The bank below Crow Wood was sown with wildflower seeds in 2014. The mix used for the main bank area below the path up to Ross Avenue was Scotia Seeds “Mavis Bank mix” and this contained a proportion of Cowslip seeds. To begin with, as expected, not all the species in the seed mix germinated immediately and it was not until 2018 that the first Cowslip flowers were seen. That year there were about 4 or 5 plants in flower. This year the population has further increased with some 20 plants in full flower being counted, so it looks as though we now have a thriving Cowslip population on this bank, adding to the overall tally of approaching 70 different wildflower species that can now be found
There is a great show of Bluebells in woodlands at the moment and a good place to see the carpet of blue on a woodland floor is in Hopeward Wood. All the Bluebells in this wood that I have examined are the native species and their presence indicates this is a woodland that has been in this location for a long time. Native Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) can be identified by the drooping flowers down one side of the flower stem, the white to cream coloured anthers bearing the pollen, and the very strongly reflexed petal tips. These flowers, along with Dog’s Mercury (Mercurialis perennis) shown below, also abundant in Hopeward Wood, are among the species regarded as Ancient Woodland Ind
