#LyeValley #SSSI rare #fen is subject to damaging erosion in the Lye Brook from road run-off from a large area of Headington. NFM log dams slow flow, reduce flooding & hurdles defend soft peat banks - all made by vols of FoLV with some grant funding. See: friendsoflyevalley.org.uk/about/

Community groups in Buckinghamshire are getting involved in #GroWet! You can join us too. Help us restore the county’s historic wetlands and freshwaters by nurturing and reintroducing rare and threatened plants. For more information and to sign up 👉 freshwaterhabitats.org.uk/projects/growe…

#LyeValley has 6 small ponds & they soon get invaded to the middle with marginal veg. Time to reduce some veg by pulling or cutting to return some open water for the Southern Hawkers & Common Darters. Lots of material to move over our now neatly trimmed willow barrier!

In #LyeValley #fen vols are busy seed collecting again. Here the curly wurly seeds of meadowsweet. We searched for Tufted Vetch but found extremely few pods compared to last year. Wondering why, we suggest lack of #pollinators? It's a bee pollinated plant & bees have been scarce

In #LyeValley we were surprised & delighted to encounter this female Lesser Stag Beetle just resting in the vegetation, not far from one of our log piles. You could have this too, if you make a nice log pile in your garden or nature reserve, so many beetles need #deadwood !

Jake Dalzell and I travelled to Friends of Lye Valley today to see the fantastically diverse calcareous fen. Whilst Jake ogled some plant rusts, I was held in awe by the gorgeous Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia palustris)- a species I have dreamed of seeing!

Billy Fullwood Jake Dalzell Friends of Lye Valley Wow the Parnassia palustris is amazing. I've seen it in Ireland but yet to see a site with that abundance of it

Time for some Wild Angelica seed collection in Lye Valley fen. Flowers loved by insects like this (presumed) white tailed Bumble bee worker. It must have desirable nutritious pollen - just look at those bulging pollen baskets crammed with white pollen! Seed going in new fen areas

Grass of Parnassus in #LyeValley #fen #SSSI seems to get well pollinated despite deceiving insects with its branched 'false nectaries' - groups of shining globules, look like nectar drops, but give none.... here just a variety of inverts searching,or just resting, in the flowers.

More seed collecting in #LyeValley #Fen. The pods of our Marsh Helleborine orchids are splitting & we collect & rub pods between hands over suitable short tufa-fen new areas. Maybe as long as 7 yrs to wait to see if the seed finds the soil condits OK & right fungus for symbiosis

September sun recently in #LyeValley brought out troops of basking insects -Long winged Conehead crickets & plenty of adult & immature Dock (Squash) bugs. Along with one nymph of a Common Green Shieldbug. One Dark Bush Cricket enjoyed sunning on our fen information board..

#LyeValley #volunteers getting on with the important jobs of the autumn scythe & rake plus repairing & reinforcing the small bunds that hold vital spring water on the fen to keep it nice & wet. Here you can see it is a very irony spring water (orange iron oxide deposits) retained

Pleased to take some members of the Ashmolean Natural History Society of Oxfordshire to #LyeValley #fen to appreciate everything about the remarkable Grass of Parnassus, still flowering in abundance in a restoration area. Thanks to C. Hoskin for the photo. Friends of Lye Valley

We’re letting @keir_starmer know that we want to #EndPeatSales now📢 The longer we wait, the more precious #peatlands are destroyed for use in #horticulture📉 Let's leave peat in the ground🌱 Find out more 👉 bit.ly/4ec4a1T Peat-free Partnership Chris Packham

Whilst pulling more baby willows from #Lyevalley #fen we discovered we had one unusual plant of pure white-flowered Devil's-bit Scabious and this Hairy Shield bug sunning on some Wild Angelica seeds. Amazing what you find down in the vegetation!

There’s still time to do the priority pond survey, which we've developed with @naturalengland. But hurry, the survey season ends in early October! ⏳ Head out to ponds near you and add to national data to protect high quality wildlife habitats. 🌿🐸💦 freshwaterhabitats.org.uk/advice-resourc…

We have seen so few butterflies in #LyeValley this summer. Lucky then to spot this male Common Blue nectaring on mint, creep up & be allowed to achieve a couple of photos of the attractive underwing patterning. How did we get to the point where Common Blues are rare? .....

#LyeValley nearly time for Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillars to finish eating willow-herbs (having achieved remarkable large size, thick as a finger ) & go to ground to pupate. Here both a green & darker form seen. Stunning fake eyes!

Judy Webb Friends of Lye Valley BC Upper Thames Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre I grow them in the garden and...

If you are interested in birds to be seen in the #LyeValley area, Tom Bedford has another 50 copies of his bird report available to purchase. The link is on the Friends of Lye Valley website, but see if this works : outofthebluesky.co/?p=5881