Wildlife gallery

The Marbled Orbweaver spider Araneus marmoreus) is one of the new arachnid species found by Nathan (photo by Dave Jones)

We had a few sightings of Barn Owls roosting on the Meadow (photo by Dave Jones)

One of two new species of butterfly spotted on the Meadow in 2025 (photo by Dave Jones)

The population of Wasp Spiders (Argiope bruennichi) on the Meadow continued to increase in 2025. The zig-zag in the web is characteristic of the species (photo by Dave Jones)

The caterpillars of the Cinnabar moth are dependent on Ragwort (photo by Dave Jones)

One of two new butterfly species spotted on the Meadow in 2025. This is a migrant species that appeared in good numbers this year (photo by Dave Jones)

Another new species for the Meadow in 2025. A single flower spike was spotted by Nathan in June (photo by Dave Jones)

Although the original single spike didn't reappear in 2025 we found several other spikes (photo by Dave Jones)

We didn't have much of this characteristic wildflower in 2025 as we didn't have disturbed ground it requires (photo by Dave Jones)

The Hawthorn hedge at the back of the Meadow is now well established and produced a display of it's flowers late in April (photo by Dave Jones)

This is one of several Blue Tit fledglings found around the Meadow where the nest boxes have been well used (photo by Dave Jones)

We now have a good amount of this characteristic perennial meadow plant that is our largest member of the daisy family (photo by Dave Jones)

These hard marble sized balls found on some oak trees and sometimes known as Oak nuts aren't fruits or nuts but are actually a gall created by the larvae of the Oak Marble Gall Wasp, Andricus kollari (photo by Dave Jones)

Harmless to us, the Devil's Coach-horse is a rove beetle that hunts other invertebrates. When threatened it raises its abdomen like a scorpion and opens its powerful jaws (photo by Dave Jones)

An early spring flower characteristic of ancient woodlands, we planted a few rhizomes on the Meadow and had the first blooms in 2025 (photo by Dave Jones)

You need good eyes to spot it but Nathan was able to find this new species for the Meadow, the Gorse Orbweb Spider (Agalenatea redii), on a Teasel head in 2025 (photo by Dave Jones)

Appearing late in March 2025, Lesser Celandine, was another new flower for the Meadow (photo by Dave Jones)

Several patches of these early flowering bulbs have been planted on the Meadow and will hopefully establish and spread (photo by Dave Jones)

When we checked the bird nest boxes in October we were thrilled to find that a Barn Owl had been using one of the boxes leaving pellets of regurgitated food as evidence (photo by Pauline Montgomery)

Marble Screw-moss (Syntrichia papillosa) was one of 15 species of moss found during a Bryophyte survey in October. Formerly a rarity this species has increased in recent decades. You'd need magnification to see it but the pointed leaves contain a distinctive crop of small green 'gemmae' in the right moist conditions (photo by Elijah)

The seed heads of Teasel made an ideal foreground (photo Dave Jones)

2024 provided a unique chance to see the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) over much of the UK and they appeared over the Meadow again in October (photo Dave Jones)

Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera). The curved spike on this individual shows that it's a female. She uses this 'ovipositor' to lay her eggs into rotting wood or bark crevices in late summer (photo by Dave Jones)

As well as finding good numbers of females we were lucky to find several with their delicate silken egg sacks which they attach to stems (photo Dave Jones)