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What a scorcher!

Thursday, April 19th 2018

Heading out of the Field Centre on our way towards the Secret Heath we spotted this stunning Oak Beauty moth in a precarious position on the front veranda.

After repositioning the moth so as to ensure it wasn't going to be trampled on we headed off and busied ourselves with burning brash and grass collected over the last few days during our Secret Heath tidy up. 

The sward height of the grass has been lowered in the hope that it will give the Heather a chance, it's likely that we will find ourselves back on the Secret Heath over the coming months in order to continue keeping the encroaching vegetation at bay.

After finishing up and pouring water on the burn site we started work on replacing the damn below the Bullet Catcher pond inlet pipe, which had been damaged during the wet weather of the past six months. 

On the walk back along Leadmill Beck we happened upon many patches of Wood Anemone and Lesser Celandine, including the one below that somehow managed to survive on the very edge of the beck despite the torrents of water of late.

We've seen countless Queen Bumblebees looking for nest sites today, including the first confirmed sighting of the Tree Bumblebee for this year.

Another common sight has been the Tapered Drone Fly (Ersitalis pertinax), a Batesian mimic of bees and wasps. The males can often be seen in woodland clearings defending small territories, and can be easily tricked into defending them against your finger (which happens to be a great way of catching them).  

All in all, a very productive and hot day; we managed to complete the dam allowing water to flow more freely into the Bullet Catcher pond.

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Friends of Foxglove

The Friends of Foxglove Covert is for those individuals, families and organisations who would like to support the reserve through an annual membership subscription. Friends receive a regular newsletter and invitations to attend our various activities and social events.

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Upcoming Events

Meadow Mayhem CANCELLED

Saturday 4th July 2020 | 10.00am - 12 noon

The events programme has been temporarily withdrawn. For up to date information this website, FaceBook and other forms of social media should be consulted. If you have donated in advance to secure a place on an event you will be contacted over the next few days and offered a refund. We apologise for this inconvenience.

Celebrate National Meadows Day!

Join us for a morning exploring the many wildflower meadows found at Foxglove. We will be learning how to ID wildflowers and grasses, as well as sweep netting for butterflies and insects and identifying them. This event is part of the Flowers of the Dales Festival

A minimum donation of £5 per person in advance to guarantee a place. Card payments can be taken by phone.

This event is free for Volunteers and Friends of the reserve.


Damsels and Dragons CANCELLED

Sunday 19th July 2020 | 1.00pm start

The events programme has been temporarily withdrawn. For up to date information this website, FaceBook and other forms of social media should be consulted. If you have donated in advance to secure a place on an event you will be contacted over the next few days and offered a refund. We apologise for this inconvenience.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a Dragonfly and a Damselfly? Can you tell the difference between the different species of blue damselfly? Would you like to learn more about theses fascinating animals that have been around since prehistoric times? Join Keith Gittens for a walk around the beautiful Foxglove ponds (some of which are usually out of bounds to visitors) and observe as many different species as you can. Last year, a new species for the reserve was discovered on this event!

Booking is essential as places are limited. There is a donation of £5 per person to be paid in advance in order to secure a place. Payments now can be made on the phone.

This event is free for Volunteers and Friends of the reserve.


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The Dragonflies of Strensall and Foxglove Covert
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This book has been published with the aim of enabling people visiting these, immensely important Flagship Pond Sites in North Yorkshire, to identify the dragonflies and damselflies they encounter - by reference to a simple text and photographs. Credits - Yorkshire Dragonfly Group & Freshwater Habitats Trust

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