Two Terrific Trips to Gaitbarrows

I know, I’ve been a bit Gaitbarrows obsessed recently. Still a notice on the gate near Challan Hall does describe it as ‘One of the Countries Finest Wildlife Sites’. So…completely justified then. I didn’t spot ‘my’ Roe Deer again, but there were more people about, on the second occasion mostly with me. Near to the same spot I did find a fallen tree trunk liberally festooned with fungi…

 

And in the wet meadow by the end of the lake, Ragged Robin…

Irises aplenty…

Very hairy Crosswort…

…and common old Clover:

There were snails galore, which seemed to come in two flavours. Big fellows like this…

Which it seems is the Common or Garden Snail, and dainty chaps like this…

Which is apparently the Banded Snail. Comes in several variations I found:

This is a lovely colour, don’t you think?

After my weekend experience I now feel qualified to sagely pronounce that this is a micro moth (ie a bit tiny)..

…beyond that I’m not prepared to go.

This on the other hand, is a damselfly…

I think a Northern Damselfly. It’s the flat-cap and the whippet which give the game away.

And this is certainly a spider…

With yellow stripes on the sides..

…and underside of the abdomen. But again, I’m stumped after that.

Round by the boardwalk I found some tiny flowers of what I think is Salad Burnet…

And this plant growing through the boardwalk, which as yet I have no name for…