Field Meeting Report — The wildlife of a garden on June 9 2026
The weather was cool and dry when a dozen of us assembled to look at an Aldcliffe Road garden. The houses here are terraced but a plan to build another terrace behind never materialised so they have quite long gardens, albeit bisected by a grassy lane, which we used to gain access.
One of the key features of the garden is a pond. Most of the vegetation in it was of course planted by the owners but some arrowhead Sagittaria sagittifolia may well have hopped in from the nearby canal. Linda Renshaw used a net to find a number of animals including smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris, a dragonfly nymph (probably broad-bodied chaser Libellula depressa ) and a damselfly nymph.
Another feature of this garden is a vegetable patch. This has a range of typical weeds like Thale-cress Arabidopsis thaliana, common field-speedwell Veronica persica and chickweed Stellaria media. Nearby is a hazel on which Chris Workman found hazel sawfly Craesus septentrionalis.
This is a draft. Any additions, improvements or corrections would be welcomeMartin Sherlock
Vascular Plant List
- Aegopodium podagraria Ground-elder
- Arum maculatum Lords-and-Ladies
- Ranunculus acris Meadow Buttercup
- Galium aparine Cleavers
- Veronica serpyllifolia Thyme-leaved Speedwell
- Veronica arvensis Wall Speedwell
- Leucanthemum vulgare Oxeye Daisy
- Holcus lanatus Yorkshire-fog
- Sonchus oleraceus Smooth Sow-thistle
- Stellaria graminea Lesser Stitchwort
- Veronica persica Common Field-speedwell
- Sonchus asper Prickly Sow-thistle
- Lamium purpureum Red Dead-nettle
- Geum urbanum Herb Bennet
- Athyrium filix-femina Lady-fern
- Equisetum arvense Field Horsetail
- Filipendula ulmaria Meadowsweet
- Anthoxanthum odoratum Sweet Vernal-grass
- Festuca rubra agg. Red Fescue
- Trifolium repens White Clover
- Bellis perennis Daisy
- Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup
- Sagittaria sagittifolia Arrowhead