Hidden gems and wildlife treasures

27th October 2024. A tale of tweed coats and a pioneering Victorian banker…

As a British person, I take pride in my queueing skills and can tut and sigh with the best of them. Especially at the post office, when waiting behind 11 people – whose collective countenances resemble a 'stand, sit, lie down' sketch on Whose Line is it Anyway? – and whilst watching the second of two clerks doing terribly important things with papers but nothing at all with customers. I’m not averse to queueing behind animals either, be they a field’s worth of cows, hillside sheep, two grumpy swans or a cautious hedgehog. I’ve stopped behind them all and waited patiently. But a meadow full of lively greyhounds, dressed in tweed coats that match their owners’ blankets? That’s a new one for my records.

On this occasion, the queue was for part of the River Trent. I wanted to take some photos of the reflections, the dogs wanted to swim, and the owners wanted to swap tales from the vet. It took a few minutes of manoeuvring, but we all managed to achieve our goals and moved happily along.

The river runs through the Wolseley Centre Nature Reserve, a 26-acre site that has been home to the headquarters of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust since 2003. It's claimed to be “one of the county’s hidden gems” but judging by the number of visitors and parked cars, I’d say Wolseley’s secret has been out for a very long time.

There are 46 Wildlife Trusts working throughout the UK, the Isle of Man and Alderney, which are all supported by a central charity, founded more than a century ago by a Victorian banker with a passion for wildlife and insects.

Charles Rothschild (1877-1923) was a man ahead of his times, recognising the need to protect whole habitats and their species, as well as the importance of science in developing conservation policies. Concerned by the impact of urban and agricultural developments in the local area, he convened a meeting at the National History Museum in London in 1912 and inspired the development of a society that would eventually become The Wildlife Trusts charity.

It is thanks to Charles that many of the British wildlife sites he surveyed and identified for preservation are now places we can enjoy today as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSIs), and are protected. He did not live to see the legal realisation of his vision, however, because it wasn't until 1949 that nature conservation was finally enshrined in law. But his pioneering efforts have at least been immortalised in the local Wildlife Trusts that sprang up after his death.

The Trusts are now supported by more than 39000 volunteers and 3600 staff, and have more than 900,000 members on their books. I'm glad to report that they were not all in attendance at Wolseley on the day I went. It was busy but not that busy.

One of the reasons that so many people come to visit the Centre is probably related to the diversity of things you can see and do. In this regard, it really is a gem – with chance to explore woodland, wetland and grassland, two lakes and a pond, a bird hide and sensory garden, gift shop and cafe. And true to form, I explored every feature available but spent the most time in overgrown patches of damp grass, kneeling on a carrier bag and peering at the wildflowers. These are ‘my’ hidden treasures, but don’t tell anyone. See you next time.

Meadow Crane’s-bill: has been described as one of our showiest road-side plants and its purple-blue petals are certainly a dazzling sight on an overcast day – radiating like a beacon within a sea of green-yellow grass. The veins on its petals are like rays of light too, illuminating an insect’s route to the nectar within. Amongst the regulars are several species of bees, which include Honeybees, Red-tailed Bumblebees and Buff-tailed bees, but they were sadly out when I called by and perhaps recovering from a sugar fix. As much as 1.5mg of nectar may be secreted from this wildflower in a 24-hour period and more than half to nearly three quarters of it is sugar. Whilst the Meadow Crane’s-bill is considered one of the more distinctive members of the geraniums due to the colour and size of its petals, it is also notable for the size of its root system and the spring-loading of its seed pods. Shaped like the bills that give the plant its name and formed from the flower’s elongated styles, the seeds are not so much released but rather catapulted into the distance at the appropriate time. Potentially 6 feet away in a decent breeze.

Water Forget-me-not: is another beautiful and striking wildflower, distinguished by its five rounded sky-blue petals and yellow centre. Its Latin name, Myosotis scorpioides, is striking too – in a literal and contrasting sense. Myosotis means ‘mouse’s ear’ and scorpioides means ‘resembling a scorpion’s tail’ – to describe the uncurling of the (pink) buds as they come into bloom. The curl is a standard feature in the forget-me-not species but especially noticeable in the watery version. As with other water-named wildflowers, you will find the Water Forget-me-not growing in wet habitats, i.e., along streams and rivers, in marshes, meadows and ditches – and it provides a welcome service station stop for dragonflies, caddis flies and alderflies. In German folklore, however, the plant was prized by an amorous knight, in a moment of drama worthy of a tabloid headline. Picking flowers for his lady love, he tumbled into some water and drowned – but not before throwing them to her and shouting ‘Vergiss mein nicht’.

References

Neil Fletcher (2010). Pocket Nature. Wild Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Limited; London

Sarah Raven (2011) Wild Flowers. Bloomsbury Publishing; Great Britain

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (not dated, but I assume 2024) The Wolseley Centre Nature Reserve. https://www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/nature-reserves/wolseley-centre-nature-reserve

The Wildlife Trusts (not dated, but I assume 2024) About Us. https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/about-us

The Wildlife Trusts (not dated, but I assume 2024) Meadow Crane’s-bill. https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/wildflowers/meadow-cranes-bill

The Wildlife Trusts (not dated, but I assume 2024) Our History. https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/our-history

The Wildlife Trusts (not dated, but I assume 2024) Wildlife Trusts. https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-trusts

Wikipedia (2023) Geranium Pratense. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geranium_pratense

Wikipedia (2024) The Wildlife Trusts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wildlife_Trusts