Since I started these notes in 2007, almost every April has been characterised by prolonged drought conditions. However, with a total of about 5mm of rain falling on five days during the month, this has been arguably the worst yet. The Met. Office acknowledged that April 2017 was the 10th driest on record for the...
![By nottsexminer (Brimstone Butterfly Uploaded by Fæ) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)].](https://merseysidebiobank.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/1024px-Brimstone_Butterfly_8109898250.jpg)
There was a feeling of spring in the air as we walked the Millers Bridge Trail lined with Daffodils, Primroses, Lesser Celandine and Common Dog Violet. The Willow’s bright green leaves were appearing above the Flamingo Pen as we proceeded to the Ron Barker Hide.
In contrast to the previous six dry months, March had average rainfall with measurable amounts on 12 days, most notably on 22nd when several hours of steady rain was something we haven’t experienced here for over a year. Despite this, there was minimal recharge of the water-table, my measuring point at the Devil’s Hole dune-slack...
I received a request from Kew Herbarium to collect some specimens of the morels that can be found at the Ainsdale Sand Dunes Reserve. They are recorded as Morcella elata (Black Morel), an uncommon species. A recent European molecular study has revealed some new species. There is a distinct possibility that the Ainsdale dune collections...