May 5th, 7th & 9th Catton Park

I've been starting to get really into visiting my local park this last week. Lockdown has brought me closer to my local patch than ever before. Since discovering the lesser whitethroat and experiencing the dawn chorus the other week, I've grown to love this place more and more. Why I haven't been visiting this place that much before the lockdown, I have no idea, but it has been a real lifesaver. I have no garden of my own and, since we've been restricted in our movements, a lot of my usual haunts like Strumpshaw are out of walking distance and have closed to the public anyway. I'm having to rely on more local places, like Catton Park, for my wildlife fix and it has been very rewarding and has surprised me on how much wildlife we have on the doorstep of this fine city of Norwich.



Stock Dove

During this last week, I've been trying so hard to find that lesser whitethroat again. I made two visits, one on the 5th on my own and another with my parents on the 7th, but there was no sign of the elusive warbler. There has been plenty of common whitethroats, but not lesser whitethroats. However, I did get to enjoy encounters with green and great spotted woodpeckers in the ancient oak trees at the centre of the park, though they were both as camera shy as my intended target. I have also seen plenty of stock doves and I've witnessed two crows mob a buzzard. As well as birds, there has been plenty of insect life too, namely butterflies in the form of speckled woods, orange-tips, peacocks and holy blues.

 

 

 

Today, I've came to a decision. I wanted to start a lockdown wildflower list. Plants are one of my weakest subjects. Sure, I've got to grips with the orchids last year, but the rest of our native floral life is another kettle of fish. So today, I have decided to attempt in starting a scrap book of all the wildflowers I've seen within my part of the city. Basically, anywhere within walking distance from my home in North Norwich. For now, I'm starting at Catton Park, but I'm hoping to also include plants from Mousehold Heath and any other local green spots within reach by foot. I'm not the greatest at plants, so if you live in my neck of the woods and want to share some findings or suggest some places I can walk to, let me know. Maybe, when lockdown has been lifted, I will continue this little project and visit other parts of the city and uncover more plants to my list.

 

 

Field Pansy

At Catton Park this morning, I managed to take a photo of as many notable plants that were in flower that I could find, including a couple of trees that were in flower. Possibly the pick of the bunch for me was field pansy, consisting of a single plant with a small number of tiny white flowers on it, each with the characteristic yellow centre marked with a set of black lines on them. I haven't found this plant here since 2007 when I first encountered them. I've been looking and looking, but with no luck what so ever. So I was very pleased to find this charming, minute flower. Its been a long time.

 

 

Kicking off my plant list (that I had a Facebook group help ID) were; wood avens, buttercup (Ranunculus sp.), Bulbous buttercup, dandelion, smooth sow-thistle, hedge mustard, yellow-flowered strawberry,  greater celandine, procumbent yellow-sorrel, Aquilegia (a.k.a  Columbine, or Granny's bonnet), a cranesbill that's still up for debate, wild radish, Herb Robert, garlic mustard, Germander Speedwell, yarrow, cow parsley, Alexanders, wild strawberry, white clover, common mouse-ear (I think), lords and ladies, greater speedwell, comfrey, daisy, common vetch, bird's-foot trefoil, English and Spanish bluebells, red and white dead-nettles, green alkanet, stinging nettle, red campion, cleavers, ground ivy, cowslip, hawthorn, horse chestnut and oak.  There were a few plantains and docks too, but I haven't sent them to be identified yet.