24 June 2023

 

I had a quick walk around the Green course this morning and played nine holes on the Red this evening.  I was pleased to see that Marsh Helleborine have colonised the damp area in from of the stream on the 4th Green.  I have not seen them here before and a good outcome for the conservation work carried out in this area.

Marsh Helleborine Epipactis palustris [4th Green]

The Chalk Fragrant Orchids nearby are nearly in flower and a few Pyrimidal Orchids are also appearing around the course.

Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis [6th Red]

Chalk Fragrant Orchid Gymnadenia conopsea [16th Red]

The Tubney range contains a lot of flowers and insects at the moment.  Hares-foot Clover grows in prolific quantities.  The rather alien-looking Common Cudweed is also common here.

Common Cudweed Filago vulgaris [Tubney range]

Hare's-foot Clover Trifolium arvense [Tubney range]

In amongst the grass there were a lot of Silver-Y Moths - so called because of the inverted Y visible on its wings.

Silver Y moth Autographa gamma [Tubney range]

I was pleased to see a Common Sandpiper on the reservoir.  This is the first that I have seen here since the work on the reservoir last year.

Common Sandpiper [Reservoir]

11 June 2022

 

I had a walk around all three courses in the sunshine this morning.   The first Pyramidal Orchids are coming into flower.  They grow on all three courses, but this one was on the right of the 15th Red.

Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis [15th Red]

Lots of other plants are flowering now in the rough:

Opium Poppy Papaver somniferum [15th Red]

Ox-eye Daisies Leucanthemum vulgare [8th Blue]

Hare's-foot Clover is one of the characteristic plants of the short rough at Frilford and covers large areas of the Tubney driving range.

Hare's foot Clover Trifolium arvense [Tubney range]

The whole of a hare was stopped for a while in the woods behind the 6th Blue.

Brown Hare [6th Blue]

I had a quick wade through Boundary Fen this afternoon.  Lots of the Marsh Lousewort is in flower and quite a few Dragon and Damselflies were active.

Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Boundary Fen]

White-legged Damselfly Platycnemis pennipes [Boundary Fen]

Now that I can better recognise the Garden Warbler's song I have realised that there are a few of them around the courses.  This one was singing on the left of the second fairway on the Blue and another was singing from the trees around the green.

Garden Warbler [2nd Blue]

5 July 2021

 

A Hobby is a small falcon that can be seen around the course in summer from time to time.  It feeds on small birds and insects, particularly dragonflies.   This one was flying over the 6th on the Blue.

Hobby [6th Blue]

Plenty more young birds around.  Robins are speckled brown in their first few months before acquiring a red breast and more familiar colouring.

Robin [6th Blue]

Juvenile Great-spotted Woodpeckers are similar to adults but have a red cap.  

Great-spotted Woodpecker [Tubney range]

Juvenile treecreepers are pretty much identical to adults.  This one was being fed by an adult.

Treecreeper [6th Blue]

A couple of new flowers in the rough by the 4th Red:

Perforate St John's-wort Hypericum perforatum [4th Red]

Field Scabious Knautia arvensis [4th Red]

Lots of Pyramidal Orchids out now over the course.  This one was on the 18th Blue.

Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis [18th Blue]

15 June 2021

Played the front nine of the Red this evening.  I've not noticed the large patch of Marsh Orchids short of the pond on the 9th before - to be fair my tee shot does usually carry them.  These look like Southern Marsh (with a few Common Spotted mixed in - you can see a couple in the top left).

Southern Marsh Orchids Dactylorhiza praetermissa [9th Red]

The Southern Marsh Orchids are not as large as the ones on the 11th Blue, but you can distinguish them from the Common Spotted as they are generally darker purple - but more reliably by the shape of the flower.  Common Spotted Orchids have three distinct parts to the lower lobe, fairly evenly proportioned, whereas Southern Marsh tend to have more of a one-part lower lobe.  Pyramidal Orchids have 3 evenly proportioned parts to the lower lobe without patterns on the flowers.

Common Spotted

Southern Marsh

Pyramidal

Away from Orchids I found a Hedge Woundwort in a couple of places - this one beside the path on the 4th Green.

Hedge Woundwort Stachys sylvatica [4th Green]

14 June 2021

Had a quick walk around some of the Blue this morning in the sunshine and played on the Green this evening.

Came across a new species of damselfly on the pond in front of the 4th tee.  There were quite of few of them flying round.

Blue-tailed Damselfly (male) Ischnura elegans [4th Blue]

Both Dog Rose and Honeysuckle are scrambling across the Hedgerow to the left of the 2nd.

Dog Rose Rosa canina [2nd Blue]

Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum [2nd Blue]

I found another Pyramidal Orchid between the 8th and 11th, this time fully in flower, not far from the Southern Marsh Orchids (first photo).

Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis [10th Blue]

In amongst the thick rough there are a few different species of thistle - providing extra incentive to keep the ball on the fairway, particularly if wearing shorts or a skirt.  Musk thistle is the one that has large nodding flower heads.

Musk Thistle Carduus nutans [12th Blue]

Welted thistle has smaller flowers and branched stems and lots of spiny wings all the way up the stem.

Welted Thistle Carduus crispus [15th Blue]

Marsh thistle has unbranched stems and a cluster of flowers at the top.

Marsh Thistle Cirsium palustre [4th Green]

Meadow Thistle is friendlier and has no harsh spines and a single flower on a long stalk.  You can see this growing in the fen around the 4th Green/16th Red.

Meadow Thistle Cirsium dissectum [16th Red]

11 June 2021

 

Prime time of year for flowers.  Some of the most spectacular on the course at the moment are the Southern Marsh Orchids between the 8th and 11th on the Blue.  These are around 50cm tall and very visible from the fairway on the 11th - there are actually a couple of clusters.  It is unusual for them to have spotted leaves - possibly due to hybridising with Common Spotted.

Southern Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza praetermissa [11th Blue]

There is another type of orchid nearby, the Pyramidal Orchid.  Somewhat smaller and just coming into flower.  You will see lots of these if you visit Goring and Streatley Golf Club.

Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis [11th Blue]

On the third Blue there are lots of Common Spotted Orchid, including this unusual pure white one.

Common Spotted Orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii [3rd Blue]

Also on the 3rd Blue there is a lot of Tufted Vetch.

Tufted Vetch Vicia cracca [3rd Blue]

Here's a close up of the moth in the background of the previous photo, which I think is a Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet.

Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet Zygaena Ionicerae [3rd Blue]

A couple of quite similar flowers growing near the 1st green on the Red.  Weld is a tall plant growing up to 6 feet high if it can avoid the mower. Wild Mignonette is shorter and bushier.

Weld Reseda luteola [1st Red]

Wild Mignonette Reseda lutea [1st Red]

We are also nearing peak clover season.   White Clover is the most common and is the one that conceals your golf ball even when it's only just off the fairway.

White Clover Trifolium repens [15th Blue]

Red Clover is also fairly common in wet areas. This one was in the fen on the 3rd Blue.

Red Clover Trifolium pratense [3rd Blue]

 If you look closely, you may also spot Knotted clover, which grows on the 12th on the Blue.

Knotted Clover Trifolium striatum [12th Blue]

Hare's-foot Clover is also common on the 11th of the Blue and the Doghouse range in particular.

Hare's-foot Clover Trifolium arvense [Doghouse range]

From hare's foot to the animal itself.  This one was on the 2nd Blue.

Brown Hare [2nd Blue]

The Great-crested Grebe is still on the reservoir.  A Lesser Black-backed Gull also stopped by earlier in the week.

Lesser Black-backed Gull [Reservoir]

A Buzzard also flew over this evening.

Buzzard [Reservoir]