The Toad and Newt Patrols for 2026 have now finished. They started earlier than usual on 5th February, and ended officially on 29 March, though no toads or newts were found after 6th March. The numbers of toads was significantly down from last year: 699 for 2025 & 491 for 2026. The number of newts was very significantly down from last year: 541 for 2025 & 145 for 2026. It may be that a number Read more
With the mild early spring lots of different flowers have been appearing. The picture shows a good spread of celandines next to a small stream. Also showing at the moment, wood anemones, primroses, dogs mercury, violets of different types. Bluebells are just showing the odd spike or two.
Despite the constant rain hazelnut catkins are everywhere at the moment. If it is dry, you can give them quick tap and clouds of pollen appear like smoke.
See attached updated rainfall figures to the end of 2025. The picture shows the River Meon in the High Street on the Thursday before Christmas 2025. The river reached the same height as the previous recorded maximum by the Environment Agency gauge, sited by The George, of 0.72m recorded in February 2004. Another few hours of the rain and the centre of the village would probably have flooded!
After the long dry spring and summer, the autumn and winter rains have finally replenished the River Meon. We tested in November at three sites, and in December two sites so far. The riverfly numbers are not surprisingly down, but are still above the ‘trigger level’. Hopefully the numbers will increase back to the normal by the late spring.
After the long very dry summer of 2025 the autumn rains have finally come and are slowly swelling the River Meon again. The river became just a trickle from late June until late October. The source of the River Meon dried up completely at South Farm, and was only supported through the main village by a small tributary from Fish Ponds. Now finally we have started monitoring the river for river flies, and luckily from Read more
The team have just finished recording butterflies for the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme on the Hyden Hill Butterfly Transect. This transect is walked once a week from the start of April until the end of September. See the main article on the butterfly monitoring, click on this link https://eastmeonnature.com/butterfly-monitoring/. The results this year have been much more encouaging compared to the very wet summer of 2024, numbers up by nearly 100%.
After a very dry summer, and a recent good amount of rain, all sorts of interesting fungi are appearing. I have had a few good pickings of field mushrooms. Interesting fungi like the fly agaric (pictured) are also appearing, so be careful what you harvest.
After a record breaking long hot dry summer, surprisingly sloes are everywhere in the parish in great numbers and super sized. Where did they get the moisture to grow and ripen? Blackberries are the same this year.
With the long dry and sunny period this spring there is a brilliant show of bluebells in Hen Wood this year.