A Year in the Wilderness
A whole year has passed since I started this blog, so now seems a good time to check back through my posts and give a “State of the Nation” address – OK perhaps a little grand, let's settle for “The State of the Wood” address.
Natural Processes
First it has to be said that most of the work done in the wood has been thanks to the plants and animals (not to mention fungi, moving water, standing water, soil, geology, local climate and many other natural processes).
Human Impact
Secondly I need to trumpet the efforts of all the volunteers who have given their time to Stewardship Saturdays, Working with Wood Week and Jake's volunteer groups.
This interaction between Nature and Man is mirrored on a global scale, except that the negative human impacts far outweigh all the good stuff done by Man. Many of the world's natural processes have now been deflected to such a degree that we may well be standing on the edge of a catastrophe.
However, let's stick with Wilderness Wood as an example of how 'working with the grain of nature' can lead to a positive outcome.
19th March 2024
I'm off on my regular walking route around Wilderness Wood, pausing to take in some spring vegetation growth at the side of the main track into the wood. Unlike Blackthorn, which kicks the year off with showy white blossoms, Hawthorn prefers to produce masses of fresh leaf matter – so green you feel it must have been freshly clicked by Tesco.
Next to the Hawthorn is one of my favourite flowers – Green Alkanet (or Evergreen Alkanet). Like Hawthorn, its leaves are fresh and green but its clusters of small, intense blue flowers are the most eye-catching colour, whilst its roots can be boiled to produce a bright red dye.
Green Alkanet and Hawthorn have such a fresh spring look to them
Stopping initially at Orchid Glade I discover further Common Spotted Orchids pushing through since last week – 5 in total now. I also spot a couple of Common Twayblade Orchids coming through, their first leaves fluted into a stubby green tube which will shortly open out to reveal just two leaf blades (hence twayblade) and a tiny green flower stalk. None of the flamboyance most people assume of orchids, based upon their tropical rainforest cousins.
Two emerging Common Twayblade Orchids – most people would be underwhelmed by them, especially if slug damaged (as these are)
Beside these spring flowers, I'm keen to discourse about a few of the key projects undertaken over the last 12 months.
Deer
Focusing on the Wilderness Wood year from March 2023 to March 2024 we worked hard on keeping the deer from browsing our young hedge saplings in Bat Park (28/3/23). The erection of an 8-foot deer fence now keeps them at bay. We are fortunate to be able to shut the deer out. Sadly this is not the case with most other woodlands across the UK. Deer numbers are so high that most people are aware that something must be done if we are to avoid serious loss of woodland trees.
In a nut-shell, deer browse young trees, so that as older trees age and die there are no young trees to replace them. The sensible choices are between culling large numbers each year and perhaps consuming their meat ourselves, or reintroducing natural predators such as Wolf and Lynx. Understandably both methods have their objectors. Doing nothing is not an option. There is always contraception I suppose - but that is not something I am prepared to discuss before the watershed hour!
Down in Hemlock Valley I discover where a good number of Fallow Deer have crossed over the Wilderness Stream. The ground is still very wet from recent rain so it is easy to make-out their hoof prints (deer slots)
L. Deer tracks climb the bank of Wilderness Stream, R. Individual hoof prints (slots) in the mud
Ponds
The new ponds in the lower wood have gone from sterile looking depressions in the ground, full of rainwater and surrounded by mud, to becoming a swathe of green both under the water surface and also around the edges. Back in November 2023, a year after the ponds were dug, I carried out a survey of the freshwater invertebrates. It was to my delight that I discovered diving beetles, waterboatmen, water fleas and cased caddis-fly larvae had already moved in. This on top of observing numerous dragonfly and damselfly species cruising above the water and laying eggs.
On the 13th June 2023 I reported witnessing one of our froglets making the 'Giant Leap for Frog-kind' as it left the water and made its first tentative steps on dry land. How many times has this action been repeated since the first amphibian, Elginerpeton, in Scotland 368 million years ago.
This year's tadpoles have appeared in even greater numbers, thanks to parents which were probably mere frog-spawn this time last year. Today I notice that the tadpoles in the new ponds are still gathered in big black writhing knots, but unlike last week, many of them are now foraging further into the pond. I find a further clump of frog-spawn whose eggs are yet to hatch, probably laid by a different female a week or two later. In a cold year the earlier laid eggs may well have died from the cold, but not so this year. This means her strategy should pay-off, especially as her progeny will be able to gobble-up the less well developed tadpoles laid by the more cautious mother. The animal kingdom often shows little loyalty towards others of their species.
The Whirligig Beetles are now a little more gregarious and I suspect are already showing amorous intnetions towards members of the opposite sex. We can expect beetle larvae arriving well before spring is out.
One obvious absence at this time of year are dragonflies quartering back and forth over the ponds. It is very early in the year for the adults to appear. Most overwinter as larvae lurking in the deep pond mud. I dare say that once the water temperature is acceptable they will be triggered into climbing a nearby plant stem, dispense with their final moult, pump blood into their shiny new wings and take to the air in search of a mate and a place to lay their eggs.
Leaky Dams
I pause at one of the leaky dams in Hemlock Valley and wonder how much sediment has been brought down by the stream over the last 3 years. A quick dig with my trusty spade enables me to quickly remove a 12 inch depth of silt and throw it onto the base of the leaky dam. Within 10 minutes I have created a pool for freshwater invertebrates to breed in.
You may wonder how a leaky dam holds back this fine silt. Why doesn't it just flow through, along with the water? The critical factor is the speed of flow. Leaky dams take energy out of the stream, thus causing silt to be deposited here and slowing the flow still further.
Leaky dam building is all the rage in Sussex at present. Rather than being followers of fashion, we decided 3 years ago to be trend setters here at Wilderness Wood. On 2nd October 2023 I explained the purpose of these extremely valuable structures in preventing downstream flooding and their benefit to wildlife. On 1st August 2023 I reported that Global Generation, a visiting group of teenagers from London, completed our 100th leaky dam.
Their generation will be the one to reap the whirlwind sown by the current and past ones, through inappropriate management of the environment. Climate change and poor management of the landscape threaten the homes and lives of so many people who live adjacent to lowland rivers, and flooding.
Ironically it is an animal hunted to extinction in Britain during the 18th Century which could come to our rescue here. No, not the Lynx or the Wolf this time, but the European Beaver. It has taken myself and scores of volunteers 3 years to build our leaky dams. A pair of beavers could probably do the same amount of work in a few weeks. Rewilding could be as revolutionary as industrialisation – wild animals the new machines. This is an incredibly nuanced form of geoengineering, except it involves working with nature, instead of some of the bazaar high tech, human-only solutions being proposed to address our climate emergency.
In the meantime we need to get landowners to work like beavers and insert leaky dams and other natural flood mitigation measures.
L. Silt trapped behind a leky dam (Hemlock Valley) R. Instant pond once silt removed (10 mins)
Invasive Species
We live in a Global World, which has brought many changes to the UK, not least to our wildlife and landscape. Many new species have been introduced into the UK, or have found their way here accidentally. Back in their home country these species are not a problem as they have natural predators to control them. These predators are not present in the UK, meaning that some have becomes serious pests. One of these is Rhododendron pontecum, which on 17th November 2023 I reported on and explained how we were addressing an attractive plant which sadly has the potential to destroy British woodland flora and the fauna which feeds on it. On 3rd February 2024 I declared that 'Rhodies' were finally under control at Wilderness Wood. However, vigilance is still required if we are to avoid “The Day of the Rhodie – The Sequel!”
Today I discover a small outpost of Rhododendron close to the Christmas Tree Field. We thought we had eradicated them, but like the cells in a cancer, you have to get all of them otherwise they'll be back. Fortunately none of these has flower buds so we have ample time to act.
Bat Park
My last stop today takes me to Bat Park. This area has probably had more column-inches written about it than any other at Wilderness Wood. Besides the deer nibbling the hedge plants Bat Park has had to contend with its acid lowland grassland vegetation being grazed by rabbits, soil eroded by surface run-off, waterlogged by heavy rainfall, turned into a summertime desert by lack of summer rainfall and even graced with dog poo due to owners exercising their 'best friends' on its hallowed turf. Deer and rabbit fences have brought some respite, as have locked gates to exclude dog exercisers, but there is little we can do about the increasingly intense winter downpours and summer droughts, other than control the amount of CO2 we are pumping into the atmosphere.
Miraculously it looks like nature is correcting things at Bat Park. There are always going to be species that can cope with a new set of environmental variables, it just takes time for them to find their way here. The discovery of Minotaur Beetles on 20th February 2024 is once such example. These clever little chaps collect up rabbit droppings and take them to the bottom of their 1 metre deep burrows for their larvae to feed on. Before too long they will have created a much deeper soil for plants to root in and free 'beetle labour' to tidy up any unwanted poo left out by rabbits, dogs or other animal. The one drawback is how we manage Bat Park, since it seems we now need the rabbits we have been trying to exclude for several years, to feed our new beetle friends.
A conservationists work is never done you know!
I am pleased to note that the heathland is gradually being dominated by Common Heather, thanks to our transplanting of plugs 6 years ago. Many plants are over 12 inches tall and capable of competing with the invasive Bracken. Selective cutting of Bracken by our volunteers has played a pivotal role in favour of the Heather.
Likewise the cutting of Bracken which was swamping our young hedge shrubs. I pause to examine our 'would-be' hedgerow and am pleased to see that no deer damage has been inflicted upon the new leaf growth. I am able to identify Dogwood, Guelder Rose, Hawthorn, Field Maple, Oak, Spindle and Dog Rose all presenting masses of new green growth.
Fingers crossed we will have a hedge before too long.
Bat Park Hedge: Guelder Rose and Spindle hedge shrubs show no signs of deer browsing
If you want to know more about some of the conservation and wildlife of Wilderness Wood, we intend to offer guided walks - seeking out the wildlife and explaining the measures we are taking to conserve this precious resource. Watch out for information about this on the Wilderness Wood web site www.wildernesswood.org. You can also check through back-numbers of my blog posts on the Wilderness Wood website.
Alternatively, I am in the process of putting all of the last year's posts into an illustrated book due to be published in March/April 2024. If you are interested in a copy, I should be able to provide details if you contact me at davidwillhorne@hotmail.co.uk.