So what's happening right now?

Summer is here......

Footpath work was finished along the Brenda Parker Way in summer 2024. Thank you again to everyone who has helped make this possible.  

Cllr Mellor has made a generous contribution, which has been a huge help. Thank you!

Please do stick to it now to avoid doing damage to the ground flora. Thank you.

You will see us out and about, cutting back the foliage from the footpaths to keep them clear. We are out with the secateurs every couple of weeks at this time of the year. We will also be found, watering all the whips in this hot, dry weather which is heavy work. We're glad of a drop of rain when we get it!

We have seen brimstone, red admirals, speckled wood, orange tip, green veined white and comma butterflies already this spring. We now await the silver washed fritillary, the white admiral and - if we are really lucky - the purple emperor butterflies! So far, this year looks more promising for insects than last year, which was awful.

Birds have set territories and built nests, so watch and listen for the fledglings when you wander through the woods as they do their contact calling.

Brambles are flowering suggesting lots of blackberries later. Keep an eye out for celandines, wood spurge and bugle amongst others!

We were granted five Dutch Elm Disease resistant trees from the Hampshire Forest Partnership which we collected in January and planted alongside the bridleway where everyone can enjoy them.  They are now bursting bud and looking well clothed in leaves. This is really exciting as these trees will add more to the biodiversity of the site, providing food for the white hairstreak butterfly amongst others. We already have a few elm hiding in the conifers, so believe these trees should do well in this site. Here's hoping..... Our thanks to the HFP for this opportunity. Due to the dry, hot weather, we are watering all our whips and newly planted trees regularly, so you may see us out and about as we undetake this task.

We  spotted a very wet area beside the bridleway last year and decided to use that to make an ephemeral 'pond'. The area was dug out last summer and we have lined this with bentonite and created a habitat beside it using the spoil from the digging, some logs and vegetation to create a thatch. We hope this will provide an overwintering home to amphibians, reptiles and insects. The 'pond' is holding water better than the scrapes along the Brenda Parker Way, so we chose a good spot for that scrape! Dragonflies have been seen in that area recently, so keep your eyes peeled.

You may notice up the bridleway, there is a tree which we have already coppiced and is now protected by stock proof fencing. This is a rare Wych Elm which we have been very concerned about as it has been looking increasingly poorly, with many of the stems dead or dying. The advice we were given was to coppice it right back and see if it can now recover. Fingers crossed! We don't want to lose it. At the moment, the new growth is looking good.

We have also bitten the bullet and have been granted another felling license to do more radical clearing of trees throughout the woodland, but only in a very considered and careful way. We want to improve this space, not destroy it, so we will update the website with information as things become clearer. work won't begin until the nesting season is over for this year.

We recently had a visitor to site who is knowledgeable about fungi. It seems we have a good selection! These amazing life forms are so crucial to the health of the woodland and very under rated. Please enjoy and respect them when you spot them!

So, if you see us at work, do come and say "hello". We love to chat about what's going on and it is a great excuse for a short break too!