FRIENDS
OF
BRIERDENE
friendsofbrierdene.org.uk
This page will contain photos and information on all the New Species.
If we run out of new species we will use this page to display information on some of the species found in the Dene.
Total Number of Recorded Species in the Brierdene 31/03/2021
| Groups | Number |
|
Arachnids |
36 |
| Bats | 3 |
| Birds |
126 |
| Bugs & Beatles | 55 |
| Bumblebees - Bees - Solitary Bees | 16 |
| Butterflies | 21 |
| Centipedes & Millipedes |
2 |
| Crustaceans | 5 |
| Dragonflies | 6 |
| Fish and Amphibians | 5 |
| Flies | 57 |
| Fungi | 45 |
| Harvestman | 2 |
| Ladybirds | 9 |
| Mammals | 12 |
| Molluscs | 10 |
|
Lichen,
Liverworts Mosses and Slime Moulds |
121 |
| Moths & Miners | 170 |
| Plants, Bushes & Trees | 330 |
| Reptiles | 1 |
| Wasps | 11 |
| Worms | 11 |
Cowslip (Primula verism)
Cowslips are one of the best-known spring flowers. The cup-shaped, yellow flowers grow in nodding clusters on tall stalks. The leaves are oval with relatively wrinkled edges similar to the Primrose, but narrowing more abruptly into the stalk.
Cowslips are important for wildlife, their flowers an early source of nectar for various insects including bees, beetles and butterflies such as the brimstone. They can be found in open woods, meadows, pastures and roadsides, from April to May and grow to a height of 25cm
They suffered a decline between 1930 and 1980, mainly due to the loss of the grasslands where it grows. It's dramatic decline in the 1950s was due to the relentless advance of modern farming, particularly the ploughing of old grassland and the extension of the use of chemical herbicides. Fortunately, it is now showing signs of recovery and has begun to return to unsprayed verges and village greens as well as colonising the banks of new roads.
A few odd facts about Cowslips
Cowslip allegedly means cowpat! Our ancestors noted that they tended to flower where a cow had ‘slupped'.
As an early spring flower, it is closely associated with much English folklore and tradition, including being strewn on church paths for weddings and adorning garlands for May Day.
Tea made from the flowers is meant to be good for insomnia, headaches and nervous tension. The scented flowers also make delicious wines.
The nodding flowers suggests the bunch of keys which were the badge of St. Peter. One legend is that Peter was told that a duplicate key to Heaven had been made and therefore let his keys drop. The Cowslip broke from the ground where the keys fell.
In the 'Language of Flowers' it symbolises comeliness and winning grace
Species Information