Please can we have some helpers at the Community Field (below the Skate Park, Tisbury) next week for a 6pm start. You will need to bring some gardening gloves and if you have a gardening fork that makes it easier. We have found that ragwort numbers have diminished with the regular pulling over recent years, so it shouldn't take long. This is in preparation for the hay cut and removing ragwort is necessary due to its toxicity to animals.
Despite the gales and torrential rain, a cheery band of intrepid explorers headed off to Wild Woodbury in deepest, darkest Dorset.
We were spurred on by memories of the enthusiastic and interesting talk given by Rob Farrington in January about Wild Woodbury, near Bere Regis and this was to be our quest: what had happened to this site, acquired in 2021 by Dorset Wildlife Trust? Our guide for the day was Seb Elwood and, as we turned into the car park, the rain stopped, Seb greeted us and all would be well. Since 2021, the area of farmland has been allowed to rewild. From bare earth have sprouted meadows, completely naturally, no seeding has taken place apart from nature’s own handiwork. Standing at the top of the site, surveying the surrounding fields, it is hard to comprehend where the flowers and plants have come from as the view shows neatly planted crops all around, but nature brings its own. Seb explained how this part of the site will become an open area of meadow, accessible to everyone (and their dogs!) and so providing an amenity to the nearby village of Bere Regis. There are plans for a farm shop and picnic areas to encourage locals and visitors from further away to enjoy the site and to refresh their spirits. The main project over the past three years has been to return the waterways that traverse the land to their natural courses. A lot of work has gone into removing the agricultural drainage (from the top of the hill it appears that the stream ran uphill!) and allow the streams to run where nature intended. Fauna has begun to return to the site, all carefully logged and recorded in order to show how the rewilding is benefiting the natural order of things. Seb told us that the fields were bare earth when Dorset Wildlife moved onto site. This soon changed and became covered with signs of mice and after that, signs of owls, predating on the mice! Seb was a knowledgeable and interesting host and guide. He answered the many questions from our interested members. Seb’s enthusiasm was infectious and we were all stimulated and our quest was complete. We hope to go back in the future to see what happens next. So much has been done in three years. What will the next three years hold? by Emma Procter. A distinctive and common flower of rough grassland at this time of year is ragwort. It has a fine head made up of bright yellow daisy-like flowers, held on a tall stem with deep green, much divided leaves. Where it grows, it is often numerous and can create impressive seas of yellow in a field.
Ragwort attracts numerous insects to its flowers: 200 different species have been recorded. Gatekeeper butterflies are often seen nectaring on the flowerheads. Ragwort is a foodplant for the distinctive black and yellow striped caterpillars, or larvae, of black and red cinnabar moths. Often, the larvae are present in such numbers that they soon strip the plant of all leaves and have to troop off to an adjacent plant to keep feeding. The leaves have an unpleasant taste which transfers to the feeding larvae. The distinctive markings in them warn potential predators that they are unpalatable and, although some birds do take them, the larvae make no effort to hide as they feed. The unpalatability of the plant is due to a number of alkaloids in its tissues, making it poisonous to some animals, notably horses and cattle, although proven poisoning cases are rare. Because of the unpleasant taste, animals will avoid eating the live plant, but a problem arises if ragwort gets mown and picked up in hay, which is subsequently fed to stock. This is why, each July, members of the Tisbury and District Natural History Society (and others) get together to remove ragwort from the Community Meadow before seed sets and the hay is cut. Leaving the ragwort in the hay would make it worthless and only fit for disposal. We pull the whole plant up by the roots which, as it is a biennial, are relatively shallow. The technique is to get good grip with gloves, low down on the stem, and then lean back to extract the plant. Many hands make light work, and it does seem as if there are fewer plants to pull each year. As the annual mowing and removal of hay depletes the fertility of the soil, so the floristic diversity of the meadow increases, giving more flowers for us to enjoy. This in turn can reduce the amount of bare earth between the plants in the sward, which restricts the opportunities for ragwort seed to germinate and grow next season. Hopefully, this is a virtuous cycle which will make life easier each year, but ragwort will always be there to provide colour for us to enjoy and flowers for insects to feed on for several weeks before removal. Andrew Graham On Saturday 6th July, we have a visit to Wild Woodbury, Bere Regis, with a walk of approximately 4km/2.5 miles across uneven ground around this rewilding community project guided by Dorset Wildlife Trust Ranger, Seb Haggett. There is a portaloo on site at the car park.
If you are used to walking poles it will be worth bringing them. Walking shoes/boots are advised and please bring a packed lunch and refreshments. The weather is looking good for Saturday, with dry, sunny spells forecast. There are ticks on site, along with longer vegetation, so trousers are recommended. Also bring along any wildlife spotting equipment, binoculars, cameras etc. Please let us know if you are planning to join the trip and where you will meet us. No dogs. Meet at the Nadder Centre car park at 9:30am or at 10:30am up a short track off Southbrook Road, opposite Eldon Road in Bere Regis. https://maps.app.goo.gl/qXbC482vgk4pZ6Qt6 What3words: permanent.kings.chef Those of you that came along to our meeting in January will recall the fascinating presentation by Rob Farrington of the work he has been leading for the past two and a half years to re-wild the 170-hectare site, south-east of Bere Regis. The plot acquired by Dorset Wildlife Trust was In September 2021 with plans to return what was previously intensively farmed arable land to its natural state. The goal was to create an example of sustainable land use, contribute to tackling the climate and ecological crises, reduce high nitrate levels in the area (and prevent them from entering Poole Harbour), and to engage the local community. In the first year of the project, the land was allowed to naturally regenerate: there was an immediate increase in biodiversity and abundance, with the site list reaching 1300 species. During 2023, the second year of the project, work was carried out to ‘re-naturalise’ the headwaters of the River Sherford that run through the site. More information: https://www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/blog/tag/wild-woodbury Anticipated end time: Returning to Tisbury by 3:30pm There will be space for members to join the YNW activity at the Hinton Hall on Sunday 14th July at 10am. Do come along to see what Andrew Graham has found in his moth traps from the previous night.
We are fortunate in southern Wiltshire to have more than our fair share of the county’s ancient woodlands. These are woods that have persisted since at least 1600, which is when maps started to become reasonably reliable so we can track a wood’s history. As they have a long-term continuity of woodland cover and management, such woods are often refuges for wildlife long since lost to the countryside. Some species are so specific to these woods, sometimes because they spread so slowly, that they are used as indicators to help in the identification of ancient sites. New woods planted on open land will never be able to develop the complex and rich biodiversity found in an ancient wood, so a mature woodland planted after the First World War may look splendid in the landscape, but from a wildlife point of view it may have little to offer.
Only 2.5% of the UK is ancient woodland, so it makes those remaining very precious. Although humans will have managed nearly all ancient woods at some time, and in some cases non-native species have been planted, the long-term tree cover allows for deep soils to develop, and complex wildlife communities to thrive. Dead wood, on which scarce fungi and invertebrates rely, can accumulate and archaeological remains such as earth banks and ditches may survive. Just east of Salisbury lies a mosaic of ancient woods, the largest of which is Bentley Wood, which has an interesting history. The area was used to accommodate US troops in the run up to D-Day and then to store vehicles returning after the war. All this had an impact, but woodland continuity was maintained. After the Forestry Commission acquired it in the ‘50s, they filled any gaps created with new planting, until 1983, when the government wanted to sell off many of the Forestry Commission woods. At this point, a local resident stepped in, forming a trust to buy the wood so it could be enjoyed by the public. This was achieved in 1984 and for the past 40 years the woodlands have been carefully managed by The Friends of Bentley Wood for wildlife and public enjoyment. The multiple tracks, rides and paths that criss-cross the wood are a pleasure to walk, and the site is particularly well known for the butterflies and birds found there. Andrew Graham On Saturday 8th June we have planned a field trip to Ham Wall RSPB Nature Reserve near Glastonbury with Andrew Graham and Debbie Carter as your guides. The focus will be on birds but there should be many other wildlife to see. Bring binoculars if you have them. No dogs.
Please let us know by Thurs 6th June evening whether you plan to go on this trip and whether you will car share from the Nadder Centre or meet us at the Reserve because we need to know numbers in advance. Without this information there is risk that this field trip could get cancelled. We do require a booking for each field trip in our programme. Meet at the Nadder Centre car park for a departure at 9.30am or at the Ham Wall Nature Reserve BA6 9SX for 10:30-45am. The car park is at OS ST44893959. What3words biggest.sharpened.clots https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/ham-wall/location Anticipated end time: Departing Ham Wall at 3:00pm to arrive back at the Nadder Centre by 4:15pm. Distance, Difficulty and Footwear: Approximately 5 km/3 miles on flat gravel paths which may be a bit muddy if there has been recent rain. Good stout shoes should suffice rather than wellingtons. Climbing steps may be necessary to enter hides. Bring a packed lunch and refreshments. On the Field Trips page, you'll see that we've updated the in-depth document for the Field Trips. Please note that the Wild Woodbury field trip is on Saturday 6th July, not Sunday as previously listed.
I've installed a new app to run our contact page and I received help from their tech team because it wasn't embedding at first. The page is working again now, so fingers crossed it will work perfectly!
Andrew Graham is leading a walk through Bentley Wood, West Dean with a focus on butterflies. Meet at the Nadder Centre car park for a 9:30am departure or at Bentley Wood Eastern Car Park, West Dean, for a 10:30 am start. (GR SU 258 291. What3Words: filled.village.screeches) There is no limit on this field trip, but if you could let us know beforehand it helps with organising car shares and knowing if you plan to meet us at West Dean. Bentley Wood is a 1,700 acre (688 ha.) nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest, roughly 7 miles east of Salisbury, that has been worked for at least 2,000 years (and is still commercially managed today, though with a view to conservation). If you want to read more about the wood ahead of the visit, go to this blog on the Hidden Wiltshire website: https://www.hiddenwiltshire.com/post/bentley-wood Path west through Bentley Wood (c) Brian Robert Marshall, Wikicommons
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