On Saturday 24th June we held our third public ecology event. These events form part of our ‘Nature in Harmony’ ecology programme and occur monthly between April and August/ September. This event was led by our current ecology intern Laura Morrell.

We welcomed eight attendees to explore the diverse range of wildflowers that Harmony Woods has to offer. With our trusty wildflower ID guides in hand, we began to walk at a leisurely pace along the woodland rides (open tracks) admiring the chalkland wildflower meadow. Stopping at various points when a new wildflower species was seen, attendees were asked if they had seen the species before, whether that was in their garden or on a walk outdoors. With the aim of trying to develop or advance the skill of being able to identify common wildflowers, attendees were encouraged to use their ID guide and to note down key identifiable features.

Laura pointed out and described around 15 different wildflower species including sainfoin, self-heal, yellow rattle, bird’s-foot trefoil, and kidney vetch. She explained their key features and their importance to the environment. Key identifiable features of some wildflower species seen at Harmony Woods:

Kidney Vetch- yellow flowers, kidney shaped in appearance.

Pyramidal Orchid- small pink/ purple flowers form a cone shape.

Yellow Rattle- seed pods can create a sound from the seeds rattling.

All the wildflowers planted in Harmony Woods are native species, and mentioned in the works of Shakespeare. They are grown from locally-sourced seed over the spring and summer and planted out in early autumn each year. They are then left to reproduce naturally.

Along the walk we were greeted by an abundance of marble white and meadow brown butterflies. A male small skipper was also captured by camera.

The wildflower meadow is an important habitat for insects. The long grass provides shelter for small mammals and the picturesque flora attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Encouraging pollinators to the local area is crucial as they help flowering plants reproduce. Having yellow rattle in your wildflower meadow is useful as it is semi-parasitic plant, surviving by drawing nutrients from other plants which results in the reduction of dominant grasses. The reduction in grasses allows a larger range of wildflower species to establish increasing diversity.

Wildflowers also play a large role in the medicine industry. For example, as suggested in its name the wildflower known as ‘selfheal’ has medicinal properties which can aid with several health conditions.

Have you been taking part in 30 Days Wild? The Wildlife Trust currently has an event running called ’30 Days Wild’ where you partake in an activity which is nature related each day.

There is still one day left of June to immerse yourself with wildlife, so it’s not too late to contribute. Why not plant wildflowers in your garden or even spend at least one day helping your local environment!

Andover Trees United encourage people to come down and visit us at Harmony Woods to see our ongoing progress, and are always, we are looking for new people to join our existing volunteers to come together as a community to create a difference and inspire others to become more wildlife friendly.

If you do not have any access to ID guides, no problem! Why not download one of the following free apps on your mobile device, INaturalist app or Seek app.

Please see our Events Calendar for details of this summer’s remaining public ecology / citizen science events:

Friday 7th July: Evening bat walk

Saturday 8th July: Bioblitz

Saturday 29th July: Invertebrate collection (aka bug hunt)

Saturday 26th August: Pond dipping

These events are free and open to all ages, but we ask that you register in advance so we know how many people to expect and can plan accordingly. Please email laura.morrell@andovertrees.org.uk

Citizen Science event - June - Wildflowers

Keep in Harmony with the nature you connected with