Hatch Warren Nature Group

28/05/2026

26/05/2026

For several years Volunteers have been growing and planting out a plant called Horseshoe Vetch on Old Down as well as sites in Hatch Warren. Efforts at Beggarwood Park have so far proved unsuccessful. The pictures below are of the bank on Beggarwood Lane where it meets with Woodbury Road and Garlice Lane. Horseshoe Vetch is the food plant of the Chalkhill Blue Butterfly and the aim is to create suitable habitat so that any visiting butterflies of this species can lay eggs. There have been occasional sightings but the butterflies have to travel a great distance to get here. Meanwhile residents can enjoy the wonderful colourful display that thede plants create in May.

26/05/2026

As well as hosting a Wildlife Gardening event just over a week ago with HIWWT Hatch Warren Nature Group hosted another event with HIWWT and with the HCC Pollinator Network so that a simpler form of pollinator monitoring could be introduced to volunteers. The aim is to measure changes in the species range and numbers of pollinating insects over time. HWNG would like to attract more volunteers for this type of seasonal activity. The event attracted volunteers from as far away as Reading and Alton. St Marks Meadow is ideal for this kind of exercise given its diversity.

26/05/2026

Listen to the bird sound and enjoy the scene in Preston Oak Woods at Ellisfield as of Monday morning - before planes, cars, cyclists, dogs and people intruded.

24/05/2026

Please leave water out in saucers this week

22/05/2026

Even the local MP popped by to see us last weekend. Thanks to all who came. The talk was a huge success and we had a brilliant bug surveying field course afterwards at st Marks meadow

Enjoyed dropping in to the Hatch Warren Nature Group community event, with a brilliant wildlife gardening talk and seed sowing session.

We’re lucky to have so much beautiful wildlife and nature in and around Basingstoke, and it’s so important that we learn about it, protect it and help it thrive.

Thank you to everyone involved for bringing the community together and helping people take practical steps to support local nature.

20/05/2026

First male Small Blue Butterfly I have seen this year, right beside busy Woodbury Road on the verge.

19/05/2026

A great petition, please sign

Help save our hedgehogs by making it a legal rule that all new houses built in the UK must include hedgehog highways.

18/05/2026

Today we partnered with Dandelion’s pre-school to share our love of the natural world with the children. There was lots of great engagement and the children had lots of fun doing their treasure hunt and looking at the insects we had captured earlier 🐛

16/05/2026

Only an hour to go until our event at Hatch Warren Community Centre, hope to see you there! 😊

14/05/2026

A glorious splash of colour today on Garlic Lane East. The Cowslips are slowly fading but in the picture you can see the glorious yellow of Horseshoe Vetch, Speedwell, Lesser Knapweed, Oxeye Daisy and if you look carefully you will see Pale Flax as well as Red Clover.