As part of our work we liase with landowners, conservation partners and local authorities with the aim to improve, expand and connect our fragmented green spaces. As part of this drive, the Sussex Biodiversity Partnership recently held a “Controlling Invasive Rhododendron Workshop” at Tilgate Park in Crawley. The one-day event was hosted by us and was aimed at providing practical solutions to the eradication of the invasive shrub Rhododendron Ponticum from local woodlands.

Representatives from local authorities, private landowners and organisations such as the Forestry Commission, the South Downs Joint Committee and the National Trust were given advice on the methods for best results in Rhododendron control, choosing and planning a control programme and information on grants available towards the cost of Rhododendron control. This was followed by a walk through Tilgate Park to highlight some of the issues discussed.

This comes at a time when Rhododendron control is very much in the spotlight again, as it is a host plant to the pathogen Phytophora Ramorum, which has already caused widespread death of Oaks in parts of the USA. This deadly disease is now increasing its’ spread across the UK, affecting many Oaks and Larch trees here as well.
Even without P. Ramorum, Rhododendron is an invasive, non-native evergreen, which can spread rapidly and dominate the woodland under-story. It can have a severe impact on biodiversity through over-shading and the secretion of toxic chemicals into the soil, both of which restrict the growth of other plants. Sites that are being coppiced or clear felled, are also under threat if Rhododendron is present nearby and woodland owners are being urged to liase with their neighbours if Rhododendron is spreading across boundaries, otherwise any hard work will be undermined by new plants appearing from the land next door!

Bumblebees are back!

I am glad to say that spring is definitely here!  The absence of the biting winds from last week and some unbroken sunshine have made this week feel positively balmy.  According to the Met Office our local weather station at Charlwood recorded a temperature of 14C this afternoon and the daisy above was certainly responding!

This warm weather has drawn out queen bumblebees that have survived the winter, hibernating in underground burrows.  Warm calm days like today are perfect for them to feed and to search out nest sites.  The difficulty is finding suitable nectar sources this early in the year.  At Tilgate Park the bees were clustered around the heather and a Pieris (probably) japonica.  Pieris is a member of the heather family, and the relationship can be seen in the flower shape.

There were probably half a dozen bees, all large females buzzing around this Pieris, which would clearly be a useful shrub to have in a wildlife garden for it's early nectar.  Several rested on the ground for a few minutes before resuming their flight.

I think all the bees I saw were female buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris), one of the most common species.  They have the two yellow/gold stripes, one on the thorax (chest), and one on the abdomen.  The tail was a dirty white, with a distinct band of buff hairs between the black and white hairs.

Here is a bee is on the heather Erica carnea, the winter flowering heather, another good garden plant, and a heather that can cope with more alkaline conditions than other ericas, and thus don't need ericaceous compost made from peat dredged from a wildlife-rich bog.

Let me know of any bumblbee sightings - photos if possible.

Other spring flowering plants good for bumblebees include: rosemary, pulmonaria (the blue ones are best), bugle, cowslips, broom, dead-nettles,flowering currant and the related black and red currants, apple and gooseberry,

If you want to know more about bumblebees, take a look at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust website:  http://www.bumblebeeconservation.org.uk/index.htm

Coppicing and more major tree works

Last week's tasks saw us at Hammond's Copse, Newdigate, one of three Woodland trust sites we work on.  The job in hand was to coppice a section along the bridleway to keep the path clear, and provide a dead hedge to keep people, dogs and horses out of  a coupe.

Here, one of our volunteers is piling up the cut hazel rods, with all the cut ends facing the same way, to create an even dense dead-hedge.

Here is a close up of a hazel stool.  It was cut flush with the chainsaw, and you might notice the slight blue marks on some of the stems.  This is where the chainsaw is not cut through the wood evenly and suggests, as it was the end of the day, the saw was not quite as sharp as it should have been.

In comparison to this traditional way of managing woodland, the work that is being carried out in Tilgate Park at the moment is much more industrial.  The dam on the main lake at Tilgate is being raised by some 2.5m (!)to provide additional flood storage capacity for Crawley and Gatwick.  The lake will be drained down over the summer, but they are tree-felling now to prevent any disturbance to nesting birds.

I will keep updating the blog about the works as they progress.

Damage and decay = new life

A quick walk at lunch time revealed just how many trees have been damaged by the snow. 

Although this might be thought to be unsightly and has blocked paths, it is of course an entirely natural process.  From a biodiversity point of view, it creates much needed new habitat.  This comes in the shape of dead wood, both on the ground and caught up in the trees.  This will provide new opportunities for many specialists, such as wood-boring beetles and fungi. 

The physical damage caused to the trees may provide shelter for bats and many invertebrates.

The wounds may provide further opportunity for fungi by providing a breach in the bark, which may in turn hasten the demise of some of the trees, thus providing more dead wood!  Although the conifers have been the worst affected, many birch have been damaged as well

All part of the natural cycle - just be careful walking about in the woods at the moment and make sure to look up!

Good day for a bonfire!

The first task we have manages to run this year due to the weather, and even this was different from the advertised programme.  We were in Tilgate Park, in the pine plantation, beyond the walled garden.  As part of our on-going work to expand the area of heathland in the park, a 50 strong group from the Mileage Company felled a large area of the invasive Rhododendron ponticum last autumn.  We burnt quite a lot of the "rhodie" on the day, but there was still a lot left lying. 

So sheltered by the trees, and motivated by the prospect of jacket potatoes for lunch, if the bonfire got hot enough, the 10 hardy volunteers set to work.

We got loads cleared in the end and having the fire made it a much more pleasant task.

The fire was plenty hot enough for jacket potatoes cooked in our old ammo box.  Accompanied by cheese and beans they kept the cold at bay.  Indeed one of volunteers said it was the best baked spud he had ever had!  We worked a bit more in the afternoon and then let the fire burn down.  A good task - thanks everyone

Can you feel the heat?

Snowy scenes

Welcome to my blog. I am going to try and record some of the wildlife and landscape I see in my local area, all within about a 10 mile radius of Gatwick Airport. I want to show the beauty in nature that can be found on your doorstep, improve my identification skills at the same time, and publicise the work of Gatwick Greenspace and the Sussex Wildlife Trust.

I may have timed the start of this blog well, as snowy scenes make for good photos, but I hope keep posting on a regular basis, so if you like what you see, come again.

Although I will always try to have a camera with me, I suspect that most of my photos will be unplanned, and just whatever catches my eye. The top two photos were taken at Tilgate Park, the last, just a few metres from my house.