Scorched earth: help us to study what impact the long, hot and dry summer has had on the Roundshaw Downs nature reserve
For our third group visit to local nature reserve Roundshaw Downs, we follow how the changing seasons and long hot summer are affecting the environment and wildlife in our midst.
On a butterfly hunt: we’ll be on the look out for the red list endangered species the small blue
This is your chance to catch-up with Inside Croydon’s unique year-long urban nature project.
After our previous walks that focused on the birds and the trees of the area around the nature reserve, this time we’ll be out in the early evening on Wednesday, August 17 to check on the plant and insect life – particularly searching for rare small blue butterflies.
Because of covid, numbers are limited. Paying subscribers to Inside Croydon will get priority places.
To sign up as an iC patron, for less than a fiver per month, click here.
Pause to smell the flowers: what downland flora and fauna have survived our savagely hot summer?
This time, we’ll be walking on a midweek evening, meeting at a designated point (which will be notified by mail from EventBrite in the week beforehand) at 6.30pm for a gentle stroll that should take us through to dusk.
Bring your binoculars or cameras. And a water bottle and maybe a snack to eat along the way.
This is going to be a covid cautious event: Only those who have been fully vaccinated and boostered will be welcome to join us, and we also insist that you should have had a covid-negative lateral flow test in the 24 hours before the walk. Being in the great outdoors and with some sensible social distancing, we hope to mitigate the risks of staging some kind of super spreader event.
And all the usual pieces of advice about wearing appropriate clothing and footwear for a rough old ramble also apply.
Our last walk raised £50 for the Sutton Nature Conservation Volunteers. If you are able to make a donation (we suggest two or three pounds), Inside Croydon will match the amount raised, with all money going to Sutton Nature Conservation Volunteers, who do so much of the work on the habitat around Roundshaw and other reserves, it would be very welcome.
Visit our Eventbrite page to book your place by clicking here now.
Check out our Nature Notes from Roundshaw Downs so far this year:
July: Long dry summer has transformed the downs to straw-yellow
May: Walk in the Roundshaw woods and revel in splashes of colour
March: Bumps and ‘bunkers’ to provide new homes for the small blue
February: Heard before they’re seen, skylarks soar back over Roundshaw
January: Up on the Downs, watching for the missing signs of winter
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Regarding the top photo above, is the Inside Croydon staff photographer on holiday in East Africa, and has sent back a shot of a National Park with elephants and antelope just out of the picture ?
Could we soon be seeing a feature about crocodiles in the Wandle, and vultures nesting on Croydon’s new tower blocks?
Sorry Lewis – there was a Wildlife sanctuary created for said Crocodiles, hyenas, snakes and vultures at the back of Katharine Street. But it was deemed too dangerous for said creatures to have contact with residents unless over VOIP digitally.
I do believe though that the White Elephants are no longer endangered within Croydon’s boundaries.
got small blues in my garden in South Croydon!