At this time of year the main group of Roundball regulars are the dog walkers. Mud seems to be a magnet to dogs, so a lot of owners make a diversion to the River Gissage on their way home. As well as serving as a suitable place to wash the dog, the Gissage and it's woodland border are the habitat for one of our special woodland flowers.
Wood Anemones are described by Sarah Ravens in her book 'Wild Flowers' as like a group of 5 year old girls in their tutus, going off to their first ballet lesson, pure, pretty and cheerful. Belonging to the Buttercup family they take the opportunity to flower in March and April to make the most of the light before they are shaded out by leaf cover on the surrounding trees.
The presence of Wood Anemones indicate that the surrounding woodland has been around for a long time and are classed as one of our ancient woodland indicators (AWI). The reason for this is that their seeds are seldom fertile and any expansion is by root growth. This is a slow process and the plant expands at no more than 6ft in 100 years. Weatherall Way and the adjoining housing development has, over the years, broken up the valley woodland, but the presence of wood anemones is a refreshing reminder that nature survives to brighten our day, even if the dog is still muddy
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