Conrhenny Plantation 25th August 2019

What a glorious day for a wildflower walk, away from Port Erin that was bathed in Mananan’s Cloak for most of the day. Being Bank Holiday Sunday we were a small group but this only added to the enjoyment. I have walked through Conrhenny Plantation before with the U3A but I have never stopped and stared at the vegetation or wondered at the myriad of butterflies happily darting from Buddleia bush to another. We were also fortunate to see a most amazing insect, rather like an overgrown mosquito feeding on Angelica. Just look at that tail! One of my erudite and expert friends informs me that it is an Ichneumon Parasitic Wasp. If you want to know more about this not-so-angelic-as-it-looks creature take a look at this Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxHckvpbopQ

We started out from the car park having dowsed ourselves in sun cream to protect ourselves from the unrelenting sun. Just a few metres along and we had our first encounter with wildlife, looking at the tiny but well-formed Mouseear, so named because its petals are duple and each one looks like… you guessed it, a mouse’s ear. We also saw pearlwort, another tiny flower that you would walk over time and time again without noticing it.

We made our way through puddles and streams towards the man-made ponds – wish I had worn my wellies. I didn’t even know there were ponds here, and we saw some rare species, including Cape Pondweed. The yellow lesser spearwort and blue water forget-me-nots gave even more colour to the ponds. As summer turns into autumn there are fewer flowers and more seedheads, so colour turns from yellows blues and reds into more sombre browns and dull greens.

As we continued along the edge of the ponds, we came across a host of peacock butterflies, a few painted ladies and red admiral on the Buddleia. These are the first peacock butterflies I have seen all summer. The painted ladies were not looking their best compared with a few weeks ago when they all rushed in from abroad.

Simon, our fount of all flower knowledge, showed us some Japanese Hogweed – sorry, Japanese Knotweed – in flower and pointed out that its bad reputation is really not deserved and if left in peace it would spread, but so much more slowly than when the demolition team try to dig it up and scatter roots and stems in all directions.

The views are tremendous looking out toward the sea between Douglas and Laxey, especially when the grasses, sedges and wild flowers are allowed to dictate the scene, as in the photo below where the hogweed seed heads look as tall as trees against the distant horizon.

 

The pendulous sedge looked very proud along the forest edge, and in another view the willowherbs were the centre of attention against their backdrop of fields and hills.

 

Amongst all this finery, I think my favourite species of the day was the humble Spear-leaved Thistle, looking showy with its nest of furry seeds. Following close on its heels was the equally humble Horsetail with it sporophtye standing proudly erect amongst the fronds of its plant.

And finally to add some colour to the late warm afternoon, here is some Yellow Loosestrife, often seen in gardens.