
Sundial spotlight
Otter
The European or Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is a member of the Mustelid family, which includes badgers, minks, weasels, stoats, martens and polecats.
Otters are the only semi-aquatic member of this family. They have webbed feet, sharp claws, a long muscular tail and two layers of fur which helps them to stay buoyant in water. They live in holes in river banks called holts. A holt will have a few different entrances to protect against flooding, with at least one entrance above water level.
The average otter is 1–1.3 metres long, and weighs up to 9 kg. Each day, they need to consume 15–25% of their body weight. Their diet is approximately 80% fish, but they will prey upon birds, mammals and frogs if necessary. Their gestation period is 9 weeks and they can breed at any time of the year, although this usually occurs in spring. They have two or three cubs weighing no more than 40 grams.
Otters are not born natural swimmers, and adults will force their young into the water for their first swimming lesson. Cubs stay with, and remain dependent on, their parents for over a year. Wild otters rarely live beyond 4 years of age.
Despite becoming strong swimmers, otters are unable to hold their breath under water for long periods and usually dive for no more than 30 seconds at a time. They have acute senses – of smell, hearing and eyesight. Their eyes are at the top of the head which enables them to remain alert while the rest of the body is under water. They communicate via whistles, twittering noises and spitting sounds and these can sometimes be heard at night.
Otter spraint, which has a scent of jasmine tea, is used to communicate and mark territory.
Water vole
The water vole (Arvicola amphibius) lives along rivers, streams and ditches, around ponds and lakes, and in marshes, reed beds and areas of wet moorland. It looks similar to the brown rat but has chestnut-brown fur, a blunt nose, small ears and furry tail. It is under serious threat from habitat loss, pollution and from predators such as the non-native American mink.
Water voles are 14–22 cm long and weigh 150–300 grams. Their average lifespan is 6–18 months and you’re most likely to see them during December and January.
Signs of water voles include burrows in the riverbank, often with a nibbled ‘lawn’ of grass around the entrance, and rounded, cigar-shaped droppings. Over 200 plant species have been identified in their diet, and additional broadleaved plants may also be eaten at certain times.
Their extensive burrows contain sleeping/nest chambers at various levels in the steepest parts of the bank. They usually have underwater entrances to give the animals a secure route for escape if danger threatens. Water voles tend to be more active during the day than at night.
They have figured in folklore for centuries and have many local names, including ‘water rat’, ‘water mole’, ‘crabber’, ‘waterdog’, ‘earth-hound’ and ‘water campagnol’. ‘Ratty’ in Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows is a water vole.
Snakes-head fritillary
The snake’s-head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) has chequered bell-like flowers in purple, pink or white, on thin stems. Its narrow, grey-green leaves appear at the base of the plant and occasionally up the stem.
The flower buds are tightly surrounded by the leaves and together these poke up through the grass like the nose of a small snake. As the stems develop, they bend over to protect the stamens inside the flowers. When they have been successfully pollinated, the stems straighten again so that the seed pods are held on tall stems from which the seeds are scattered.

Their natural habitat is wetland meadows in central and southern England. Many of the meadows that were once home to fritillaries have been drained and ploughed. However at Iffley Meadows, downstream of the hydro, the snake’s-head fritillary has made a significant comeback since BBOWT started managing the site. You can also see fritillaries in Christ Church Meadow, and at Ducklington and Cricklade in the upper Thames Valley.
Handfuls of the flowers used to be picked from meadows beside the River Thames and taken to London to be sold in Covent Garden Market.