Wolves Wild

Views across the two ponds in Wightwick Manor gardens. The morning was calm, so the reflections were undisturbed.

Two male common darters, resting on neighbouring stones from the ornamental erratic arrangement in the Wightwick Manor garden.

Wrinkled fieldcaps aren’t particularly inconspicuous, but the first ever record of the species was as recent as 2003, in the Netherlands. Then the following year in Britain. Now, they’re quite common in western Europe and England, though still occasional in Scotland and Wales.

For once, the explanation may not be climate change, but other aspects of human activity. They grow, pretty much uniquely, on wood chip mulch. A recent spreading of wood chips is quite likely to be hosting a troop of them, especially if it’s in a thickish layer.

So despite the name, one place they aren’t found is in open fields. Sometimes the caps are indeed wrinkled, in furrows spreading down from the peak to rim. At other times the caps are smooth.

On the lower pond in the Wightwick Manor garden, a lone moorhen chick feeding enthusiastically on the aquatic vegetation. It was being watched from a distance by a lone parent.

More from the garden at Wightwick Manor. There’s an avenue formed by two rows of yew hedges. Sharing the bed with one of the hedges,here was a small cluster of common earthballs.

Every year, pm a weekend in mid-September, there’s the annual Heritage Open Days. One participant is the National Trust, which opens its grounds and properties without the usual hefty entrance charges. Weather and other commitments permitting, we often try to look around the extensive gardens of Wightwick Manor, though I am finding it increasingly difficult to reach the most interesting areas.

This was our most interesting find of the 2026 visit. Willow emerald damselflies are evidently extending their range as an effect of climate change. First recorded in significant numbers in England as recently as 2004 (in East Anglia), they are rapidly spreading.

This one, probably a male, was resting in the sun on vegetation at the edge of the lower pond in the Wightwick Manor garden. Although it moved to find a sunnier spot, it seemed unworried by our presence. I got close enough to take pictures on a mobile phone (as well as a camera) without it taking flight.