After three weeks of rain I was relieved to hear the weather forecast suggest it was going to be a dry fine day with a little more cloud and slight chance of rain after lunch I was even more relieved when the forecast turned out to be incorrect - the cloud and rain did not materialise; it was a lovely day. Have we turned the corner weather-wise? Hearing the advance forecast for next week suggests not!
Enough about the weather.
What happened?
Five of us met in Hilton on the appropriately named Sandpit Lane and made our way to the entrance where we were to be met to be let onto this closed site. When we got there we were the only people present. Had all my planning been for nought? Don't panic.
I wandered off in the hope of finding the missing keyholder leaving the others to twiddle their thumbs by the gate.
Whilst I was wandering in my vain search I heard the screech of a metal gate being opened. If we were being let onto the site they would contact me on my mobile phone.
They did but I could not hear it. It was in my bag - which I had left by the gate. I have not quite got the hang of these modern gadgets.
The screech tweaked my curiosity so I returned to find the gate open and the rest of the group on the site. Relief!
(In my absence owner arrived a few minutes later and let us in. The person who was due to meet us had, unexpectedly, had to go to work.)
The site turned out to be far more extensive than I expected. It was mainly grassland but there were patches of scrub, woodland and bare sand and plenty of slopes and banks. Although there were no pools there were signs of where ephemeral pools would form in very wet weather.
An early find was Dark Mullein (at least that is what I was told it was).
And all around this the sandy ground was covered in various low growing yellow and purple plants.
Swallows flew overhead, a kestrel passed through, the unmistakable sound of a green woodpecker was heard in the distance and we were accompanied by the continuous chatter of anonymous small birds.
We looked at the flora
And we looked for invertebrates.
Amongst those we found were a woundwort shieldbug
And a mirid bug Deraeocoris ruber
We lunched.
After lunch we explored the further reaches of the sand pit. We found a sandy bank where bees had nested and watched as a leaf cutter bee arrived holding a leaf section and disappeared into its nest.
I found an evening primrose.
One of its flowers was a cafe for at least 20 pollen beetles
Amongst our other finds in the afternoon were a micro moth which I think is Pyrausta purpuralis (which had to be photographed in a tube - hence the haze).
Also an adult Forest bug allowed itself to be found.
We were just thinking of packing up and going when the owner reappeared and offered us a cup of tea.
How could we refuse?
Refreshed we expressed our thanks for being allowed to visit this excellent site then returned to our cars and made our way home.
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