Nature in Harmony: First BioBlitz of 2022!

On the 28th May, we held out first BioBlitz event of 2022!

Participants from all walks of life spent the morning at Harmony Woods trying to locate and identify as many different tree, wildflower, insect and bird species as possible during the timeframe.

The event was a fantastic opportunity for us to understand and monitor the state of biodiversity, and we are pleased to report that we discovered a field pansy for the first time in Harmony Woods!

This was not the only interesting discovery made by participants.

We were also able to see several small blue butterflies, a rare species that is only seen in sheltered patches of grassland where kidney vetch plants grow, its sole food source.

Skilled attendees were also able to catch a mother shipton moth in a magnifying pot, allowing us to see the detailed brown and cream markings on its wings which are said to resemble the face of a prophetess (sometimes even referred to as a witch!) born in the late 15th century.

Appropriately named, given the proximity of Harmony Woods to the East Anton sports ground, we also identified a cricket-bat orb-weaver spider.

Thanks to the great work of everyone who attended, we recorded a total of 70 species on the blackboard at the end of the session - a fantastic result!

To get involved in our upcoming wildflower walk and timber share event on the 18th June, please contact Megan.broughton@andovertrees.org.uk