Summertime! - a Portsdown Walk

Meet at the East Gate of Fort Widley, come prepared for the weather of the day! Not suitable for buggies. Please use nearby car-parks. The walk will be led by Countryside Officer Richard Jones whose encyclopaedic knowledge of Portsdown Hill can usually identify most wildlife.
Spring got off to a wet start this year but the seasonal indicators put in a welcome appearance. Cowslips flowered in usual abundance and swallows have now been seen. We will be looking for butterflies characteristic of chalk grassland such as various Blues and the Marbled White as well as some orchids. However, all research suggests there are fewer species and fewer individuals of each species. Over recent decades biodiversity has been reduced as habitat is lost. It is difficult to appreciate how abundant wildlife was in the environment of our ancestors. There’s a clue in the old song “Sumer is icomen in” with its refrain of “Sing cuckou”! You have to wait a good while to hear a cuckoo anywhere nowadays.