30 June 2021

I had a productive stroll around parts of the Green and Red courses today.  The highlight was finding a Bee Orchid just off the path 10 yards in front of the 16th tee Red.  I know that they have been recorded on the course in the past, but this is the first one that I have found.  The lip of the flower mimics a female bee so that when a male attempts to mate with it, pollen is transferred, with the bee left frustrated.  However, the correct species of bee doesn't occur in the UK, so most are self-pollinating.

Bee Orchid Ophrys apifera [16th Red]

Five yards away is another uncommon orchid, Marsh Helleborine, which grows in reasonable numbers in Two-pine Fen.

Marsh Helleborine Epipactis palustris [4th Green]

And two yards away looks like another candidate for Narrow-leaved Marsh Orchid.  There are actually six species of orchid in this very small area - I do wonder whether it should have a bit more protection.

Narrow-leaved Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza traunsteineri [16th Red] 

Also in Two-pine Fen, the tall yellow spikes of Agrimony are prominent at the moment.

Agrimony Pucciniastrum agrimoniae [16th Red]

On the Green course, the Maiden Pink has plenty of flowers now.

Maiden Pink Dianthus deltoides [10th Red]

Other new plants from today include:

Common Centaury Centaurium erythraea [5th Red]

Bladder Campion Silene vulgaris [7th Green]

Restharrow Ononis repens [14th Red]

Wild Thyme Thymus polytrichus [15th Red]

Common Toadflax Linaria vulgaris [4th Red]

Harebell Campanula rotundifolia [4th Red]

There were a lot of young birds on the 13th Red this morning, in particular Blue Tits and Great Tits - attracting the attentions of this male Sparrowhawk.

Sparrowhawk [13th Red]

At the top of one of the trees by the 13th tee there was a Spotted Flycatcher.  I have seen these on the 14th Green in previous years, so it is good to see one on the course this year.  Twenty years ago they were generally fairly common in Britain, but I only see one occasionally nowadays.  I managed to get a very distant shot - hopefully I will get some better views as the summer progresses.

Spotted Flycatcher [13th Red]

More obliging, behind the 4th tee on the Red a Willow Warbler was finding rich pickings among the ferns.

Willow Warbler [Tubney Range]

There were also good numbers of butterflies on the edge of the range, including two new ones for the year.

Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae [Tubney range]

Marbled White Melanargia galathea [Tubney range]

29 June 2021

 I played the front nine of the Blue this evening - pretty much on my own with everyone watching the football.  One of the more spectacular plant species starting to flower around now is Himalayan Balsam.  This is actually a problematic invasive species that originates in the Himalayas and is very efficient at attracting pollinators and distributing seeds, thriving at the expense of native plants.  It is particularly frequent along the stream that marks the boundary of the Blue course.

Himalayan Balsam Impatiens glandulifera [3rd Blue]

Another large plant, this time native, that is characteristic of the marshy areas of the courses is Meadowsweet.  This was part of a patch growing on the 3rd.

Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria [3rd Blue]

Scrambling alongside this is Large Bindweed, which is common in the thick rough.

Large Bindweed Calystegia sylvatica [3rd Blue]

Growing next to the pond on the 4th and common around the course is Selfheal.

Selfheal Prunella vulgaris [4th Blue]

I often see a Grey Heron moving between the ponds on the Blue in the evening, hunting for fish and frogs.

Grey Heron [4th Blue]

27 June 2021

 Had a brief visit to the Doghouse range this afternoon and found a few more plants and butterflies for the year.  A Small Skipper was resting on some Yarrow.  It is very similar to Large Skipper, which I found behind the 14th tee on the Red, but has a plain underwing, whereas this is slightly patterned for the Large Skipper.

Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris [Doghouse range]

Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris [Doghouse range]

Large Skipper Ochlodes sylvanus [14th Red]

Otherwise there were a few new flowers.  Field Bindweed grows in the thicker rough and seems to look more attractive here than when I'm pulling it up out of my flower beds.

Field Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis [Doghouse range]

White Stonecrop is prevalent around the edge of the range and grows next to the Biting Stonecrop.

White Stonecrop Sedum album [Doghouse range]

Common Ragwort is also abundant in the long grass.

Common Ragwort Senecio jacobaea [Doghouse range]

23 June 2021

 A few families of birds and animals on the course this morning.  These four Brown Hares were on the driving range.

Brown Hares [Tubney range]

It looks like an adult and juvenile Whitethroat here that were in the oak tree on the 3rd Blue and are part of one of the families with nest around here.

Whitethroats [3rd Blue]

On the 11th Blue this juvenile Black-Headed Gull was part of a mixed flock of adults and juveniles.

Black-headed Gulls [11th Blue]

This Red Kite was on its own atop a tree by the 13th Blue, but I think that it is one of several pairs nesting around the course.

Red Kite [13th Blue]

A few new flowers as well, including a couple in the driving range car park. Dwarf Mallow and Black Horehound both grow by the entrance, the latter also in a few other places around the course including the 13th Blue and 14th Red.

Dwarf Mallow Malva neglecta [Tubney range]

Black Horehound Ballota nigra [13th Blue]

Other flowers include:

Large-flowered Evening-primrose Oenothera glazioviana [17th Blue]

Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium [16th Red]

22 June 2021

Sunny evening, so I had a quick walk around the Blue and Red.  On the third I watched a female Whitethroat hunting for insects in the fen and returning periodically to feed two young birds in the hedge.

Whitethroat [3rd Blue]

Meadow Brown butterflies are quite common in the rough at the moment.  This one was near the reservoir.

Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina [Reservoir]

A new type of Damselfly on the 3rd Blue and 4th Red - A White-legged Damselfly.

White-legged Damselfly (male) Platycnemis pennipes [3rd Blue]

White-legged Damselfly (female) Platycnemis pennipes [4th Red]

There are a couple of species of Fumitory on the course at the moment.  Common Fumitory is usually shorter and has a spatula-shaped lower sepal - in common Ramping Fumitory this is straight:

Common Ramping Fumitory Fumaria muralis [3rd Blue]

Common Fumitory Fumaria officinalis [6th Blue]

Heath Speedwell is another species of Veronica and is quite common on the shorter areas of rough.  I've found this on both the Red and Green courses.  

Heath Speedwell Veronica officinalis [4th Red]

Yellow Rattle can be found in the rough on the 13th Red.  It is semi-parasitic, feeding off nutrients in the roots of nearby grasses.

Yellow Rattle Rhinanthus minor [13h Red]

20 June 2021

 

Put my wellies on this morning to have a close look at Boundary Fen - the area to the left of the 13th on the Red.  A lot of work has been done on this area by Abingdon Green Gym under the guidance of English nature.  For a number of years the area has been overgrown with reed, giving little chance for other plants to flourish.  

You can see now that large tracts of reeds have been cut down.

It is clear that this is having a positive effect on biodiversity.  Marsh Lousewort is seen as one of the key plants in this ecosystem and is growing strongly in various spots.

Marsh Lousewort Pedicularis palustris [Boundary Fen]

Another uncommon plant thriving here is Bog Pimpernel.  I've looked for this elsewhere in the ditches on the Green without finding any, but there is quite a lot in this area.  It's small pink flowers only tend to open in full sun.

Bog Pimpernel Anagallis tenella [Boundary Fen]

Other plants growing here include:

Skullcap Scutellaria galericulata [Boundary Fen]

Water Figwort Scrophularia auriculata [Boundary Fen]

Greater Birdsfoot Trefoil Lotus pedunculatus [Boundary Fen]

Meadow Vetchling Lathyrus pratensis [Boundary Fen]

Creeping Thistle Cirsium arvense [Boundary Fen]

Marsh Bedstraw also grows here and is one of a number of Bedstraws on the course at the moment.  Heath Bedstraw is common on the Green course and has denser flowers.  Lady's Bedstraw is yellow and grows on the Red course and on the Doghouse range.  Cleavers is the most common and is the one stuck to your clothes after a trip to the deep rough.

Marsh Bedstraw Galium palustre [Boundary Fen]

Heath Bedstraw Galium saxatile [15th Green]

Lady's Bedstraw Galium verum [15th Red]

Cleavers Galium aparine [Boundary Fen]

On the area to the left of the 13th Red you can find both White and Black Bryony scrambling over their surrounding vegetation.

White Bryony Bryonia dioica [13th Red]

Black Bryony Tamus communis [13th Red]

In the wood behind the fen I came across Tutsan, a shrubby member of the Hypericum family.

Tutsan Hypericum androsaemum [13th Red]

In the same family, but a fraction of the size is Trailing St John's-wort, which you can find in the rough near the green on the 3rd Green.

Trailing St John's Wort Hypericum humisusum [3rd Green]

Finally, at the back of the 14th tee I came across a Large Skipper butterfly, the first one that I have seen at Frilford.

Large Skipper Ochlodes sylvanus [Boundary Fen]