Scotgrove Wood, 20 November 2011
Back to Scotgrove wood, it must be autumn! Over the years we have been
helping to keep the ride edges clear of scrub to improve the habitat for
wild flowers and insects. For the first time, Brown Hairstreak butterfly
eggs have been found on blackthorn in this wood, on areas we had previously
cut, so the management process appears to be working!
We were back cutting the regrowth on the edges either side of the main path
into the wood. The weather was foggy throughout the day and the dampness
made starting a fire a challenge, even for John's firelighting skills who
reluctantly had to resort to firelighters (yes, that damp!)
By lunchtime, we had made good inroads into the work. The butterfly egg
areas had been taped off, so a bit less to tackle. The fire was going well
by then, adding nicely to the fog, so much so that people keep disappearing
from view as the fog (smog?) moved about.
We
managed to clear the rest of the regrowth and get it burnt down by about 3.
Another successful days conserving, but it keeps on growing, so we'll be
back
Julian
