We have had some slightly damper conditions lately and this is encouraging fungi and fruit. I believe that this one is a type of Boletus parasitic boletus. There were several growing in F2. If it is this one then it could be a rare type but it is more likely to be an example of a common bolete variety.

 Surprisingly, in spite of all the dry conditions there is a damp area by the bridge in E6. it is possible that this was the site of an old pond or maybe somewhere where there is a general Drainage Direction. Whatever the reason there is a lot of earthworm worm cast activity which is very unusual bearing in mind that the rest of the soil on the park is bone dry.

 October 2025 Update.

Following on from the driest spring on record and a dry summer the park is looking dry but not parched due to recent dews and lower temperatures.

Some small shrubs are showing extreme drought stress as are patches of Bramble in full sunlight.

Cowslip Survey April 2025.

 In April 2025 the Cowslip population was surveyed on the Park. The results are shown on the map using ACFOR where A= Abundant, C= Common, O= Occasional, R= Rare.

It has been a rather mixed year for Cowslip's because March was the driest on record and this has been largely reflected in the growth of the plant's and especially the height of the flowering heads. In some cases in the driest areas the plants are really quite stunted and the flower stalks really short. In just a very few cases there are the properly formed tall flowerheads as expected.

Fully formed flowering plant as usual.

Stunted plants and short flowerheads.

Interestingly, some of the groups of plants are on the same location as they were recorded in the very first survey of this plant in 1980 so presumably they are essentially the same plants or their offspring and this has been repeated in several other places in the survey. Square F8 is an example.

It is open to speculation how these groups of plants continue from year to year and it is open to question if new plants arise from seeds shed by the parent plants or they originate from offsets once again from the parent plants?

There is no obvious way in which Cowslip seed is dispersed other than passively so the occasional appearance of an isolated clump on a site not recorded before is also unexplained.

In many ways this survey replicates what was found in 1980 and if anything the population has expanded slightly in spite of increased footfall impact.

Dawn Chorus 2023.

 At the start of May last year a sound recording was made of the dawn chorus and a video vlog added later in the day. National Dawn Chorus day 2024 will be May 5th to enjoy again but you must be there at dawn which is about 4am with sunrise at 5.17am. Follow the link below to hear the chorus.

https://youtu.be/uBn1UOzbVPQ?si=m5KcEffkqgunszcl

Be a Tree Detective.

 At this time of year one of the most reliable ways of identifying a tree is by looking at its bark and winter buds. The first one is the Lime. When the tree is young the bark is quite smooth but as it gets older it develops cracks or 'fissures'.

.The buds are blunt and rounded and positioned alternately on the stem. They are usually red or purple in colour.

The next tree is the Field Maple. The bark is grey or dark brown and there are fine, shallow fissures on the bark which get more obvious with age. The older bark is often flaky.

The buds are reddish brown with white hairy edges and they are found in opposite pairs on the stalks.

Next is the Horse Chestnut. The bark is grey-brown and often covered in powdery lichen and algae. As it gets older it becomes flaky and the edges start to lift off the tree.

The buds are sticky with large visible scales. They are usually found on short stalks.

 Next is the Ash. The bark is smooth when young but on an older tree it is pale grey and heavily lined with vertical fissures.

The buds are velvet matt black in opposite pairs with the terminal bud being the largest.

Now the Wild Cherry. The bark is an orangey brown colour with horizontal lines called lenticels or 'breathing pores'.

You will find two types of buds, the first are those that will become leaves and secondly those in groups which will be the flowers later on.

And now the Hornbeam.The bark is grey and smooth when young but it develops 'angles' as it gets older. Some old trees have furrows.

The buds are pale brown in colour with long scales. They sometimes curve inward slightly.

Benchmarks Project.

 A benchmark in geographical or landscape terms is a fixed point of reference in the landscape. At Pishiobury we have at least 19 wooden seating benches many of which are oak and represent fixed points in the landscape of the Park. The Benchmarks Project suggest to people that instead of rushing hither and thither then take 10 minutes to sit on a bench of their choice and concentrate on the sights, sounds and smells of the area in front of them. Appreciate the natural landscape and any wildlife that can be spotted. 

                        Here are some panoramic views with suggestions of what might be observed.

This is the view from the Holloway Bench. There are hedges and field edges on both sides, naturalising grassland in the foreground, and old hedge in the distance and the floodplain of Plovers Mead.

Here is a panoramic view of Plovers Mead at a 180° angle. On the left a large Weeping Willow on the right, Black Poplar, in the middle distance a young oak, in the far distance the old field hedge of Springhall Meadow, in the near distance the wet floodplain.

A panoramic view from the Osier Bed bench. On the right Alder trees and wet woodland, on the left large hybrid Poplars and in the middle distance a bend of the Old River Stort, floodplain in the far distance. 

A panoramic view of the gravel pit. On the left, Nursery Wood, in the distance on the left the Osier Bed with tall Poplars, on the right in the distance the Vale with a 'roundel' and cluster of conifers.

A panoramic view from Margaret's bench looking south. A veteran oak on the right, Oak Walk on the left, the ditch running along the bottom of this dry valley and Harlow New Town continuing development in the far distance.

A panoramic view from the Maple Bench accentuating the rise and fall of the land. Bramble and Horse Chestnut on the right and a strongly growing young Cedar of Lebanon on the left. Tracks made by cattle and people in the foreground.