Very late with this one! I mentioned in my 30 Days Wild post that for the final weekend of June I decided to go to somewhere I hadn’t been before. So on that weekend I headed off to a Wildlife Trusts nature reserve near Oundle that comprises two woodlands called Short Wood and Southwick Wood, with a meadow and a road between them.

The webpage for this reserve mentions that it can be wet and muddy and we’d had quite a bit of rain in the days leading up to my visit, but I’ve never let a bit of mud stop me before! It definitely was wet and muddy, but undeterred I managed to make my way around most of Short Wood and the majority of the water in Southwick Wood was just inside the entrance, beyond that it wasn’t actually all that bad.

So to kick off the day I walked through the meadow to Short Wood, the smaller of the two woods. I almost managed to make it all the way round the paths, but did have to turn back and go a different way at one point. Despite the water and mud, there was still plenty to see!

A veritable mountain of oxeye daisies. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

One of several common spotted orchids around the woods. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

A bright pink flower spike of hedge woundwort in the woods. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

Another pink flower, this time it’s ragged-robin. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

A lot of speckled wood butterflies flittering around the woods. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

Spots of bright pink around the woods from Herb Robert geranium flowers. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

The creamy flowers of meadowsweet in fuul bloom around the woods. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

The marshmallow like flowers of field bindweed around the edges of a nearby field. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

Wading through mud is surprisingly tiring so I went back to the car at lunchtime for a bit of a rest, before heading of into Southwick Wood for the afternoon. This is one of the places that’s mentioned as a site for spotting Black Hairstreak butterflies, but despite having a good look round for them I couldn’t see any. There were plenty of other things to see though, and the sun even came out! To end the day I went for another wander round the meadow in the afternoon sun before heading back to the car.

A marmalade hoverfly feeding on a honeysuckle flower. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

Dog-rose flower in the sun. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

A hoverfly feeding on an umbellifer flower. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

A drone fly hoverfly feeding on an umbellifer flower. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

Woodland mushroom, one of many growing from the rotting wood. I think this one is a common bonnet. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

A small forest of fungi growing out of a felled tree. Not sure what the fungi is. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

Path through the trees and patchy sunlight. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

Hoverfly coming in to land on a bramble flower. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

A large skipper butterfly on a bramble flower. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

A carpet of the yellow flowers of lesser trefoil in the meadow next to Short Wood. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

Oxeye daisies in the meadow next to Short Wood. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

View from the layby near the woods, looking toward Oundle with the spire of St Peter’s Church standing above the trees. A woodland double bill for day 26 of #30DaysWild. Headed out to Wildlife Trusts Short and Southwick Woods.

Despite the water and mud it was a great day out, somewhere I’ll definitely return to one day. Albeit when it’s likely to be a bit drier!