Stover Country Park…woods, marshes and lakes. Nature Reserve, Newton Abbot nr Torquay,Devon

Stover Country Park…woods, marshes and lakes.
Nature Reserve, Newton Abbot nr Torquay,Devon.

The path through the tall trees from the parking area to the lake promises treats ahead for nature lovers.

The large, glimmering lake was full of Mallard Ducks, Swans, Coots and Moorhens

The ducklings were stretching and flapping their wings.

To my delight there was also a Great Crested Grebe family. The male was diving for fish in the middle of the lake. It dived for cover when two children came screeching along, but I was lucky to see the female half hidden beneath a branch in the distance.

Getting closer I saw she had two chicks. One swam beside her and the other rode on her back.

The adult Grebes were in their summer plumage of head and neck crests. The little grebes had black and white striped plumage.

The RSPB was set up to protect these birds which were almost driven to extinction due to the fashion of wearing their feathers.

Further along I saw these Common Darter Dragonflies on the decking overlooking the dragonfly pond and the grasses.
Larger green dragonflies raced past overhead and smaller turquoise damselflies flitted to and fro above the water.

Grass Hoppers were everywhere tucked under blades of grass. You have to look hard to find them.

Butterflies were fewer than I expected, but I did see this lovely, rich yellow, Brimstone from which the name butter…fly comes.

This Grey Heron stood motionless in the water and to my surprise as I watched the heron, a kingfisher shot past. A flash of brilliant colour.

Beautiful views of woodland, marshes, and grassland can be seen in all directions along the lake pathway. You come away from the nature reserve feeling lighter somehow.

There are areas of tranquility, although harder to find in the children’s summer holidays. Best visited in Spring and Autumn when its quieter if that’s what you enjoy on a nature stroll.

Oh, and the nature poetry of Ted Hughes can be spotted on wooden posts all around the lake.

Damselflies of Devon..early June sightings.

Damselflies of Devon..early June sightings.

This is the time of year for damselflies. Similar to dragonflies, but smaller and slimmer, they are beautiful insects…giving us surprising and delightful flashes of vibrant colour along our waterways.

Damselflies generally hold their wings close to their bodies, unlike the larger dragonflies which spread their wings. They eat small insects, mosquitos and flies.

The Emerald Damselfly prefers still water and plenty of vegetation. I saw these damselflies on the banks of a very narrow strip of water running alongside a road towards the village of Cockington, Devon. Clumps of wild flowers and grasses swayed in the breeze on the banks of the brook giving shade to the area.

There were four or five Emeralds of varying colours ranging from glossy emerald to glowing gold.

The Common Blue Damselflies I saw a week earlier on the banks of a brook meandering through Meadfoot Meadows.

Damselflies lay their eggs in plant tissues close to, or under, water. Water that must be kept clean, still and pollutant free.
Both these Devon damselflies are vulnerable. The brook where I saw the Common Blues is usually filled mid-summer with beer cans, used barbecue trays, paper and plastic bags and other such rubbish.
The area where I saw the Emerald Damselflies is fairly safe, being to narrow for dogs to splash about in and is kept clean and rubbish free.
The Cockington WaterMeadow however is not such a good place for these incredible insects…which include in summer the stunning Demoiselle.

Rubbish is not so much a problem here as dogs. Some dogs are allowed by their owners to race through the stream disrupting and disturbing anything that gets in their way.
I have asked if signs could not be put up to explain to dog owners the importance of keeping dogs on a lead at certain times of the year to allow nature to progress in peace, but no response from Trust or council.

Cockington Water Meadows, Torquay, Devon….May walk.

Cockington Water Meadows, Torquay, Devon.

The Water-Meadow starts from the village of Cockington. The pathway meanders through the meadows following the small stream and finishes a short distance before the sea and coast road..

At this time of year it is full of wild flowers…buttercups, dandelions, bluebells, wild garlic and more. Sunshine yellow and sky blue being the predominate colours of the wild Spring flowers with an occasional blush of pink.

There were butterflies…Orange-tipped Whites, Green-veined Whites, Small Heaths and beautiful Peacocks.

The Orange-tipped butterflies were particularly busy…floating over the meadow, rarely settling, but meeting up with other orange-tips and twirling together in a greeting/mating dance before going their separate ways.

Birds were singing but hidden in the trees…I saw colourful Jays, black Crows, fat Wood Pigeons, but could only hear the small song birds. Busy I expect with their nest building and chick feeding.

Along the banks of the streams thick grasses grew and yellow water irises attracted bees and other insects.

The beautiful Demoiselle Dragonfly has not appeared yet…too early.
But sadly as some dogs are being allowed to race and play in the streams it probably means fewer will be seen over the years as their eggs and nymphs will be dislodged and destroyed.

Walking back to Cockington I passed the lakes and the Gamekeepers Cottage, first documented in the year 1517. It was damaged by vandals in 1990 but has since been restored.
A lowly workers home still standing after five hundred years. Surrounded by vegetation from foreign climes it still looks very English.

On the pathway back to the village, banks of ferns could be seen through the arch of a small bridge glowing in the sunshine though they prefer shade.

A walk along the stream and water meadow and through Cockingtons lakes always gives me a feeling of calm and makes me smile.

Meadfoot meadow and woods and Torquay/Devons only adults only park…

Meadfoot meadow and woods and Torquay/Devons only adults only park…

Took a walk into one of the coastal woods of Torquay. It was quiet…. with only the sound of bird song and the fluttering of leaves in the breeze to disturb the silence.
A small stream runs alongside the path which glittered in the sun. Usually a place of abundance in butterflies and insects it was strangely empty…

I caught sight of this Green-veined White Butterfly settling on the pure white flower of wild garlic, which grows thickly alongside the bluebells in the woods. Delicate almost see through wings marked deeply with green veins, patterned like the stained glass in the church windows of old. Something so simple yet so beautiful and unseen by most walkers in the woods.

Later we stopped in Torquays adults only park. Sounds naughty, but its the only park I know in Torbay or even in Devon that is just for adults.
Adults like the elderly lady, very unsteady and wobbly on her feet, but obviously feeling safe walking on the pathways of this hub of tranquility. Like the middle-aged man doing yoga…where else could he be free to pursue his exercise in peace without stares and comments.
Adults like the couples of all ages walking hand in hand giggling and reminiscing without noise disturbance or the young man reading a book or the teenager crossed legged on the grass meditating or the young shop assistant having her lunch and then nodding off for a few moments…… its that kind of place.
Later a child appeared kicking a football around accompanied by his mum. I don’t know if she knew that the park was for adults only. He was well behaved but his shouts disturbed the peace…
Sometimes silence is precious. Its hard to find somewhere were noise isn’t constant and sometimes intrusively loud and I treasure this haven…as do all the users young and old who use this park….I wish there were more areas like this for adults. We seem to cater for children whilst forgetting that not all adults enjoy loud noise, shouts and screams and music. Adults of all ages like a bit of peace and quiet and we would like that recognised.

An English wood in early summer…gentle, tranquil, yet vibrating with life.

Torquay Woods, Devon, England.

Today was a hot summers day, one of the first this year. I took a walk in one of the many small woods surrounding Torquay. The sun shone brightly giving much needed warmth and light to shaded areas of forest.

A Peacock butterfly bathed in the sunlight. An extraordinary butterfly with brownish-red wings and a prominent smudged eye spot on each wing.
I saw only one of these apparently common butterflies last year and then only fleetingly, so this beauty sunning itself on some garlic plants was an unexpected treat.

Striped wing, orange and black, Tortoiseshell Butterflies flitted amongst dandelions and leaves close to the stream.

Robins could be heard singing throughout the woods. Here a young Robin in the bushes. The sun reflected on his head giving him a golden halo. Completely unafraid and curious he sat on a branch and watched as I took photos of him.

A Bee-Fly sunned itself on a rock opening its wings for warmth.

Bluebells and wild garlic grew in profusion filling the air with perfumes sweet and distinct.

Woods are to me magical places, like the Amazon Rainforest that I love, once inside a wood you are in a different world. Some people find woods and forests frightening, I find them soothing….like walking into an empty church. The soaring ceiling of trees gives the wood grandeur while the wild flowers and wildlife…insects, butterflies, squirrels …. give it comforting familiarity.