Here are some things to look out for by season at Long Meadow. These are all commonly seen. Information about other, less commonly seen or less easily identified, plants and animals can be found on our Wildlife pages.

If you are a keen photographer we would like to see your pictures of Long Meadow. You can post them to the Abbey Fields Facebook page or email them to hello@abbeyfields.online.

Spring (March/April/May)

Depending on whether we have a cold or a wet spring things can look quite different from year to year. When the grass is short you should be able to see the evidence of our population of moles – lines of molehills sometimes even running across the path. We have a resident pair of mistle thrush and they are often seen on the ground in early spring.

If you come early in the day for your walk try listening out for the dawn chorus as all the local resident birds and newly arriving migrants vie for the best nesting sites and for mates.

Spring is the time to appreciate our magnificent avenue of horse chestnut trees. First the sticky buds in April and then loads of flowers in May. If you look at the hedge you will see hawthorn aka ‘may’ blossom at the same time.

By late May the meadow is full of bright yellow buttercups amid the early flowering grasses. Where the turf is shorter you can see the blue of germander speedwell.

The first butterfly seen on the meadow in spring is the brimstone – a large pale lemon coloured butterfly.

Summer (June/July/August)

We traditionally take a hay cut around the last week in June/first week in July, what you can expect to see will be quite different before and after this cut.

By early June the meadow is dominated by tall grasses and the buttercups have faded. On the steep banks of the brook the meadow sweet will be in full flower. Look out for butterflies. The meadow brown and skippers can be seen fluttering around anywhere in the meadow.

The brambles which were in flower in June are now full of blackberries, some flower in July and so you can likely still find blackberries in late August.

You may be lucky and see a kestrel hovering over the meadow looking for small mammals, or see swallows swooping low over the grass in search of insects.

Autumn (September/October/November)

Autumn is famously the time for fungi. See if you can spot anything on the trees in the spinney or on the big sycamore habitat monolith. Remember not to touch any of the fungi – many are poisonous and it is best to treat them all with respect.

Look out for conkers beneath the horse chestnuts in the avenue. Can you find some really big ones?

The hawthorn in the hedge will be full of red berries (haws) and as there are one or two wild roses in the hedge you can also see the even brighter red rose hips. All these berries are a banquet waiting for the arrival in autumn months of our winter migrant thrushes.

If you come on a misty morning you will likely see spiders webs made more visible by the water droplets. If you have your camera you can get some atmospheric shots at this time of the year.

Winter (December/January/February)

In winter months these days it is quite common to see a little egret. These small white herons are recent colonists to the UK and they like the brook and the adjacent arable fields

If you hear bird song during the day at this time of year it is likely to be a robin. Robins are unusual in singing all year round, although they do have a winter and a spring/summer song.

Look out for ivy flowers in December. As they flower late in the year they are a magnet for insects looking for extra energy to get them through the winter.

Finally if you are on Long Meadow or in Park Lane just before sunset on a winter’s afternoon listen and look out for the large and very noisy nightly gathering of rooks and jackdaws. They circle and swoop rather like a starling murmuration before suddenly all appearing to drop into the big trees at the Manor. The synchronisation of their movements is quite something to watch.