Planning

Sunday, February 21st 2016

At this time of year plans for Eco Club are finalised. Thoughts turn to the changing seasons. Common Frogs come first followed by the Common Toads. Will they be there or will they have gone? We might see the spawn though and talk of where they live during the summer.

Common Toad

Conifer trees grow their new needles and are so soft in comparison to the older ones, great for the children to touch.

New growth on the conifers

Spring flowers are always high on the list and Bluebells are interesting as they flower first along Risedale Beck.

Bluebell

Slightly later the moor turns blue.

Bluebells on the moor.

As summer progresses so butterflies are on the wing. Weather forecasts are scrutinised, with fingers crossed for a warm day so that some will make an appearance. Brimstone butterflies are often only seen as a blur as they flit through the vegetation.

Brimstone butterfly

Over the years, with careful habitat management the moor has changed from rough pasture to a flower meadow and with the introduction of Yellow Rattle further improvements continue. The children can be taken there early in the summer to look for Yellow Rattle, and later to listen to it 'rattle'

Yellow Rattle

When the Water Voles were released in 2007 and again in 2009, they were seen regularly, now we see more signs of them than actual sightings. Latrines and feeding stations can be looked for and their foot prints in the mink rafts.

Water Vole

Exciting this year will be the changes that occur in our new scrape on the moor, possibly to be called Plovers Pool. Each month we will visit this area and photograph what is happening.

The new pool on the moor

All we need now is good weather for the flora and fauna to co-operate and be where we want them to be when we want them to be! If they are not, no worries, as there is always plenty to look at and new things for the children to discover.

(0) Comments:

There are no comments for this blog post yet. Why not start the discussion? - use the form below:

Back to Top

Help Support Foxglove

Friends of Foxglove

The Friends of Foxglove Covert is for those individuals, families and organisations who would like to support the reserve through an annual membership subscription. Friends receive a regular newsletter and invitations to attend our various activities and social events.

More Details

Upcoming Events

Foxglove Covert Local Nature Reserve is now OPEN

Monday 4th November 2024 |

The security gate and it's safety features are to be working, so we're reopening to the public.

However the intercom and remote gate opening system is currently non-functional. Entry and exit to the reserve will therefore take place via key fobs which will be issued to visitors when they sign in at the Cambrai Lines front entrance. These fobs can be used to open the gate when entering and exiting the reserve. They must be returned to the front entrance pass office upon exiting the reserve.

Please note access will be limited by the number of fobs available. You may therefore be turned away at the pass office if all fobs are in use at that time. Please only collect one fob per visiting group and ensure you enter and exit the reserve together.

Please check the FAQs for further information on entrance procedures.

https://foxglovecovert.org.uk/about/frequently-asked-questions/