Meadowland

Attached to Byfield Pocket Park, and officially part of the park, is a patch of meadowland, covering maybe 300 square metres. At least it was meadowland, occasionally grazed by sheep, until about three years ago, when someone made a serious misjudgement and authorised the use of the land for the tipping of hedge clippings et cetera. It was the et cetera bit that caused the trouble. The land is now a jungle of head-high hogweed, thistles (both creeping and spear), nettles, docks and rank grasses, growing through mounds of wood chippings. From these chippings Shaggy Inkcaps, Coprinus comatus, were also growing.

In the 'meadow 'the hogweed was head-high. Adjacent to Byfield Pocket

Park. 16 July, 2020

Now the parish council want to do something about it, and have asked me to do a survey of the area.

Toadstools, Coprinus comatus, grow in the wood chippings.

Meadow area, Byfield Pocket Park. 16 July, 2020

In fact to get down to the plant-soil interface - where many organisms of interest are found - will be rather tricky. I must give the matter some thought - not an activity which comes easily to me.


Of course the hogweed umbels were being visited by numerous insects, particularly hoverflies such as the so-called Batman Hoverfly, Myathropa florea.

Myathropa florea was common on the hogweed umbels.

16 July, 2020

The thistles were receiving bumblebees and the occasional butterfly including a Large White, a Gatekeeper and a rather dark Ringlet, probably a male.

A solitary Gatekeeper paused on some dock before passing on...

I secured a very large number of insects but all are likely to be common and previously recorded from the main part of the pocket park.

… and a Ringlet made a very brief visit. 16 July, 2020.

On the whole my visit was rather disappointing but I am optimistic that in the long run a good range of invertebrates will be recorded.


In fact my first visit secured 30 species of insect and two spiders. Two of the insects (a click beetle and a small bug) were new to the pocket park complex.