Ox Close Wood, East Keswick

Saturday 7^th May 2022

Leader: Melanie Smith (East Keswick Wildlife Trust)

Today we had an afternoon walk around the nature reserve of Ox Close Wood, followed by the Bradford Botany Group annual meal. Our guide, Melanie Smith, was accompanied by two other members of East Keswick Wildlife Trust (EKWT), a wonderful award winning charity set up by local residents to protect local sites for the benefit of wildlife and the community. East Keswick Wildlife Trust bought Ox Close Wood in 1993 and has since acquired additional areas of land to develop into reserves. To read more about the work of EKWT, the link to their website is at the bottom of the page.

The website for EKWT states that Ox Close Wood has many plants indicative of ancient woodland and is one of the most important deciduous woodlands in the region. Lying partly on the edge of the magnesium limestone belt and containing both acid and alkaline soils and the associated flora, it is rich in species.

While eating our sandwiches on benches by the car park before the walk began, we spotted on the shady bank above us a plant that appeared to be White Comfrey. This is an introduced species from W Russia and Turkey which my book says is often self-sown, although it’s not one I’ve seen naturalised very frequently. When everyone was gathered, Melanie led us across the road and down to the reserve. A red kite circled above, now a wonderfully common sight. We tried not to botanise until we got to the start of the reserve but it was good to see Goldilocks Buttercup and Hard Shield-fern on route. Melanie informed us that the verges of the lane here used to be wonderfully species rich and the Trust were dismayed when contractors dumped lots of soil over them a few years ago. This small patch of Goldilocks Buttercup had a lucky escape.

In the woodland were beautiful displays of flowers that included Yellow Archangel, Greater Chickweed and Bluebells. A plant gall was spotted on an Oak, thought to be made by the Oak Apple Gall Wasp. This tiny wasp has a complex life cycle and involves wingless females climbing up the tree and laying their eggs in the young buds of Oak in spring. Each gall contains up to 30 either all female or all male wasps that emerge in summer (have a read online about these amazing insects!). Andy pointed out some St George's Mushrooms, using a mirror to look at the crowded white gills beneath the cap. This is an edible species, found traditionally on 23^rd April (in southern England), although it's most frequent in May.

On a more open woodland ride the plants included Bugle, Cowslip, Yellow Pimpernel and Hairy St John's-wort (the later was not in flower but easily identified by the obviously hairy leaves). Strange looking crook or serpent-like stems popping up above the rest of the vegetation were identified as emerging Black Bryony, the leaves still very small. It was particularly good to see what appeared to be the leaves of Hairy Violet. The hairs on the leaf stalk were relatively long and spreading unlike in the similar Sweet Violet which has the hairs much shorter and more or less appressed.

Melanie led us through a gate into a meadow area with scattered shrubs on a fairly steep slope. The highlights here for me were Herb-paris (one patch, showing nicely in flower), White Bryony and Early-purple Orchid (several flower stems seen). Herb-paris is an ancient woodland indicator, usually found in damp woodlands on calcareous soils, always a treat to see.

We then proceeded back down the hill to a clearing in the wood that EKWT use for charcoal burning. Melanie explained how the Trust makes use of coppiced wood to make charcoal, which together with wood for wood burning fires, provides a valuable income for the group that is ploughed back into managing the woodland. We then enjoyed a walk on a wooded riverside path where there were beautiful displays of Ramsons. It was also good to see Water Avens, Hybrid Avens, Wood Meadow-grass, Sanicle, more Goldilocks Buttercup and a good amount of Soft Shield-fern. Another highlight was Small-leaved Lime at a beach area next to the river. Near by, eagle-eyed Jesse spotted Moschatel (also known as Town-hall Clocks due to the arrangement of the flowers, like the faces of a clock tower), although the flowers were past their best now.

This was a wonderful place to visit and it was good to round off the day with a meal at the Duke of Wellington in the centre of the village of East Keswick. Thanks were given to Melanie for guiding us around the reserve and to Paula for organising the meal.

Website for East Keswick Wildlife Trust: https://www.ekwt.org.uk

Text and photographs by Susan