Devenish Nature Reserve, Little Durnford

Location details and other information about the Reserve can be found here.

Click on a thumbnail to enter the slide show and view the complete images and their descriptions. All of the images (with one exception - the Brown Hairstreak butterfly) were taken at the Reserve.

Wasp Spider (Image: Richard Death) The Wasp Spider is really quite large and brightly coloured, mimicking a wasp's pattern. It isn't dangerous, but uses its strong colouring to suggest that it has a nasty sting, like a wasp, and hopes to warn predators to keep away. It builds a large orb web in long grass, to trap its favourite food of grasshoppers. It arrived in the UK in the last 10-15 years, from continental europe - probably blown on a "parachute web". It is restricted to southern England, but is making its way north.	Wasp Spider - underside Image 2 of 2 taken at the Devenish by Richard Death on 17 August 2020	Blue trail waymarker There are way-marked trails to follow or visitors can simply wander around at will.
Steep steps A safe way to access the higher areas of the Reserve.	One of five 'fairy doors' There's a Fairy Trail of colourful bird boxes for younger visitors to spot.	Balwen sheep One of the resident grass-cutters
Silver Birch	Volunteers at work March 2018 Planting a mixed hedge of blackthorn, wayfarer, wild rose and wild plum to encourage Brown Hairstreak butterflies to lay their eggs in the Reserve.	Hedging whips (young plants)
FInished hedge supported by canes and protected from nibbling animals by plastic sleeves	Brown Hairstreak What it is hoped the new hedge will attrack (library image)	Balwen sheep More residents keeping the undergrowth under control.
Coppiced Hazel Protected from 'nibblers' by a woven frame of branches	new growth on hazel a year after being coppiced	Ash dieback The policy at the Reserve is to leave diseased trees alone, hopefully allowing other trees to build up a resistance.
Hemlock	Primroses	Bluebells Volunteers were busy planting more bluebells in the autumn of 2018
Scarlet elfcap fungus	Bracket fungus	attractive green moss
bird box	start of the trails	Cinnabar moth
Cinnabar moth	Memorial Board	Judas' Ear fungus Auricularia auricula-judae, commonly known as Judas' Ear, jelly ear, wood ear, or by a number of other common names, is a species of edible fungus. Image taken 1 Jan 2019