At Mersehead, we have two staff cottages with both the Warden and Assistant Warden living on the reserve. We are going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife we see at Mersehead during our daily walks.
Mersehead Moments:
Spring is unfurling across the reserve with warm weather, blue skies and the first butterflies on the wing.
Small Tortoiseshell. Photo credit: R.Flavelle
We may all be restricted to repeating the same walk over and over again during the weeks ahead, so why not take the opportunity to get to know that walk really well, noticing the tiny details and how nature changes around you.
A herald of spring is the Lesser Celandine, one of the earliest wildflowers to bloom. The bright yellow star-like flowers often blanket the ground beneath hedges and in damper places such as streambanks and meadows.
Lesser Celandine. Photo credit: R.Flavelle
Dog’s Mercury is a common and often overlooked plant due to its lack of bright flowers. It flourishes in woodland but can also be found in shady areas and in hedgerows. An ancient woodland indicator, this species is also poisonous.
Dog’s Mercury. Photo credit: R.Flavelle
A member of the buttercup family, Marsh Marigold, is thought to be an ancient plant found growing in the UK before the last ice age. Also known as the Kingcup, this plant was used to keep away evil spirts on May Day Eve when it was traditional on the Antrim coast for local children to post the flowers through the letterbox of each house.
Marsh Marigold. Photo credit: R.Flavelle
Delicate white petals with lilac veins reveal the presence of Wood Sorrel on the footpath to Meida Hide. This low creeping herb has trefoil-shaped leaves with both the leaves and petals closing as darkness falls.
Wood Sorrel. Photo credit: R.Flavelle
Also found in the woodland is the tiny Moschatel. With green flowers just 5mm across this wildflower is also know by the name town-hall clock due to the arrangement of the 5 petals in a cube – 4 around the side with 1 on top.
Moschatel. Photo credit: R.Flavelle
Another delicate white flower with soft lilac highlights is Pink Purslane. Usually this species has pink petals as its name would suggest. At Mersehead, there is the rarer white variety.
Pink Purslane. Photo credit: R.Flavelle
During the winter it can be tricky to tell the difference between Hawthorn and Blackthorn. In the spring however, there is a clear difference, as blackthorn flowers before the leaves emerge whilst hawthorn is the opposite with the leaves appearing before the flowers.
Blackthorn. Photo credit: R.Flavelle
Hawthorn. Photo credit: R.Flavelle
Folklore says you should only kiss your beloved when gorse is in flower. The good news is that either common gorse or the closely related western gorse is pretty much in bloom whatever the time of year! In fact, a few yellow flowers can generally be seen even in harsh winter months. Rainbow Lane is currently ablaze with colour and the distinctive coconut scent on the breeze.
Gorse. Photo credit: R.Flavelle
Stumbled across a Common Toad appearing to be sunbathing on Rainbow Lane. What an amazing pair of bronze eyes this amphibian has!
Common Toad. Photo credit: R.Flavelle
All the above photographs were taken on a 45-minute walk around the coastal trail today. I am lucky to live at Mersehead and still have the coastal trail accessible. There is so much amazing wildlife in every corner, take a moment and get to know your local walk in the tiniest detail!
Rowena Flavelle, Warden