The third of our recent trips to investigate potential new nature walks was much closer to home, starting just one stop down the railway line at Hythe, and walking the route of the River Colne up to Colchester main station three weeks ago.

Particularly the earlier part of the walk we knew well in the past, both having worked in Harbour House at the Hythe, but that finished 15 years ago. It always was a pleasant walk, but would the same be true now, especially given the litter-strewn route the last time we ventured there maybe five years ago?

The Colne is in two sections, tidal in the lower reaches, but above the sluice at East Mill, non-tidal and sluggish. At times of low flow, little water spills over the sluice so the section below is not only tidal but salty, as evidenced by Sea Aster and other saltmarsh plants growing along the muddy margins.

The first section of the walk was across the Moors (historic moorings, not uplands swathes of Heather!). And what a change there has been, with spontaneous woodland now springing up on this brownfield site, areas of which were a disposal site for Paxman’s factory spoil. No room now for the Wasp Spiders we knew so well, and the former swathes of interesting plants like Tree Lupin and Wormwood are much reduced, but the riverside scrub held at least three singing Cetti’s Warblers, almost unthinkable when we first knew it.

Flowering Ivy bushes sporadically along the path, as always, were a magnet for late-season insect activity, including Ivy Bees, Honeybees, bumblebees, Commas and many more.

The only areas remaining unwooded are the flood-prone sections now clothed in beds of Russian Comfrey and Stinging Nettles, botanically poor but supporting lots of insects, here  Parent Bugs and a Dock Bug, and lots of spiders.

Nettle and Comfrey both love high nitrogen conditions, probably derived from flood overspill. Colchester sewage works forms one of the main tributaries of the Colne: it may be downriver but on a flood tide its effluent will be pushed upstream. And probably again and again as it takes several tides for water entrained in the upper tidal reaches to finally exit to open sea.

Another feature of the water was the slick of lurid green Least Duckweed. The source of the duckweed was obvious when on the bridge over the sluice next to East Mill … the still river upstream was chockfull after a few days without rain. There was only the merest dribble of water passing over, the duckweed discs jostling like coins in the penny-falls of an amusement arcade on Clacton Pier. But after heavy rain, the downflow of duckweed will be greater, and indeed the sluice may be lowered periodically to clear the river, as we have suspected when the green slick passes our flat.

Along the tranquil upstream stretches, Alder trees and various willows form stands along the banks, the Alder leaves bearing the tell-tale holes of the recently arrived Alder Leaf-beetle and an array of mite-induced galls. in these spots, several Grey Wagtails were feeding, and a Kingfisher sped past in a moment of brilliance.

Moving upstream away from the sluice, the water became clearer of duckweed, and revealed a number of other water plants such as Arrowhead. In such spots in the sun, Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters were feeding and breeding while Willow Emerald damselflies flittered among the  branches, and a Forest Bug teetered on the brink of disaster wandering around the leaves overhanging  the water.

At lower Castle Park, it was time for a diversion away from the river. No time to examine the impressive array of ornamental trees, but we had to stop and enjoy a Rose Chafer that flew in from nowhere and landed right in front of us. Colchester is a national hot-spot for this magnificent beast, bur the mid-September date seemed rather late.

Running between Upper and Lower Castle parks is a superb section of the Roman city wall, constructed substantially of septaria nodules front the London Clay exposures around Harwich.

ThIs is the site of one of my career failures. Thirty or so years ago, the wall was visited by an eminent lichenologist who rated the diversity of wall lichens he found one of the highest in Eastern England. And then another expert, this time on an even less celebrated group,  lichenicolous fungi, came along and found several species new to Britain and some new to science. I pushed for the wall to be given SSSI status; English Nature’s council had other ideas. Too obscure an interest, and not wanting to get into a fight with English Heritage on whose call Colchester Borough Council was proposing clearing, cleaning all vegetation from the wall.

My intervention may have done some limited good, but walking along the north-facing wall this week it seemed rather less special for wildlife than it was previously. Having said that, still some specialist wall plants, including Pellitory-of-the-wall, Red Valerian (with its distinctive bug gall), Oxford Ragwort, Yellow Corydalis and even some local scarcities such as Wispy Willowherb, Fern Grass and Black Spleenwort.

Also on the wall were mating orgies of picture-winged cranefly Tipula confusa, for which the Essex Field Club map shows only a couple of sites in north-east Essex (Earls Colne and Walton). However maps are not always complete, and indeed a niggling memory was tracked down to a photo of one we found in Bures. And then one in the ferry port of the Isle of Coll – it would seem not to have been recorded on that island before. Always something to find, and learn, and share… a salutary lesson always to send in interesting records!

Back to the river, we continued across Middleborough and right then round to Cowdray Avenue, with a happy short detour for an excellent lunch in the Marquis pub.

So, another interesting walk for us to offer in due course. Interesting also to see parts of Colchester previously unknown to us, despite having lived and worked there. And it was also very pleasing to note the lack of litter along the route, a tribute to the efforts of Colchester City Council or volunteers or whoever does the selfless, and all-too-often thankless, task.

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Three weeks later we returned to do this as a walk with eight happy walkers, enjoying the return of blue skies and sunlight, although unfortunately the litter-free nature of our past walk wasn’t repeated. However, given that we had at least three Litter Faeries with us, our group certainly made a positive difference. Thank you for all your efforts!

There were changes over the three weeks, mostly reflecting the onset of autumn. There were fewer insects, with just a few Red Admirals and a Dock Bug, along with bumblebees feasting on the final Comfrey, Bristly Ox-tongue and Ivy flowers. But we did find a couple of (sadly) squashed Rose Chafers, further extending their flight period which even in September seemed longer than any we had experienced before.

Festoons of Traveller’s-joy were more Old Man’s Beardy while those of Virginia Creeper on the Moors had assumed the ‘traditional colors of a US fall’; in Castle Park, our trees were making their own subtle colour-shifts. Perhaps the fact that last night we almost had a frost will produce one of our periodically spectacular autumn fire-shows, which would resonate well with the second major aurora event reported around Colchester last night (not by us!)

The non-tidal section of the Colne above East Mill also looked very different, lacking the thick carpets of Least Duckweed. Occasional rather heavy rainstorms have clearly pushed the mats of duckweed discs over the precipice of the sluice into the salty tide, and so to oblivion. There was a family of Dabchicks on the upper sections, birds that will voluntarily head downstream shortly as the risk of icing on fresh waters increases.

Galls are always a feature of autumn, such as these Spangle Galls on Oak leaves, and there are then of course the fungi. Their high season is just starting, and will be a feature hopefully of the next #WildEssex walk…for today, it was Sycamore Tar-spot  and a troop of Shaggy Ink-caps in all stages of development.

And so it was lunch in Castle Park followed by a welcome drink in the Marquis as a fine full stop to the event, one that may become a regular offering, suitable for any time of year.

Following two previous successful #WildEssex on tour events, to Harlow last year and Burnham in 2022, this time we ventured abroad (out of the county!) to Felixstowe. A different county maybe, but Essex was in sight for most of the time…

We assembled at lunchtime on the first day at the Alex, for a fine snack and a drink. We had been worried by the wet and windy weather forecast but it was warm enough to sit outside, and the sun even came out for us. Indeed the weather gods were on our side for all three days: the threatened heavy, prolonged rain came when we were indoors or asleep, and the only time we got really wet was walking home from the station at the very end.

Our first afternoon was spent examining the Felixstowe seafront and gardens. Looking out seaward gave some idea of the busyness of the shipping lanes out there, with some huge container vessels on the horizon looking more like the Manhattan skyline than anything afloat.

Large rock groynes provide an artificial rocky shore habitat, with seaweeds, limpets and other marine life. As we looked at an array of shells found on the shingle beach, a Red Admiral plonked down next to us. A very fresh individual, it was probably migrating southwards, something that has been happening en masse over the past couple of weeks.

The planting on the cliff slopes is largely Mediterranean shrubs, some still in flower, others in fruit…

Best of all for insects though, as always at this time of year, was the flowering Ivy, abuzz with Ivy Bees, Honeybees, bumblebees and hoverflies, all a rich source of food for the Garden Spiders.

The Holm Oaks were absolutely riddled with leaf-mines from the micromoth Phyllonorycter messaniella, to a greater extent than we have seen elsewhere. Although a bit unsightly, such infestations apparently don’t affect the tree significantly, and each mine contains a mini-morsel for a Blue Tit – it is good to see a non-native tree that is likely to be a big part of our future landscape garnering its own ecology, fitting it to its new home.

The geology of the cliffs, with gravels over clays, means there are springs, which have been tamed and corralled into water features, some dripping with newly formed tufa, ponds with Curled Pondweed, Watercress and Monkeyflower; pond-skaters skittering on the surface; and rocks covered with Ivy-leaved Toadflax.

Grassy slopes had Wild Clary in flower, and the lower, salt-splattered lawns were clothed in the attractive rosettes of Common Stork’s-bill and Buck’s-horn Plantain. And cracks on the promenade were colonised by Guernsey Fleabane and Water Bent, two relatively new plants in these parts, but again likely to be a big part of our future in an overheated world.

A walk along the prom, via a cuppa in the Spa Pavilion, finished the afternoon, with most then opting for dinner at the Premier Inn. But no takers for the batting option in Langer Park!

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Next day dawned dull with spots of wet in the breeze. As we headed to the north side of town on foot and by bus, a patch of Caper Spurge weaved an interesting pattern …

… and the view out to sea reflected to rather dismal weather.

Heading towards Felixstowe Ferry, we soon diverted onto vegetated shingle, an internationally important habitat type and one for which Suffolk is justifiably renowned, the realm of Sea Kale and Sea Pea, Sea Campion and Sea Beet, Sea Holly and Sea Spurge … quite a theme developing there!

Down by the saline pools there was a saltmarsh of Sea Purslane and Annual Seablite, now assuming its diverse autumn tints, but few birds apart from gulls (including a Great Black-back), Cormorants and a Little Egret.

Continuing along the seawall, past the Martello Towers, we found plenty of botanical interest, including Lucerne (purple), Sickle Medick (yellow) and Sand Lucerne, the remarkable hybrid between the two in a whole range of intermediate and extramediate hues.

White Ramping-fumitory was  in good flower, and there were plenty of (soggy) seed-heads, including Hare’s-foot Clover, Rough Dog’s-tail and Bristly Ox-tongue in a veritable botanical menagerie.

Here Jude also spotted several Firebugs feeding upon Mallow seeds, a very recent arrival first found across the water around Harwich in the last five years, and Turnip Sawflies, in a similar colour palette.

Having discussed (and in some cases tasted) foods from nature on the shingle (pea, kale, holly and beet) we soon found ourselves among more edibles and flavourings, including Fennel, Duke of Argyll’s Tea-tree (goji berries), Dittander (like Horseradish), Sea Radish and, best of all, the mini taste-bombs of Crow Garlic bulbils, a revelation even to me. The Suffolk coastal paleo-diet seems an apt descriptor, except of course that many of these plants we simply not here in ‘paleo’ times!

Into Felixstowe Ferry hamlet, with Bawdsey Manor in sight, we headed into the Ferryboat for liquid refreshment, while once again the sun came out and warmed things up, before the foot ferry to Bawdsey Quay took us to a lovely picnic spot overlooking a tranquil Deben Estuary.

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At our feet was a small sand dune with Sea Holly, Sea Mayweed and Marram, with a drift-line of Sea Rocket, Frosted Orache and Prickly Saltwort.

The rocket and related crucifers were being absolutely demolished by Large White butterfly caterpillars.

In the humid air, Migrant Hawker dragonflies were flying around in force, while along the woodland edge a few insects were tracked down, including Nettle-tap moth and a pair of the long-legged flies Liancalus virens. Normally associated with waterfalls and fast-flowing streams, and therefore mostly found in the western half of the country, there is one previous record on the NBN Atlas from around Ipswich, and in Essex at least there is a concentration of records from the estuarine fringes.

Juicy brambles and Alexanders seeds (like aromatic peppercorns) were added to our seaside banquet as Robins were singing their wistful autumn songs in the trees, which included several large Turkey Oaks. The Holm Oaks here had leaf-miners, but mostly the smaller galleries of Ectoedemia heringella, along with pimple-galls caused by gall-mites. Lime and Field Maple also showed mite-galls, impressively so in the case of the lime nail-galls,  while Field Maple and Sycamore showed distinctive signs of fungal attack, mildew and tar-spot respectively.

But as the afternoon was progressing, it was time for the return ferry, into Winkles café for a cuppa, then the walk back, past migrant Wheatears, some Tamarisk in full bloom and a Devil’s Coach-horse with upcurled abdomen, alarmed and alarming in equal measure.

The return buses were so infrequent and the clouds so threatening that we decided to walk the whole way back along the prom (or as near as we could when diverted), to the Boardwalk Bar on the pier for rehydration purposes and sunset, the Fish Dish for a splendid meal. And for some a more leisurely return to the Boardwalk afterwards….

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A rainy breakfast time on the final day soon dried up; the sun came out but the wind rose, scuppering the plans of some of the group to take the Harwich Foot Ferry home in the  afternoon. But time for a good couple of hours on Landguard Point and Common, a great vantage point to watch the incessant port activity and comings and goings of shipping, and recognize the internationally strategic value of this location, now and in the past – the reasons for the Fort and the bird observatory being there, defence and migration study respectively.

At the seaward edges of the shingle peninsula, lines of Oraches, including Babington’s, and Prickly Saltwort picked out the drift-line.

Moving inland, impressive patches of Yellow Horned-poppy, untidy but still just in flower, mingled with Sea Kale again.

Sandier patches were dominated more by Sea Spurge and Sea Holly, with a few plants of Ray’s Knotgrass, never an easy species to track down.

One the more stabilised dune- and shingle-heath shingle Heath, Reindeer ‘Mosses’ and Sandhill Screw-moss dominated large patches, with  Common Stork’s-bill (in flower this time), Sticky Groundsel and Sand Cat’s-tail, plus last few flowering Viper’s-bugloss.

Despite the wind, a few birds on the Common included feeding Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits, with twittering Linnets in the bushes and Starlings overhead. Then to the oldest part of all, vegetation-wise, the shingle scrub with Elder and Wild Privet. In the shelter and sun, there was plenty of insect activity including a Box Bug nymph and more Common Blues than we have seen put together over the past summer…

All that was then left was to head back to the Viewpoint Café for a superb (late!) brunch, passing Narrow-leaved Ragwort and Jersey Cudweed on the way, more new plants potentially brought in by the port trade.

And after a great three days, time for fond farewells, all without getting seriously wet: WildEssex 1, Met Office 0! Thanks to all who helped make it such fun!!

Despite disappointment that our proposed ferry trip to Felixstowe wasn’t possible due to windy weather, we nevertheless thoroughly enjoyed half of our planned day’s event – a morning’s walk around Harwich – the Wild Essex event for September.  The ‘après walk’ of lunch in the Pier Café and a drink in the Alma only added to the fun and we’d like to thank everyone who came along.

Harwich with its many historic buildings was once a busy and thriving port, but today had a relaxed air of an out-of-season holiday destination, with few other visitors. And the cracks of the pavements were filled with interesting plants such as Shaggy Soldier.

We had the beach to ourselves, which gave a free rein to admire and study the plants which thrive in this most inhospitable of habitats: Sea Rocket on the strandline, Lyme Grass, Rock Samphire, Sea Spurge and Sea-holly on the low dunes, although the latter especially was looking very frazzled after the midsummer heat and drought.

Greenest of all was the clump of Japanese Rose, also with its large lustrous hips and a few extravagantly scented flowers. An aggressive spreader in some circumstances, it was good to see it has remained pretty stable since we left the area a decade ago.

We did a quick roll-call of shells on the beach – cockles, mussels, oysters, limpets, slipper-limpets and whelks to name but a few, but although we hunted high and low we weren’t fortunate enough to find any of the fossilized sharks’ teeth which we know reside on the beach.  It’s one of those things – sometimes you’re lucky and sometimes not!

Of course we managed a spot of birdwatching whilst there, with Sandwich Terns passing by noisily and fishing just offshore,  a medley of different gulls providing aerial entertainment and  Turnstones feeding unobtrusively on the rocky, weed-covered shoreline of the Harwich Stone Band, the only natural rocky shore between North Norfolk and Kent.

The few insects around (there had been quite a temperature drop overnight) included plasterer bees feeding and fighting (or frolicking?) on flowers of Bristly Oxtongue: the bees were probably Sea Aster Mining-bees, though related species are very difficult to tell apart.

On the other side of the estuary the comings and goings of the busy port of Felixstowe were interesting to view, as were the various arrays of wind turbines, very visible in the clear morning sky.

We hope to rearrange this trip next year – aiming for early summer rather than late, in the hope that the weather will be calmer and the ferry will be running.

Wow!  A warm summer’s day – what a lovely change – and enjoyed by our group on our Wild Essex walk in Mistley.  Our journey took us through the Edme Malt works, where we admired some of the intricate decoration of these functional buildings, under the railway line and on through a cow field where the residents were curious but friendly.

A walk along a rather attractive footpath reminiscent of a holloway where the tree canopies meet was a cool place to wander out of the sun’s glare and admire some of the wild flowers, Cuckoo Pint, Herb Robert and Hogweed to name but three.

Of course Chris took the opportunity to talk about the characteristics used in his new flower identification guide such as the ‘false insect’ and branched bracts of Wild Carrot, the four-lobed stigma of Great Willowherb and the uniquely two-petalled Enchanter’s-nightshade.

A few galls were spotted including two very different ones on Dog Rose: smooth pea-gall and spiked pea-gall. A complex, confusing and confused pair, the spiked version  belongs to the gall-wasp Diplolepis nervosa though the smooth one could be caused either by D. nervosa or the closely related D. eglanteriae. In this form, the two species are indistinguishable.

At the top of the lane we continued on to the edges of the local amenity field, past the ‘Secret Bunker’ and rather interesting Passive houses. Here there were more stands of wild flowers (including Ragwort, but without stripy Cinnabar caterpillars) and a number of butterflies seen.  Sadly numbers of these insects seems to be quite low this year, at least so far, though by the end of the afternoon we had spotted seven species – Red Admiral, Holly Blue, Comma, Large White, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Large Skipper.

Just a few other insects attracted our attention including a 10-spot Ladybird, a flesh-fly and and a nymph Speckled Bush-cricket.

And on to the main event – through the wood that clothes the flanks of Furze Hill we admired a number of old oak trees, many of which showing signs of pollarding down the ages resulting in interesting branch formations.

At last we reached Old Knobbley Himself.  Well-named,  this 800 (at least) year-old tree is covered in nobbles and lumps – some caused by bacterial infections and galls – but despite its vast age, this charmer still looks pretty fab and very much alive with upper branches sprouting leaves with gay abandon.  It is such a tactile beast we all spent time stroking  and patting the trunk, and spent time imagining what some of the limbs might represent – two elephants, a moose, a stag?

And as we walked round his girth, is it possible the enveloping folds of root and bark were nursing the oaklet that will eventually replace its esteemed forebear?

And so it was time to turn back to ensure we reached our trains punctually.  A little walk along School Lane brought us back to the station and it was time to say our farewells.  Thank you to all who came along, and to everyone who supports our Wild Essex venture.  Hope to see you all again soon.