Main photo: Black Mulberry, Open University (Photo © Martin Kincaid)

A somewhat hastily arranged walk was attended by thirteen MKNHS members in glorious early spring weather. It was the first day of British Summer Time and the warm sunshine was ample reward for a lost hour of sleep.

Setting off from the Walton Lake car park, we first stopped to look at a carpet of Common Dog Violets – for some the first they had seen this spring. We walked clockwise around the lake, Charles pointing out the differences between Cherry Plum and Blackthorn – the latter just beginning to flower. Martin mentioned that this site supports a very large population of Grass Snakes and had indeed been a receptor site for some translocated snakes in the early 2000s. Sure enough, a sub-adult grass snake was found beneath a refuge and everyone enjoyed a close look at this reptile. It was carefully replaced where it had been basking.

Grass snake, sub-adult (Photo © Derek Taylor)

We then went to look at the small group of Black Poplars on a bend in the river but surprisingly, the male catkins had not yet appeared. Usually these trees are in flower by mid-March but they appear to be very late in 2025. We did however find some flowering Cowslips nearby. An old woodpecker hole in one of the poplars is currently home to a swarm of Honey Bees. Martin also pointed out a section of riverbank where Kingfishers nest in some years, although these striking birds were quite elusive today. Turning back on ourselves, we followed the course of the River Ouzel and then took a detour to visit the grounds of the Open University, specifically to visit the specimen Black Mulberry tree. This very old mulberry has been well propped to extend its life. For some members, this was their first encounter with this lovely tree. We also spotted some Mistletoe growing in nearby poplars.

The warm conditions tempted out a variety of insect life, especially butterflies. As well as the expected Brimstones, Commas and Peacocks we saw our first Orange Tip of the year. 7-spot Ladybirds were plentiful, Bee-flies were busy visiting the flowers of Ground Ivy and a variety of bumblebee queens were also foraging.

On our way back to the car park we paused to look at a group of mature elm trees now coming into leaf and also saw a Red Kite swooping low in an adjacent field. We walked through the reedbed, along the recently repaired boardwalk. We all noted the incredibly low water levels – not good news for the various amphibians which breed at this location. Returning to the car park, we noticed a number of tiny bees foraging around Germander Speedwell. The tiny burrows of some of these bees could also be seen. Although a positive identification of these bees was not possible, they might well have been Hawthorn Mining Bee Andrena chrysosceles.  

Martin Kincaid
01 April 2025