Cuckoo Flowers are Blooming

Cuckoo flowers ( cardamine pratensis) are blooming in fields, hedgerows and the edges of woods, but where are the cuckoos? One reason they are called cuckoo flowers is that they bloom in April and May when the cuckoos return from Africa. However cuckoos are quite rare in East Meon these days, as they are getting rarer throughout the country. This is due to a number of possible reasons that are still being studied. The cuckoo Read more…

Toothwort in Duncombe Wood

The rather peculiar flower toothwort (lathrarea squamaria) is coming up in Duncombe Wood. They are parasitic on the roots of trees, usually hazel, feeding on their sap. However they must not take too much or the tree will die. They are also known by their county name of ‘corpse flower’ in the belief that such a ghostly plant could only grow from a buried corpse. In fact they do not need any chlorophyll as they Read more…

The Toads Keep Moving!

The toad patrol continues to find and move toads across Coombe Road. To date this spring, 17/03/21, we have moved 376 toads, with the added bonus of 74 newts. Unfortunately we also found 14 squashed toads and 9 squashed newts, but these numbers would be much higher if the patrols were not out. One of the things we have been seeing recently is that a number of the female toads have a male toads on Read more…

Toads & Frogs Have a Big Night – Wed 3rd March

After six cold and dry evenings, the weather changed on Wednesday 3rd March to damp and misty with light rain and a mild 9C. The toad patrols had not found any toad movement at all in the previous six evenings, then suddenly it was all go. The patrol moved 111 toads across the road with one fatality, it being squashed by a passing vehicle. Thirty three of the toads were females, a much bigger proportion Read more…