The Pound Wood Pages

Wildlife and Recording

Christmas 1993

Dormice

Some of you will be aware that there was a National Dormouse Week in November. One of the few experts on this little-studied small mammal, Dr Pat Morris, visited Pound Wood prior to giving a public lecture on the subject in Brentwood. We have a positive sighting of a dormouse earlier in the summer and we were hoping that Dr Morris would confirm that we have a viable breeding population.

It therefore came as a nasty shock to discover that, in his opinion, the wood had been abandoned for too long for it to support the dormouse; in fact he expressed surprise there were any there at all! The species depends on the hazelnut crop (and there wasn’t one), young trees to move about in (and those in Pound Wood are mostly elderly) and thick ground cover to hibernate in (and most of the wood has very little growing under the trees and is heavily “dogged”)

He said that it would be at least eight years after the coppicing work we are now undertaking, before the right sort of habitat began reappearing, and he didn’t expect our dormouse population to survive that long. There are just two places where it could hold out: the wind-blown area in the South East of the wood which we have already designated a “non-intervention area” and the regularly coppiced area under the electricity pylons.

We are undertaking a scientific study in those two areas next summer, and we all hope that the expert is proven wrong, and that dormice survive here.

Recording

We still need willing people to volunteer to do recording of flora and fauna. If you have this specialist knowledge, please come forward and volunteer. John Rostron is your contact man, on 0268 757984.

Spring 1994

Dormice awakening?

In early May the dormouse should awake for its short but busy season of activity. If there is a viable population still in Pound Wood, they should enjoy improved conditions in 1994. Volunteers from the Trust purchased and installed 40 day-nesting boxes in the denser parts of the wood where conditions are still suitable for these little creatures, which are thought to be on the edge of extinction in South East England. We hope that the public will not seek them out or disturb them, but if you do see a wooden box with the entry hole on the trunk side, it has not been put up back-to-front! Remember, it is illegal to disturb dormice and our monitoring staff have been granted special licences to carry out this work. Let us hope that our autumn newsletter can carry good news about dormice.

Muntjac sighting in Pound Wood

On 13th February, Sarah Pileher, one of the young volunteers at Pound Wood, was assisting Don Hunford install the dormouse boxes when she caught a fleeting glance of a strange animal. “Unfortunately, I did not see it myself,” said Don, “but from her description, it could only have been a muntjac.” Subsequently, we understand, a neighbour has seen the small deer crossing her meadow to the wood. As far as we are aware, these are the first sightings of this species south of the A127.

The deer was introduced from China and escaped from the grounds of Woburn Abbey at the turn of the century and they have been spreading ever since. They do not live in herds but stay in small family groups. It has a characteristic rounded back and is about the size of a large dog. Only the bucks have the little (7cm) backward pointing antlers which fall off in June. It is coloured between brown and dark grey, and when disturbed raises its tail revealing a bright, white flash on the underside. It likes thick cover, especially bramble, which is also its main food plant. Whilst generally secretive, it has been known to enter gardens and even unfastened sheds in search of food and shelter in the winter. If you see one, please telephone John Rostron on 0268 757984.

Newts and Tadpoles at Digby’s Dell Pond

Almost before the winter work parties ceased, our volunteers were rewarded for their efforts in deepening Digby’s Pond, by the appearance of mating frogs and smooth newts. Although it is likely that some spawn was introduced from outside the wood by well-meaning visitors, at least some was locally produced! Over the next few weeks it will be interesting to see which plants are the first to colonise, provided of course those same well-meaning people don’t introduce alien species from their garden ponds.

Autumn 1994

Records from Pound Wood

Click for the full Autum 1994 list

Species Records

The table (above) carries a first species list for Pound Wood. We hope that this is not yet complete, and invite any visitors to inform us of what they have found. In particular, we welcome all sightings of mammals other than squirrels and foxes. The area of the wood where the species was seen (using path names or compartment label) is particularly useful. If you are knowledgeable about any particular species, you are especially invited to help with this task. We have maps of the wood showing the various compartments used for both management and recording. Please ring John Rostron on 0268 757984 if you would like one.

Dormice Hopes

Forty specially prepared dormouse nesting boxes are concealed in Pound Wood both as an aid to their survival and as a means to establish the levels of the population. Certain of our members are authorised by English Nature to examine the boxes for signs of this scarce little mouse. Examination has shown a healthy population of Blue Tits! However, two of the boxes do contain the nests of mammals.

Unfortunately the residents were not at home when we called and so we do not have a positive identification, for the nest of the more common Woodmouse is not dissimilar. Let us just hope that there is an extant population. We will be examining these nests for dormice hair in the winter. We trust that it was not significant that whilst the examination was taking place a rather contented Tawny Owl was hooting in a nearby tree!

It will take a few years’ more management to significantly improve the habitat for them. The new hazel trees may come into fruit by 1997.

For the record, we understand that a recent national survey using hazel nut shells (which the dormouse opens in a recognizable way) shows that it exists in only 295 sites in the UK, mostly in the southern counties.

January 1995

Dormice

We are delighted to report that a small population of dormice lives on in Pound Wood. Last Autumn, 40 nesting boxes were sited in the more remote parts of the wood. Although usually hibernating close to the ground in old tree trunks land roots, they build nests to rear their young in the trees. Setting up a family home is a difficulty which humans share with most other creatures, so the provision of detached residences in desirable locations should prove irresistible to them. It is an indicator of the modest size of the surviving population that only two boxes were being used by dormice. Though the last check by our authorised personnel was on November 6th, we did find an active dormouse in residence. Such a late sighting was surely a further indicator of the very mild autumn.

Whilst making our rounds, we met up with 13 woodmice in 8 nesting boxes. If we were able to open the lid without shaking the box too much, the little creatures would just appear in the entrance for a nervous sniff round, but occasionally they were sufficiently disturbed to bolt off. Some other boxes had been used by blue tits during the summer.

Woodcock

Whilst examining the dormice boxes, our volunteers put up a woodcock. This is an apt description, for when disturbed a woodcock seems to leap into the air before flying off right through the densest part of the wood. The woodcock should be common in this area, being a wader which prefers woods and meadows. However, because it nests on the ground, it is one of the species which has suffered most from the intensive use of open spaces for dog walking. The fact that one was found in Pound Wood is testament to the effectiveness of the “non-intervention areas” we have created. Our thanks to dog walkers for keeping their pets away from them.

Badgers (Don Hunford)

Badgers are not uncommon in S.E. Essex and there are many setts which have survived, indeed thrived, in our urban environment. Every time I give a talk, there will be someone who is delighted to tell me of Brock’s nocturnal visits to their gardens. Indeed, local setts appear on TV almost every time there is a feature on urban wildlife! Our Pound Wood badgers show signs of re-inhabiting a long abandoned outpost sett not far from a fairly well-used path within the wood. Another reason, please, for visitors and their dogs to stay outside the non-intervention areas.

Pheasants

Another first, at any rate for me, was two male pheasants seen on December 16th, near to the church field. There are few woods in Essex which have not been used at some time for shooting, and the captive rearing of pheasants is commonplace. As far as I am aware, this has not been so here and it will be interesting to see what sort of “natural” levels of population emerge (assuming that some females fly in too!). Certainly our wood ants will provide them with enough food!

January 1996

Recording

We began to record the wildlife of Pound Wood before we took possession of the reserve. As you might expect, most records from our visitors are of birds and flowers. However, the wood does support a good range of other animals and plants.

There are twenty-seven species of birds recorded in Pound Wood. This may not seem very many, but recording birds in a wood is much more difficult than doing it in open country like estuaries. We have not recorded breeding birds separately, although many of those seen in the summer are undoubtedly breeding. These include Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler. Although we have heard many Cuckoos, confirmation of breeding is much more difficult.

Birds of Prey include Tawny Owls which are to be heard in the evenings and night, and more recently the odd Sparrowhawk.

Sparrowhawks have been making a good recovery from their decline in the sixties, but Essex has been one of the last counties to be re-colonised. Woods like Pound Wood are ideal Sparrowhawk country and we do hope to see them breeding before too long.

Some other species of note include: our British Woodpeckers, the Great Spotted, Lesser Spotted and Green; the two other tree climbing species: the Treecreeper and Nuthatch; three tits — Great, Blue and Long-Tailed; three thrushes — Blackbird, Mistle and Song; the Wren and Wood Pigeon. All are undoubtedly breeding, since they are to be seen and heard throughout the summer, as are the Crow, Jay and Magpie.

Plants are easier to see and, though we have fewer plant recorders, we have more records. So far, we have 146 species of vascular plant recorded, including some 20 species of tree and shrub (with just one conifer — the yew); three ferns and a number of more scrubby plants (such as roses, brooms and brambles). Most of these are to be found in flower in the spring, when there is more light on the ground.

Pound Wood has a thriving population of one of Britains most local trees, the Wild Service — widely found in the wood, especially away from the edges. In our coppicing work, we deliberately preserve these, allowing them to grow on in the newly coppiced areas. They are commonly found as an under-storey shrub on the continent, but in Britain are really confined to the south-east, especially in the woods of the Rochford Hundred, including Thundersley, and in the Weald of Kent.

Another tree with a restricted distribution is the Woodland or Midland Hawthorn. This is hardly ever found outside ancient woodlands and is a good indication that Pound Wood has been there for some centuries at least

Dormice

Regular readers will know that we have a small population of dormice in Pound Wood. Hopefully, they are elsewhere in South East Essex but we have not seen any confirmed reports.

In the densest parts of die non-intervention areas, dormice breeding boxes are hidden. Of the 34 boxes examined this year, six had definitely been used by them, with a further two probables.

The most successful boxes were in holly. Could this be the reason they survived in Pound Wood? After all, we have an awful lot of holly. Do they use it because the prickles discourage owls, or humans? Unfortunately, the last issue of Essex Wildlife Magazine erroneously indicated that dormice use these boxes for hibernation. The dormouse hibernates at ground level, usually in holes around the roots of trees.That is why it is so important that visitors and dogs do not enter these restricted areas.

It is vital that the population be allowed to expand out of this confined area but it will he a year or two yet before the work we did at Digby’s Dell will bear fruit. Watch this space.

First Foxglove

A single foxglove came to flower in Digby’s Dell last summer, but there are quite a few infant plants so we are hopeful of a good show there in 1996. Won’t it be lovely when the wood is again able to support the full range of woodland flowers — which it will, providing no-one digs them up!

May 1996

Recording

There are around a hundred species of flowers and grasses in the wood. Most of these are common and widespread, but some are much more restricted and are, like the Woodland Hawthorn and the Service Tree, confined to ancient woodlands. The most notable of these is the Hairy Woodrush, but others include the Wood Anemone, Pendulous Sedge, Wood Spurge, Yellow Archangel, Common Cow-Wheat, Wood Melick and Wood Millet (two grasses). Another rather local species also found in damp patches in the wood is the Bristle Scirpus Rush, a rather nondescript and easily overlooked plant.

There are some 17 species of fungi recorded so far, including many common (and edible) species. Be warned however. Do not go picking mushrooms in the wood for two reasons. One is that this is a nature reserve, and we ought to let the other animals have them. The other is that, unless you really know your fungi, you may end up with more than you bargained for! Some of the more garish are perfectly edible, and some of the most inviting will make you ill! So far, we have not recorded the real killers, but there are several that will make you unwell.

The insects of Pound Wood have had very few records. We only have fifteen recorded to date. Most of these are the conspicuous species such as butterflies, but we do have records of two damselflies and two dragonflies. These have colonised the pond in Digby’s Dell since it was cleared in our first season there in 1993–94, so we are very pleased to see them.

Another Muntjac Sighting

A puzzled motorist rang us earlier in the year because he couldn’t believe there could be deer in St Michaels Road, Thundersley. But these small deer are in our Daws Heath reserves. The muntjac is a native of China but has been spreading across England since escaping from captivity earlier this century.

If you see one, please report it to one of our wardens.

January 1997

Dormice Hang in There

Despite expert warnings that the previously unmanaged Pound Wood was not a good habitat for the threatened dormouse, a few pairs raised families there again this year. Do hang on please Mr Dormouse, our new hazel trees will soon be big enough to supply your favourite food.

September 1997

Monitoring and Recording

When taking on a new nature reserve it is always interesting to log new sightings of different species, be they plants, insects, mammals or birds. In fact compiling a comprehensive database of species present is an important part of the management of a nature reserve.

By monitoring the success of certain species it is possible to gauge the effectiveness of work on the reserve. For example, next year’s population of meadow brown butterflies should increase because we purposefully left tall grass margins in the meadows during haymaking.

The regular censusing of nesting birds, when collated with information from other recorders, countrywide, helps to paint a national picture of different bird populations. This in turn provides valuable information on population change and has revealed, for example, that birds such as the skylark and the song thrush are in decline over most of the county.

Plans to survey and monitor birds, butterflies and plants at the Little Haven reserve are being drawn up and already early recording has unearthed some interesting finds including ancient woodland plants such as wood spurge, wood anemone and wood sorell. One particularly exciting discovery was that of several plants of the broad-leaved helleborine, a member of the orchid family.

Almost 20 species of butterfly have been recorded at Little Haven, including brown argus and marbled white. Finger meadow with its abundant nectar plants such as marsh thistle, lesser stitchwort and black knapweed has been the most productive area on the reserve for butterflies.

50 species of moth were recorded one warm July night and notable birds include a visiting hobby. Watch this space for more news of discoveries and of Daws Heath wildlife.

Spring 1999

Recent wildlife sightings on the Daws Heath Reserves

The presence of a weasel indicates a healthy small mammal population. Meadow pipit and lesser spotted woodpecker have been seen recently, and the first swallow was spotted on April 10th.

The woodcock is a wading bird which nests in woodland so it ought to be common in Castle Point, but isn’t, probably because all the woods are constantly in use by dogs; a good reason to ask dog walkers (who are otherwise most welcome) to keep their pets under control. Several of these shy birds have been seen over the winter months.

Fifteen new moth species, including one rarity, were recorded in a single session by local experts.

If you see anything new, please contact the wardens.

Rare butterfly for Pound Wood

One of Britain‘s rarest butterflies, the Heath fritillary, was introduced into Pound Wood in the summer of 1998. Certain parts of the wood were thought to be particularly suitable as this species feeds on common cow-wheat which, though nationally rare, grows prolifically in the recently coppiced areas. Adult butterflies from two different thriving colonies at Hockley Woods and Thrift Wood were freed in Pound Wood. We expect to see the offspring flying in late May to early June.

Butterflies spring into life

We have all four species of butterfly which hibernate over winter and emerge to lay eggs in the spring. Whilst some are on the wing in mid-January, it is usually March or April before we see most of the small tortoiseshell, peacock, brimstone and comma butterflies. All are seeking a nectar source and somewhere to lay their eggs. Red admirals occasionally over-winter but the main influx of these insects arrives later in the year from southern Europe. If you want more early butterflies in your garden, you must ensure there are some nettles in a sunny position and grow plants like Aubrietia which flower early and are rich in nectar. If you plant hedge mustard or lady’s smock, you may even attract orange-tip butterflies.

Spring 2000 (Biodiversity Special)

Botanical Diversity in our Woodland Nature Reserves

We claim that coppicing enhances biodiversity in our woodlands being a renewal of the ancient management system. Compared with the pace of modern change the few hundred years of coppice management may seem to take us back to ancient times. But for many thousands of years before that, our forests managed themselves without any help from coppicing. So how can we claim to be supporting a natural biodiversity?

If you could travel back through time and visit the primaeval wildwood you might be surprised to find it was not just mile after mile of unbroken tree cover. There would be open glades with much of the flora we now associate with coppice. Occasional storms like the one we experienced in 1987 would have brought down groups of very old trees letting in the light. As regeneration started, a whole spectrum of animal life would take advantage of the new food resources. As the new tree seedlings started to struggle upward they would be attacked by an army of insects. Voles and mice would join in. Hares and roe deer could browse at a higher level. Finally red deer are able to reach the leaves of those saplings which had managed to escape the shorter browsers. All this time, nature’s own bulldozers the wild boars would be searching for acorns and beech mast even though squirrels and jays were busy hiding them. Grasses and herbs, taking advantage of the light, would attract the grazers. Thus the glade would persist over a long period.

Our coppice areas also give opportunities for ground flora but in the absence of deer and boar the return of tree cover is much faster. We have found ourselves occupying the role of these browsers and rooters in our sustained efforts to keep clear areas under the cables in Pound Wood. This work is designed to aid the establishment of the Heath Fritillary butterfly. What other species of plants and animals may find this mini-glade to their advantage? We must watch this space.

The flora of the woodland floor vary in their tolerance of shade. Most seem to respond with vigour to the temporary removal of shade by coppicing. Many complete their growth and flowering early each season before the shade becomes too dense. Wood Anemone and Woodsorrel are followed by our speciality the Bluebell. Primroses and Celandines like spots which catch the early season sunshine. Later in the season we can find Yellow archangel and Cow-wheat, the food plant of the fritillary caterpillars.

The dominant plants of the woodlands must of course be the trees. Traditional for Essex coppice woodlands were Hornbeam, used for fuel and some farm implements, and standard Oak, used for construction work. The introduced Spanish Chestnut now occupies large areas of coppice as its timber is easy to split and resistant to rot. Birch is quick to colonise bare ground, after a fire for example. Ash also has efficient seed dispersal and will quickly carpet any open area with rapidly growing seedlings.

Alder is a specialist, coping with soil where nitrates are leached away by moving water. Unlike other trees the Alder can make its own nitrates from the air.

Less common trees to look for as you walk our woodland reserves are the Wild Service Tree and Alder Buckthorn, the foodplant of the Brimstone butterfly. As winter comes and the leaves fall there is still green in the wood — the Holly and the Ivy.

Don Hunford

The Sparrowhawk

The sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) is one of the most widespread and abundant birds of prey in Britain. It is also one of the smallest, the male being about the same size as a jackdaw, the female being somewhat larger. Seen well, the striking plumage of the adult bird can be fully appreciated. The male is blue-grey above with contrasting rust-red flanks. Below it is buff in colour with broad horizontal barring. However its secretive behaviour makes the bird difficult to observe. It spends time at rest in dense cover in scrub or woodland. This is unlike the much more conspicuous kestrel which is often seen perched in open country on fence posts, telegraph poles or small trees.

Having said this, sparrowhawks can be found on most days over Little Haven or Pound Wood by the birdwatcher willing to put in a little time and effort. On calm sunny days they can be seen soaring, enabling the observer to note the bird’s broad wings, long tail and characteristic flap, flap glide flight. You are just as likely to see one at home, dashing through gardens and over fences with amazing speed and manoeuvrability in pursuit of their prey, other birds.

Sparrowhawks usually eat small species such as starlings, house sparrows or tits but they will also take jays, jackdaws and even wood pigeons. These are sometimes hunted in suburban gardens where they are ambushed at bird tables, shrubs or trees. A marauding sparrowhawk will panic any flock of small birds, causing them to flee into dense cover in order to escape. Mammals such as voles and small rabbits are occasionally taken but this is mainly in early spring when bird prey is scarcest (Newton 1986). Prey items are often taken to a favourite place to be plucked. This is usually a log or a tree stump and is known as a plucking post.

The sparrowhawk nests in woodland and tall scrub, pairs sometimes nesting in the same areas in different years. A new nest is built each year, sometimes over an old squirrel dray or wood pigeon nest. It is usually placed in the lower canopy of the tree and consists of twigs and small branches collected by both the male and the female. 3–5 eggs are laid usually in May and incubated for around 5 weeks by the female. When they hatch, the young are nidicolous which literally means nest-dwelling. In other words the chicks live in the nest until they are ready to fledge and are totally dependant on their parents for food and shelter. It is during this time as with all birds that the parents have to guard their offspring against predators. Interestingly the main predator of sparrowhawk chicks is the Tawny owl.

After about 4 weeks the immature birds leave the nest but remain in the vicinity for about the same period of time. During this time they are still fed and protected by their parents and they learn flying and hunting skills essential for their future survival. When the young birds disperse from the nesting area they must become fully independent (Newton 1986).

The breeding success and ultimately the survival of all birds depends on a combination of factors such as weather conditions, predation and availability of food. The sparrowhawk is no exception to this and populations rise and fall accordingly. Over the last 60 years the sparrowhawk has experienced dramatic changes in its fortunes. As long ago as 1797 the sparrowhawk was described by the naturalist and artist Thomas Bewick as very numerous. Even up to the 1950’s the bird was described as very common and widespread. However by 1966 only two pairs could be found breeding in Essex (Dennis 1996).

The reason for this drastic decline in the bird’s numbers was the introduction and subsequent widespread use of organochlorine pesticides. By the late 1940’s DDT was being used, killing insects with great effect on a variety of crops. Organochlorines are extremely persistent chemicals and build up in the bodies of birds. The sparrowhawk is a bird predator and top of its food chain. After a period of time it therefore accumulates high levels of these chemicals in its own body. This caused eggshell thinning and breakages and ultimately a reduction in breeding success (Gibbons et al 1993). To compound this problem other organochlorines, known as cyclodienes and more toxic than DDT, were in use from the mid 1950’s. Aldrin, dieldrin and heptachlor were used as seed dressings on cereals and to combat such pests as cabbage root fly and wire worms. Unlike DDT these pesticides caused large-scale direct mortality of wildlife, especially of seed eating birds and their predators. Unfortunately sparrowhawks were no exception and many birds died from eating contaminated finches and pigeons (Newton 1986). Following a series of voluntary bans on cyclodienes in the 1960’s their application was much reduced. Remarkably DDT remained in use, albeit at lower levels, and even up to the early 1980’s it was still being recommended to farmers!

As a result of the reduction in the use of organochlorines the sparrowhawk has gradually recovered and by the time of the British Trust for Ornithology survey (1988–91) the species was considered to have fully recovered. Sparrowhawks are not long lived birds, the oldest ringed individual recovered in Britain was 11 years old. Some birds are still illegally shot, trapped or poisoned but reports of birds being killed in this way are thankfully declining. However the numbers of birds killed on the roads and by colliding against glass windows has increased. Despite this the sparrowhawk has once again become a common bird in Essex and numbers are currently as high as they have been at any time in the last 100 years. Let’s hope that the drastic decline in recent decades of many of our once common farmland birds such as the skylark and the song thrush is not mirrored in the future population trend of the sparrowhawk.

References

Dennis M.K. 1996. Tetrad Atlas to the Breeding Birds of Essex. The Essex Birdwatching Society.

Gibbons D.W., Reid J.B., and Chapman R.A. 1993. The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1988-1991. Poyser, London.

Newton I. 1986. The Sparrowhawk. Poyser, London.

Rare Butterfly in Pound Wood

One of Britain’s rarest butterflies, the heath fritillary, was introduced into Pound Wood in the summer of 1998. Certain parts of the wood were thought to be particularly suitable as this species feeds on common cow-wheat which, though nationally rare, grows prolifically in the recently coppiced areas. Adult butterflies from two different thriving colonies at Hockley Woods and Thrift Wood were released into Pound Wood. We expect to see the offspring flying in late May to early June.

The Secret life of Wood Ants

The red wood ant, common on both reserves, is found throughout most of Europe where its presence is declining due to habitat destruction. In the United Kingdom it is most commonly found in southern England where it follows the pattern of coppicing. They build a nest of twigs and plant material which acts as a solarium, trapping heat to incubate larvae that are found within a mass of chambers below the ground. Established nests may contain up to half a million workers. The red wood ant’s diet typically consists of honey dew that is tended from aphids, insect prey and seeds. Each nest has a separate territory including several foraging trails leading to favourite trees. These areas are fiercely defended against ants of different colonies.

A Lepidopterist in February

Although it is still only winter and the conditions can change very quickly from mild conditions to some severe night frosts, it is the milder conditions that can give the woodland wanderer a chance to observe some of the rather delicate winter and early spring species of moths that appear at this time of the season.

During daylight hours male pale brindled beauty (Apocheime pilosaha) can often been sitting on tree trunks and fences. The larva of this species feed on a variety of trees and shrubs from April to June. The dotted border (Agriopis marginaria) is quite common in all woodlands in Essex and is another very variable moth found just after dark sitting on twigs waiting for the wingless females to emerge. Their caterpillars feed on hornbeam and birch during the spring. One of the most interesting little moths to

be found at this time of the year is the spring usher (Agriopis leucophaearia), a species that heralds the first signs of spring. The larva are generally some shade of green and feed on oak shoots just as the buds are opening, The females of all of these three species are wingless and look like a mixture of small spiders but of course they only have six legs. They can be found by shaking them from the dead leaves which hang on many oak trees during the winter months. The loveliest of all the Geometrid moths during the early spring is the oak beauty (Biston strataria), a very striking creature with a magnificent ornamental pattern on the forewings — usually sits on tree trunks at about head height — and is quite difficult to see against the background of bark. The larvae, which look like short stunted twigs, feed on oak during May and June. The male of this species often fly into a bright light on milder evenings. All of these species overwinter as a pupa, usually at the base of the tree where their caterpillars fed during the early weeks of Spring and all can be found in all of our local woodlands.

Note of interest

Today (22/2/2000) I saw my first butterfly of the year. It was quite a surprise, for nectaring from crocus in bright sunshine was a red admiral. It returned again later in the afternoon and was enjoying the flowers of Viburnum. It was quite a large specimen so I am almost certain it was a butterfly that had overwintered and not a migrant, as these early visitors are usually on the smaller size

Don Down

Autumn 2003

Heath Fritillary Butterfly Success in Pound Wood

The heath fritillary butterfly population in Pound Wood continues to grow and this year we had a maximum of 43 flying on any single visit (compared with 27 last year). We are expecting a contractor to undertake some difficult tree work next winter near to the power lines to help with our management of this area.