Wildlife gallery

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)

Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus) is common and widespread and can be found in any sunny grassy area. The hairy underside is an identification feature (photo by Dave Jones)

The Flower Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) doesn't spin a web but catches it's prey by ambush. The females can change colour to match their surroundings (photo by Dave Jones)

Although we spotted several Wasp Spiders on the Meadow last year, 2024 was a bumper year and thanks to Nathan we spotted at least 60 females. The males are much smaller and dull and risk being eaten by the female when they mate! (photo Dave Jones)

With an array of flowers including Knapweed and Wild Carrot there was still plenty of colour on the Meadow in August (photo by Pauline Montgomery)

The Four-spotted Orbweb spider (Araneus quadratus) can be found in a variety of colour forms and apparently holds the record for the heaviest British spider (photo by Dave Jones)

Although we are required to control the spread of Ragwort it is a valuable native plant that is important for wildlife including the Cinnabar Moth whose distinctive stripy caterpillars rely on it for food (photo by Dave Jones)

While the females are usually brown, the males give this species it's name. Although not 'common' on the Meadow we had a few more sightings in 2024 (photo by Dave Jones)

The skippers are a family of small butterflies some of which hold their wings in this characteristic shape. The Essex Skipper is hard to tell from the very similar Small Skipper but has black-tipped antenna (photo Dave Jones)

Black-and-Yellow Longhorn (Rutpela maculata) is a distinctive beetle that can be found feeding on flowers, especially umbellifers, in summer (photo by Dave Jones)

A common butterfly of grasslands in summer. Taking over from Gatekeeper, the Meadow Brown was our most recorded species in 2024 (photo by Dave Jones)

The Six-spot Burnet is a day-flying moth which will often feed on Knapweeds (photo by Dave Jones)

Summer Chafers (Amphimallon solstitialis) are large beetles often seen flying around erratically on warm summer evenings between June and August (photo by Dave Jones)

The Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus) is another grasshopper found in unimproved grasslands. Males display to females by rubbing their legs against their wings to create a 'song' (photo by Dave Jones)

This common thistle is named for it's ability to spread rapidly through it's 'creeping' roots and can be difficult to control but it's flowers and seeds provide a valuable resource for other wildlife such as this Meadow Brown butterfly (photo by Dave Jones)

This is one of a group of small solitary bees that make nests in the ground and are valuable pollinators (photo by Dave Jones)

Meadow Plant Bug (Leptopterna dolabrata) is a widespread insect that feeds on a variety of grasses (photo by Dave Jones)

A perennial native of grasslands, Common Agrimony is one of the plants we are hoping to establish on the Meadow from seeds and plug plants (photo by Dave Jones)

The Ringlet is a common butterfly but it prefers damper grasslands and is only occasionally seen on the Meadow (photo by Dave Jones)