Friends of Lye Valley
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friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Friends of Lye Valley
@friendlyevalley.bsky.social
870 followers 300 following 2.5K posts
We care for this 14,000 year-old internationally rare habitat, a tufa-forming alkaline spring fen, together with the calcareous grassland of Rock Edge. Headington, Oxford.
www.friendsoflyevalley.org.uk
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friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Another freezing cold start for our volunteers today. Spot the scyther in the mist! 🌍 🌰
#OxfordshireFens #FenRestoration #OX3
@judywebb.bsky.social
A view down a shallow valley. Starting at bottom left and leading up through the photo a frost covered boardwalk. Just right of centre in the mid distance a pollarded Willow has branches growing upwards. In the background are some trees mostly hidden by the mist. There's a small patch of warmer sunlight top right in the background. In the mid distance left of centre a solitary figure with his back to the camera.
January 14, 2026 at 2:38 PM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Before our Friends group took over management of the Lye Valley, the City Council (as landowner) used horses to drag mechanically cut reed offsite. Now, most of the reed is cut by hand, and moved by volunteers! Date of photos uncertain but we think late 1990s early 2000s.
#OxfordshireFens #SSSI
🌍🌰
At the right and in the foreground a black and white horse is harnessed to a low orange trailer. There are three men working round the trailer, one of them wearing an orange helmet. There's a large white bag being pulled into position. The floor is covered with cut reed, and there's a tree in the background. A side view of an all brown horse pulling an orange trailer loaded with large white builders' bags with a man on top of them holding the reins. There is uncut dead reed bottom right and in the background. Another photo of the horse from the first photo pulling a loaded orange trailer up a slight incline. There is uncut dead reed and some trees in the background.
January 6, 2026 at 3:29 PM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Just the lightest dusting of snow in the Lye Valley at sunrise this morning. Not quite the picturesque scene we'd been hoping to capture!
#OxfordshireFens #OX3 #landscape ❄️
@judywebb.bsky.social
A wintry scene. Running from the bottom centre of the photograph a boardwalk with a light dusting of snow heads into the midground before turning sharply to the right and leading through a shallow valley. To the right in the foreground a large clump of browning vegetation. To the left and right of the photo there are trees, while the sky in the background is grey with some lighter areas.
January 2, 2026 at 9:57 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Since 2016, scything, raking and scrub removal has transformed an area of almost 3000 m2 solid reed to the rare NVC M13 (Black Bog-rush Blunt-flowered Rush) plant community, more than doubling the amount of this habitat in the Valley. #FenRestoration #AlkalineFens
@bsbibotany.bsky.social
🌍🌰
View across a shallow valley. A boardwalk runs along the centre, and the upper half shows a cut area to the right and a dense area of uncut reed to the left. There are trees in the background and a sky with white clouds. A single stem of Marsh Helleborine orchid flowers that are thriving here thanks to the conservation work described in the post. The background is blurred.
December 30, 2025 at 10:17 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Planting a cutting of a suspected very uncommon hybrid of the Small-leaved Sweet Briar 𝙍𝙤𝙨𝙖 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙨 x ?? we rooted up. It was taken from a bush that will be eliminated by a large development locally. Waiting for determination by County Recorder...
@bsbibotany.bsky.social @judywebb.bsky.social
🌰🌍
A man in pale trousers, a green anorak and dark bobble hat is crouched down in a grassy area in front of long thin stems covered in small red berries. To his left an orange carrier bag.
December 22, 2025 at 2:23 PM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Slightly ethereal feel to the Valley this morning, as the low winter sun caught the mist rising from the fen. Totally magical!
#OxfordshireFens #FenRestoration
@judywebb.bsky.social
In the foreground a gently sloping fen with piles of cut reed, whilst in the background a number of trees with a band of thin mist in front of them. The sky is blue with a few wispy white clouds.
December 3, 2025 at 2:14 PM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
On this day four years ago, we were treated to this fabulous sunset in the Lye Valley. Sadly we've not seen anything like it since!
#OxfordshireFens #AltoCumulousClouds #PhotoHour #Landscape #EastCoastKin @judywebb.bsky.social
The upper part of the photo shows blue sky filled with white fluffy clouds. Low down and to the right the sun is setting, with visible rays coming from it. The rest of the scene is a shallow valley with a boardwalk running from the foreground into the distance. There are trees on either side, and low green vegetation either side of the boardwalk.
December 2, 2025 at 8:05 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
A very cold and frosty morning for our volunteers today, but at least we had sunshine!
#OxfordshireFens #FenRestoration #OX3 @judywebb.bsky.social
A landscape view down a shallow valley. Almost everything is covered with frost. Starting at the bottom right corner and snaking the full length of the valley is a boardwalk. Near bottom right a man in a hi-vis jacket and carrying a dark rucksack is walking away from the camera. At upper right and in the distance are a number of trees, some of which still have autumn coloured leaves. Low sunshine is hitting the right hand side and middle distance of the view. The sky is blue with a few low white clouds.
November 26, 2025 at 2:53 PM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
It's remarkable how much #FenRestoration (and other #conservation work) comes down to the repetition of these two simple tasks. Scything and raking. Maybe not glamorous (especially the raking!), but vital to controlling rank vegetation and letting other plants thrive.
#OxfordshireFens #GreenSpaces 🌍
Roughly in the centre of the photo a man with wellies, light coloured trousers and shirt with a darker anorak is raking a large pile of cut reed down a slope towards him. In the background a large stand of reed waiting to be cut. Roughly in the centre of the photo a man facing to the left with dark trousers and wellies with a blue checked shirt is using a scythe to cut the reed in front of him. In the foreground a heap of material he has already cut, while on the left of the photo an area waiting to be cut. In the background is a mostly featureless area of short mostly greenish vegetation.
November 25, 2025 at 11:52 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Autumn in the Lye Valley.
Our scything team have done a great job in cutting large parts of both the east and west SSSI. Lots still to do though, and we've now got a huge backlog of cut material waiting to be taken off the fen.
#OxfordshireFens #FenRestoration #OX3 🌍
A view looking south down a shallow valley. In the foreground scattered brownish cut material. Large parts of the Valley have short green vegetation, though some areas still have longer brown vegetation. On the right of the photo starting at the centre point and old Willow pollard with thin branches growing up. A brown boardwalk snakes through the centre of the Valley, while in the background are a number of trees, mostly without leaves, though a few have yellowish leaves still. The sky is grey with some darker clouds present.
November 20, 2025 at 8:35 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
For those that had trouble spotting the bird, here's a cropped image showing a Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) rather more clearly.
#Birds #UKWildlife #UrbanBirding
Just to the right and slightly above centre is a small bird facing away from the camera. The overall impression is light grey, though its flanks and the base of its tail are yellow. To its right is some low growing green vegetation, while the rest of the background shows very shallow water with lots of dead Willow leaves.
November 11, 2025 at 8:13 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
An easy one for Monday morning. Spot the bird. 😃
#birds #UKWildlife
A photo of mixed green vegetation with shallow running water going from roughly top left to bottom right.
November 10, 2025 at 9:49 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Decades ago, part of the Lye Brook was deepened and widened, with peat piled on the banks. One side effect was to block the flow of spring water here. We've made a start on reprofiling this part of the fen, with a view to rewetting this currently dry area. 🌍
#OxfordshireFens #FenRestoration
Roughly in the centre of the photo two men with spades are standing on a raised area of ground. Behind them is a mass of green vegetation, and in front of them bare earth. They're gradually removing peat from this raised area (and mostly our of shot, piling it up to make a bund). To their right is a small trench with a black pipe in it, and at extreme right a couple of dark rucksacks.
November 8, 2025 at 9:23 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Finally some dramatic autumn colours in the Valley. The three tress on the right are some of our disease resistant Elms planted around seven years ago with help from @upperthames.bsky.social to try to attract White-letter Hairstreak butterflies. None yet, but fingers crossed!
#HabitatRestoration 🌍
In the background of the photo to the left is an Oak tree with a mixture of coloured leaves, some still green, some yellow and some brown. To the right are the Dutch Elm disease resistant Elms, which have predominantly yellow leaves. The sky is a mixture of light grey and white. In the foreground is a strip of dead brown vegetation, while immediately behind it is a strip of Reed which is a mixture of brown and green.
November 7, 2025 at 10:46 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Delighted to spot this Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) in the Valley this morning. An occasional visitor here, they love fishing in our ponds. 😍
#birds #UKWildlife #OX3 #OxfordshireFens 📷
@everyheron.bsky.social @judywebb.bsky.social @tverc1.bsky.social
A medium sized all white bird with a black beak, black legs, and yellow feet is perched on a branch of an oak tree. To the left of the photo from top to bottom is the tree trunk. The Egret is surrounded by still mostly green leaves, while in the background are a number of fallen autumn-coloured leaves.
November 5, 2025 at 2:22 PM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Another day, another #IDRequest. 😀
Does anybody know what this tiny orange weevil is? Found on our boardwalk a couple of days ago.
#insects #invertebrates #OxfordshireFens
In the centre of the photo a small orange weevil seen from the side and behind. The typical elongated head is slightly out of focus. The left diagonal part of the photo is black, while the rest shows a dark brown boardwalk made of recycled plastic.
October 24, 2025 at 8:36 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
We unearthed this Silphid (?) beetle this week. We understand they eat snails? Anyway, can anybody give an ID from this photo?
#IDRequest #insects #beetles #invertebrates
@judywebb.bsky.social
A small black shiny beetle is facing top left. Its antennae are just about visible, as are a couple of legs. It's sitting on a dark brown plastic boardwalk.
October 23, 2025 at 9:16 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
With four scythers on site this morning, we're making great progress with clearing the fen. We cut a block on the east side of the Valley, and a larger area on the west side (pictured below). Lots more work for our rakers though... 😀
#OxfordshireFens #Conservation #FenRestoration #OX3 #SSSI
🌍
In the foreground, and just to the right of centre a man in short sleeves wearing blue trousers and wellies is using a scythe. In the distance are a number of trees, while in the mid ground a gently sloping area of green, mostly short vegetation.
October 22, 2025 at 2:56 PM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Our seed collection continues. This time from two of our commoner plants, Angelica and Purple Loosestrife. Both are firm favourites with bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. The seed will be spread in areas of the fen we're still restoring.
#OxfordshireFens #OX3
A woman with a light blue hat, blue top with white sleeves and light coloured trousers is facing to the right. She has a small bright red rucksack on her back. In her left hand is a large black plastic bag, and in her right, a pair of secateurs. She's surrounded by waist high vegetation which is mostly reddish brown. A woman in a bright red and dark blue anorak with a small black rucksack is standing on a boardwalk with two small plastic bags in her left hand and a pair of secateurs in her right. She has light blue jeans and green wellies. She's facing a mass of almost head height vegetation.
October 21, 2025 at 9:04 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Scything Marsh Arrowgrass (Triglochin palustris). Near Threatened in England, it flourishes here. Once cut it will be used as "green hay" in areas of the fen we're restoring to reinforce its local population.
#FenRestoration #OxfordshireFens #RedList 🌍
@bsbibotany.bsky.social @tverc1.bsky.social
A man wearing a blue checked shirt, dark blue peaked cap, and light grey trousers is using a scythe to cut an area of brown vegetation in front of him. The background is a mix of green and yellowing shrubs.
October 19, 2025 at 9:19 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Delighted to welcome two new volunteers to the Valley this week! They were quickly put to work raking the west fen and carrying the cut material to build up the eroded banks of the Lye Brook.
#OxfordshireFens #FenRestoration #OX3 #SSSI #LocalWildlifeSite @judywebb.bsky.social
🌰🌍
To the left of the photo a young man in dark blue clothing is holding a rake with yellow prongs above a pile of cut reed and rush. In the centre a young woman in bright red bobble hat, dark top and bright green leggings also has a rake. Immediately behind the cut reed is a dark green drag sheet, and running from left to right is a brown boardwalk. Behind that is an area of green vegetation. At the far left of the photo a young man in dark clothing with his sleeves rolled up is wearing dark gloves. In the centre of the photo a young woman in bright red bobble hat, dark top and yellow wellies is carrying a drag sheet stuffed with a roll of cut reed and rush. She's walking over an area of short green vegetation while in the background are carious mostly dark green shrubs and ivy plants.
October 17, 2025 at 1:13 PM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Our Grass-of-Parnassus is now carpeting large areas of the west side of the Valley. Henry Taunt (1842–1922), an Oxford based photographer once described them as “like twinkling stars in the shadowy grass”. Seeing them now it's easy to understand what he meant!
#WildFlowerHour @judywebb.bsky.social
A photo of an area of fen with a mixture of green and brown shortish vegetation. Growing through this vegetation on thin stems are dozens of small white flowers.
August 15, 2025 at 9:39 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
We've got baby lizards! Likely lots of them! 😍
We spotted three juvenile Common Lizards (Zootoca vivipara) and one adult yesterday in a location in the Valley we've never seen them before. They seem to be doing well in the warm weather...
@arc-trust.bsky.social #reptiles #UKWildlife
Just above centre and slightly to the right the head of a lizard. It's facing right, with one eye visible. Its right front leg and foot are also visible. It's leaning on a light coloured piece of wood, and its body and tail are partially hidden by other pieces of wood. Although a little darker than most of the surrounding wood that makes up the rest of the photo, it's very low contrast, making it rather hard to see.
August 14, 2025 at 8:35 AM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
Rock Edge in Headington is one of the few areas of grassland chosen by @oxfordcitycouncil.bsky.social to benefit from their new "cut & collect" mowing regime. Over time this will reduce the nutrients in the soil, allowing more wild flowers to flourish here. Thanks to ODS for cutting this morning. 🌰🌍
Roughly centre is a large blue tractor with black and white wheels, with a large green hopper behind it. To the left a pile of cut grass. In the foreground mostly yellowing cut grassland, and in the background trees still in green leaf.
August 13, 2025 at 1:32 PM
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
#PollinatorPals
With its false nectaries, Grass-of-Parnassus flowers must look very inviting to pollinators. However, the plant cheats, and offers very little in the way of nectar to the insects that pollinate it. Here a hoverfly is trying its luck...
#insects #OxfordshireFens
@judywebb.bsky.social
In roughly the centre of the photo a small white flower with its petals curved inward has a stripy yellow and black hoverfly in it. The large eyes of the hoverfly are facing the camera. It's surrounded by thin green stems with dark markings on them. At the extreme left of the photo is a Grass-of-Parnassus still in tight bud.
August 10, 2025 at 10:02 AM