clear here at the end of last year’s season. This may prove fruitful in encouraging other flora. This area did harbour numerous ringlet butterflies as well as chimney sweeper moths. The only other butterflies were a comma and two red admirals.

Speckled wood butterfly

Speckled wood butterfly

Comma butterfly

Comma butterfly


Birds were slightly up on the previous visit with 23 species. A nuthatch in the ancient ash was a treat.

The meeting was again concluded with cake.

Cutting the cake
Cutting the cake!


Species lists

This is not a complete list, but we tried to note everything we did not see in May

Plants

Latin nameEnglish name
Achillea millefoliumYarrow
Aegopodium podagrariaGround elder
Alchemilla sp.Lady’s mantle
Alchemilla xanthochloraLady’s mantle
Aphanes arvensisParsley piert
Arctium minusBurdock
Arrhenatherum elatiusFalse oat
Arum maculatumCuckoo pint
Brachypodium sylvaticumSlender false brome
Calystegia sylvaticaLarge bindweed
Capsella bursa-pastorisShepherd’s purse
Carex sylvaticaWood sedge
Centaurea nigraCommon knapweed
Circaea lutetianaEnchanter’s nightshade
Cirsium vulgareSpear thistle
Conium maculatumHemlock
Crepis capillarisSmooth hawksbeard
Cynosurus cristatusCrested dogstail
Dactylis glomerataCocksfoot
Deschampsia caespitosaTufted hair grass
Dryopteris filix-masMale fern
Elymus repens (Elytrigia)Couch
Epilobium ciliatumAmerican willowherb
Epilobium montanumBroad-leaved willowherb
Epilobium obscurum?Short-fruited willowherb?
Festuca gigantea = Schedonorus giganteusGiant fescue
Filipendula ulmariaMeadowsweet
Galium odoratumWoodruff
Galium verumLady’s bedstraw
Geranium pratenseMeadow cranesbill
Geum sp. (G. × intermedium)Hybrid avens
Geum urbanumWood avens
Glechoma hederaceaGround ivy
Heracleum sphondyliumHogweed
Holcus lanatusYorkshire fog
Hypericum androsaemumTutsan
Lamium albumWhite dead nettle
Lamium purpureumRed dead nettle
Lapsana communisNipplewort
Lathyrus pratensisMeadow vetchling
Leontodon hispidusRough hawkbit
Lolium perennePerennial rye grass
Lonicera periclymenumHoneysuckle
Lotus corniculatusCommon birdsfoot trefoil
Matricaria discoideaPineapple weed
Medicago lupulinaBlack medick
Melica unifloraWood melick
Myosotis arvensisField forgetmenot
Papaver rhoeasField poppy
Petasites hybridusButterbur
Phleum pratenseTimothy
Phyllitis scolopendrium = Asplenium scolopendriumHartstongue
Pilosella aurantiacaFox and cubs
Poa nemorosa?Wood meadow grass?
Poa trivialisRough meadow grass
Polygonum aviculare aggKnotgrass
Polystichum aculeatumHard shield fern
Potentilla anserinaSilverweed
Prunella vulgarisSelf heal
Ranunculus acrisMeadow buttercup
Raphanus raphanistrumWild radish
Rosa arvensisField rose
Rosa caninaDog rose
Rubus idaeusRaspberry
Rumex acetosaCommon sorrel
Rumex obtusifoliusBroad-leaved dock
Rumex sanguineusWood dock
Sagina procumbensMossy or procumbent pearlwort
Sanguisorba minor = Poterium sanguisorbaSalad burnet
Scrophularia nodosaCommon figwort
Senecio vulgarisCommon groundsel
Silene dioicaRed campion
Sinapis arvensisCharlock
Sonchus arvensisCorn sowthistle
Stachys sylvaticaHedge woundwort
Tamus communisBlack bryony
Trifolium pratenseRed clover
Trifolium repensWhite clover
Trisetum flavescensYellow oat
Veronica chamaedrysGermander speedwell
Veronica montanaWood speedwell
Vicia sativaCommon vetch
Vicia sepiumBush vetch
Viola arvensisField pansy



Enchanter's nightshade detail
Detail of Enchanter’s nightshade flower


Birds

Wood Pigeon, Blackbird, Goldfinch, Swift, Swallow, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Song Thrush, Chaffinch, Marsh Tit, Chiffchaff, Nuthatch, Crow, Garden Warbler, Wren, Magpie, Stock Dove, Jay, Buzzard, Blue Tit, Robin, Dunnock, Collared Dove.

Others

Chimney sweeper moth
Ringlet
Comma
Speckled wood
Red admiral
Hoverflies (Eristalis sp. and Volucella pellucens)
Chloromyia formosa Fly - thanks to Stuart Dunlop for these IDs.



© Ryedale Natural History Society 2015, Photos © Gill Smith and David Lewis 2015 Back to the Home page