Trosley in Spring

Trosley Country Park, steps down.  27 March 2015.

I posted some photos from Trosley Country Park in January last year. Two months further into the year this time, there are many signs of life.

These steps might look daunting, but they are far from the steepest part of this route.  They cover about half of the downhill path through the wooded slope.  It's actually easier to walk alongside them, when going downwards at least.  They have the texture of wood but are actually some sort of cast stone.

Higher up, before I got this far, the path was bordered by primroses.  (But these are less dramatic for an opening picture.)

Primroses in Trosley Country Park.  27 March 2015.

The path turns left at the bottom and is fenced off from the outside world. But just over the fence is another path, part of the Pilgrim's Way, which is supposed to have led from Winchester to Canterbury.  On the park side, there are clumps of Dog's Mercury under the trees.

Dog's Mercury in Trosley Country Park.  27 March 2015.

All the plants in one clump are genetically the same, and have a single gender.  I saw many male clumps, with pollen like this plant, but none that were female; but some clumps were not yet flowering.  Later in the year, it should be possible to spot the females easily because they will be bearing seeds.

One green patch looked different.  It was a charming, rather tender little plant which is called Moschatel because it is supposed to smell musky at dusk.

Moschatel in Trosley Country Park.  27 March 2015.

The flowers normally all have the arrangement you can see here in bud, four at the sides and one on top.  An alternative name for it is Town Hall Clock.  This plant flowers early and disappears before the middle of summer.

Further on I crossed the grassy chalk slopes, the grass kept short by rabbits.  The grass was full of Hairy Violets, a species typical of chalk country.

Hairy Violets in Trosley Country Park.  27 March 2015.

It is the leaves that are hairy.  And further still, I climbed back up by the side of a disused chalk quarry.  This route was steep enough for me to need to hold onto the fence round the quarry to help pull myself up.

Here's a shot taken from halfway up.

Horse riders on the Pilgrim's Way, taken  from Trosley Country Park.  27 March 2015.

I had been hearing voices from half a mile away, getting closer.  Of course, you would have to speak quite loudly to be heard when riding in single file like this.  Seeing the horses explained all!  This is where the Pilgrim's Way turns away from the park.

Finally, walking back along the top I saw masses of Wood Anemones under the trees, always a lovely Spring sight.

Wood Anemones in Trosley Country Park.  27 March 2015.

(The top photo was taken with my iPhone; all  the others with my EOS 6D and 100mm macro lens.  I turned the ring flash off for the view of the riders.)

First Moths of 2015

Pale Brindled Beauty,  Phigalia pilosana.  Hayes, 14 February 2015

Moths are stating to appear in my garden trap at last.  I actually had one in mid-February, the Pale Brindled Beauty shown above, which flies from January to March.  It was good to see one of the winter-flying species.  There are several, but last year I saw none of them.  This species was a first for my garden, unlike the other three below:

Hebrew Character, Orthosia gothica. Hayes,19 March 2015

This is the easily recognisable Hebrew Character, a spring flier with strongly marked wings.  The Common Quaker also has well marked wings, but I like taking these front views.

Common Quaker, Orthosia cerasi.  Hayes,19 March 2015

The antennae are curved backwards in this shot, and look rather like eyebrows. 

And I have seen one micromoth, not in my trap but fluttering on the inside of my window.  You can never be sure of the provenance of moths found doing this because they might have had an unusual life cycle in the warmth of the house.

Mompha subbistrigella.  Hayes, 15 March 2015

This 5mm long creature with the strongly upcurved palps is Mompha subbistrigella.  Most micros don't have proper common names, though they all have vernacular names which have recently been made up for them, which are really not worth memorising as they make no more sense than the proper scientific names.