Millipede (Schizophyllum sabulosum)
The Millipede is a slow moving arthropod that has many legs, in fact it has 2 pairs legs on each of it's many segments, except for a few at the front where it may only have one pair. You may get confused if you saw one and call it a Centipede, the main differences between them is that a Centipede moves much faster, and it only has one pair of legs on each segment. One common misconception is that they have a millions legs, usually this a lot lower, between 35 and 400, one species had up to 750 pairs of legs. Ones you find in your garden are usually about an inch or 30mm long thereabouts, however some species can grow to nearly a foot long.
Millipede's don't bite or sting, you still need to be careful should you ever pick one up, they can release a liquid that is caustic, this can be very harmful to smaller creatures that want to eat them. Better to leave them alone and watch from afar.
Sunflower Seeds
The Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an extremely popular and useful plant, we get Sunflower Oil from the seeds, useful fats include Monounsaturated, Saturated, and Polyunsaturated. They can be eaten by humans and provide us with vitamins like vitamin E, B1 and B6, as well as other nutrients. Wild birds get the same benefits because they are packed full of oils which in turn gives the birds energy and heat.
If you really want to help out the bird that visit your garden, then this is an essential item, I would recommend getting Sunflower Hearts, mainly because there is no husk that the birds have to remove first before they can eat them.
By using sunflower hearts you will cater for a greater variety of birds, some birds struggle trying to open normal sunflower seeds because they have a soft beak, if you buy hearts with the husk already removed then less energy will used up trying to eat them. Another benefit is that there will be less of the unsightly husk wastage.
In my garden the Greenfinches stay longer if Sunflower Hearts are available, usually a few squabbles in who eats first.
Combs Reservoir, Combs, Derbyshire
I had a brief visit to Combs Reservoir on my travels around Derbyshire, did not see much, a few wild flowers and a mallard with duckilns, I just a had a short stroll up the path alongside the reservoir. The reservoir is mainly used and rented by the Combs Sailing Club who have been in residence since 1950, they are very successful winning many title at local and national levels, younger sailors are encouraged and shown the ropes.
The reservoir was built in 1797 and is quite a large reservoir, it was built to serve water to the Peak Forest Canal. It is owned by British Waterways, and leased to Combs Sailing Club, it is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Angling was once very dominant with big names fishing matches on the reservoir, although it has not recaptured those glory days, it is now starting to make a comeback.
The few Woodland flowers I saw were Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis), Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea), Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys) and a Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos) with Ducklings.
Rixton Claypits Local Nature Reserve, Rixton, Warrington
This was another nature reserve i briefly visited on my way back from somewhere else, not had a chance to revisit. The reserve was once used to extract clay for Rixton Brickworks, now reclaimed by nature with nature trails and lots of ponds. It is famous as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and also has a large breeding population of Great Crested Newts, I did not see any on my visit whcih was a shame, I have only ever seen them when I was a lot younger.
It looks like a nice place to walk round, however some of the walkways were a bit slippy, especially if they are wet, and if you don't keep to the paths then expect to get your feet wet, parts of the reserve are wetlands. I did see anglers in the north pool, apparently Warrington Angling Association have exclusive angling rights.
I hope to update this description at a later date.
Moore Nature Reserve, Moore, Warrington
Not had a chance to fully explore Moore Nature Reseerve yet, I was at Pennington Flash when I decided to have a drive round and came across this little place, only had a chance to walk round Lapwing Lake as it was getting a bit late for the drive home. There is so much more to this reserve that I will have to revisit, I will bring you a fuller description when that happens. Managed to get a few photos to give you a flavour of what you might see.
The nature reserve was once a landfill site like so many others that has been reclaimed by nature, there are a few lakes with bird hides located around the bigger ones. Woodland, meadows and wetlands contain a wealth of wildlife, the site is run by Waste Recycling Group Limited (WRG) and wardens look after the reserve. You can visit the reserve anytime and all year round, there are no amenities that I could see and it appeared relatively flat, just a few stepped areas here and there.
I hope to update this description at a later date.
