Under the Power Lines
The area under the power lines has been regularly coppiced by
the Electricty Authorities ever since the pylons were erected across the
wood. In recent years this has been the Eastern Electricity Company, who
last coppiced the area in 1997.
This coppicing was simply to prevent the growing trees from interfering
with the electricty cables crossing the wood and was done at intervals of
eight to fifteen years as needed.
With this last coppicing and at our request, the company converted all
the brash (thin wood trimmings) into wood-chips and heaped these along the
coppiced area. These heaps are readily colonised by red Wood Ants,
Formica rufa, which are common in the wood, particularly in the
power line area.
The picture to the right was taken in 1999 and shows a good growth of
both coppice trees and herbs below the power lines. The other picture
(below left, also taken in 1999) shows areas of barer ground.
Because of this regular coppicing, this area has always had an abundance
of the Common Cow-Wheat, Melampyrum pratense, which is the food plant
for the Heath Fritillary Butterfly, Mellicta athalia. In 1998, with
the support of English Nature, the Trust introduced a number of these butterflies
into the area below the power lines. Some came from another Trust reserve,
and others from Sussex. The following summer, in 1999, a small number of
adult butterflies were to be seen.
The Trust’s policy is now to maintain this area as a short coppice
cycle of just a few years, to provide ideal conditions for the Cow-wheat.
The area below the power lines also abuts onto two other coppiced areas,
the Gunpowder Plot and Topley’s, both of which have abundant Cow-wheat.
This should give ample opportunity for this attractive butterfly to spread.