Page 5 - Wildlife News August 2017

STRIDE Summer’s the perfect time to get out and explore the best of
OUT
our local wildlife. Looking for inspiration? Try one of our Wild
Walks: bbowt.org.uk/nature-reserves/wild-walks

CHILTERN HIGHLIFE by Colin Williams, Reserves Ecology Officer

Just when you thought the wild flower season was at an end, one Autumn gentian. (PETER CREED) CShkiylltaerrkn.g(SeTnEFtAiaNnJ.O(HPAETNESRSOCRNE)ED)
of our most discerning flowers reaches its peak. From the second
half of August to early September the purple haze from a carpet taller and often look top-heavy with larger, wider flowers
of Chiltern gentians adds a splash of colour to an otherwise brown (when they open up fully in bright sunshine) and are more
and parched landscape. robust-looking than autumn gentians, with the hybrids falling
somewhere between the two.
The county flower of Buckinghamshire, as chosen by the
British public in a vote conducted by Plantlife, is only native to None the wiser? Then peer into the flowers themselves.
the Chilterns, though clusters can be found elsewhere, including Chiltern gentians have a fringe of pure white hairs (they are
Wiltshire. As summer gives way to autumn, why not head up into pinkish on autumn gentians) and a ‘wrinkly’ pattern to the tubular
the Chilterns Hills and discover the subtleties and beauty of one of sides of the bloom. Don’t worry if you are still unsure, you’re in
our rarest flowers? good company. The significant overlap between Chiltern, autumn
and hybrid gentians sometimes makes it hard for even dedicated
Homefield Wood, near Marlow, is a great place to spot botanists to be certain about what they’re looking at.
Chiltern gentians in good numbers; BBOWT’s last annual census
revealed more than 5,000 flowering plants. As a successful
coloniser of bare and disturbed ground it has a fondness for
growing alongside the network of well-worn paths around the
open chalk grassland areas of the nature reserve. Conveniently,
this makes them easy to spot as you stroll through.

Be warned, however, as their identification is not straight
forward! Chiltern gentians often grow in the same locations
as the almost identical autumn gentian. To complicate matters
further, they can breed with each other to produce hybrids
between the two.

So how do you know if you are looking at a true Chiltern
gentian? The answer is to get up close to the flowers once you
have taken in the impressive vista. Chiltern gentians are usually

Dragonfly or damselfly? Wells Farm supports numerous farmland bird species.
(STEVE DAY)
Dragonflies and damselflies are insects of the order Odonata,
meaning ‘toothed’ and referring to their strong mouthparts.
At first glance it’s hard to tell them apart. But look closer and
the differences between these two sub-orders becomes clear.

(PETER CREED) Homefield Wood. (KATE TITFORD)
(PETER CREED)
Chiltern gentians find it difficult to compete with more
Dragonfly Damselfly vigorous plants, so enthusiastic BBOWT volunteers and grazing
n Wings held horizontally away n Wings usually held livestock ensure their favoured habitats are cleared of invading
from body when at rest vertically above the body scrub and competing grasses. Other places to see them include
n Hind wings broader than when at rest Yoesden and, just over the border into Oxfordshire, Oakley Hill,
forewings n All wings similar in shape Chinnor Hill and the Warburg Nature Reserve. Go and take a
n Larger in size n Smaller in size look at a truly native wild flower enjoying the Chiltern highlife.
n Can fly some distance from n Only found close to water
water n Separate eyes that don’t For more tips on identifying gentians or for details
n Large eyes, usually touching touch on how to pick up the ‘gentian trail’ head to
bbowt.org.uk/Chiltern-gentians

Wildlife news / August 2017 5