A Silver-washed Fritillary just a few hours after emerging in Rowlands Wood

Amongst the economic and environmental gloom and doom, here’s a good news story. It’s a story of how a dedicated band of volunteers, all members of the Sussex Branch of the Butterfly Conservation Trust, have managed to not only save several very rare species in Sussex but have recently seen an upsurge in species numbers. From a tiny 9-acre pocket of Trust-owned woodland in East Sussex, the Trust recently opened their new acquisition of 80 acres in Rowlands Wood. It promises to really give a boost to butterfly and moth numbers throughout the wider 300 acres of woodland nearby.

Since Victorian times Vert Wood, which lies in a quiet part of East Sussex, 7 miles from Lewes, has been famous amongst lepidopterists as a haven for a wide variety of butterflies and moths. This was helped by the variety of habitats available, including woodland glades, open spaces due to coppicing, grazed bracken and heathland. After the Second World War however, that all changed as the entire wood was sold off in plots. Most was clear-felled and replanted with conifers – the Forestry Commission’s big idea to make us more self-sufficient in wood. The decline in rich insect fauna started almost immediately andmany populations began to crash. The private reserve at Park Corner Heath which is on the edge of Vert Wood, was acquired by the Trust in 1989. It became a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its flora and fauna, including the Lewes Wave moth which is sadly now extinct.

The Reserve became a refuge for declining butterfly species, and in particular it became a rich breeding ground for the Pearl-Bordered Fritillary (PB) and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (SPB). Despite a surge in numbers of many species after the big 1987 storm knocked out many trees and let light in, numbers started steadily declining again across the wider Vert Wood area. A dedicated band of volunteers worked hard at maintaining coppicing patterns and the removal of bracken that allows the violet flowers to grow that the Pearl-Bordered Fritillary need to feed on. While the Pearl-Bordered disappeared from Vert Wood several years ago (it’s been successfully re-introduced into nearby Abbotts Wood), the SPB stabilised and began to thrive. In the adjoining Vert Wood, owners like myself have been opening up areas for breeding and feeding under the guidance of the Trust, with some help via small grants from the Forestry Commission. This year we recorded the highest level of SPB that we have seen in five years – a combination of helpful weather and more open areas.

I’ve visited the new Rowlands Wood Reserve several times recently to advise on options for using the wood felled to open up spaces and glades for local wood fuelled boilers. It’s a delightful wood, with a large beautiful lake and varying landscapes. With dark rides being opened up to let light pour in and allow flowers to grow, the impact of the Reserve has been significant already. Small Pearl-bordered populations made their way into the reserve last year and have thrived since. Seventeen other species have been sighted. We were lucky at the open day, despite the showery weather, to see a newly emerged Silver-washed Fritillary emerge and dry itself on some bracken.

Michael Blencowe, Graham Parris, Neil Hulme, Andrew Burns and 'Jack' the horse officially open the new Rowland Wood Reserve

The opening of the new reserve has been a real success for the Trust’s Honorary President Graham Parris, who has championed the work to save the PB and SPB for two decades now. He rightly took some heartfelt applause from the 50 odd people who attended the launch. The new sign for the Reserve was opened by ‘Jack’, a horse trained to carry out logging duties to move the cut timber. Outgoing Reserve Warden Michael Blencowe had the vision and foresight to spot that the land was coming up for sale and worked with Trust Officers to make the purchase against stiff competition. I spoke with Bob Foreman who has now taken over duties as Reserve Warden. “This is a really exciting development and allows us to really expand what we have achieved at our tiny Park Corner Heath Reserve” said Bob. “The combined 89 acres of land we can now manage appropriately, plus the cooperation from owners nearby in Vert Wood, means that we are beginning to see butterfly and moth populations move from one site to another and expand. We are keen to see the further development of open corridors that facilitates that”. Did he expect to see the return of the Pearl-bordered Fritillary? “Oh yes”, said Bob, “that’s our real hope and when it comes we will know that our efforts can turn the clock back and allow nature to recover”.

As the Reserve enters a new arena, a lot of work is required to really bring the benefits of the larger reserve through. Volunteers are always welcome – see contacts below.

Reserve Warden Bob Foreman – bob@littlesnails.com

http://www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/

Busy Busy

Spiders get busy at the start of Autumn. As the fingers of the season creep in – leaves turning brown and falling, the cold and damp mornings seeping in – our friends the Spiders just get busy.

These photos were taken from a single small Yew Bush outside my front door the other day. Fantastic shapes and intricate 3-D patterns as well as more traditional webs. Even a ghostly spiders web ship heading off into a portal that we can’t see.

They are a sure sign that Autumn is on its way as the spiders feed up. Though many spiders only last a year, some can over-winter and live a second year. They often come into houses for greater warmth.

There are some good web sites if yu want to find out more about the life of spiders and their habits. Try -

http://naturenet.net/blogs/where_do_spiders_go_in_autumn

and also http://www.wildchicken.com/nature

Bushcraft is a good all round web site for all things wild. http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum

Remember – they do a great job our spiders in keeping the fly population manageable so look after them and if you take them out of the house do it carefully with a jar and card underneath to avoid hurting them.

Set the sails and let's be off

A Basket Full of Autumn Pleasure

This year has already been one of the best Autumn season’s for mushrooms in the past six years. The abundance of Ceps (or Porcini) mushrooms, as well as Bolettes and Slippery Jacks has been outstanding. It’s the combination of moisture – rain every 3-5 days – and reasonably high temperatures that seems to have done the trick. And it looks as though it will continue for a few more weeks. Yahoo!

The standard question I always get asked – what is safe to eat and what is not? Walking through a wood at the moment and you can see scores of different varieties of funghi. The trick is to stick to a few types you know are safe to eat and just ignore the rest. A good book with colourful pictures is handy. I have never been disappointed with any of Roger Phillips books on wild plants so try his Mushroom book – full of photos and good descriptions -(www.amazon.co.uk/Mushrooms-Roger-Phillips/dp/0330442376). There are also lots of photos and descriptions on the internet.

I’d always recommend you go with an experienced funghi friend to actually show you how to know what’s safe and what to leave alone. I tend to stick to mushrooms with a spongy surface underneath rather than the ribbed variety. Field mushrooms and parasols are all great edible mushrooms but they can get confused with other less tasty options so guidance is needed. Around Sussex and elsewhere in the UK there are also plenty of organised mushroom walks on the go through to mid-October so get on the web and sign up. Just put in ‘mushroom walks’ and your county in your search engine and you’ll get some options. For example – www.sosussex.co.uk/mushroomwalks.aspx and for Hants/London –  www.fungitobewith.org/

A simple tip – quite a few of the mushrooms that can give you a bad tummy or much worse often have pretty strong colours or just look a bit weird so trust your instincts on these. Some will also give you a serious ‘trip’ (eg the bright red and spotted  Fly Agaric) so leave well alone.

Saute'd Ceps

OK – you have chosen well and now have a basket (better than a bag as this allows the spores to drop through and create new growing opportunities in future) of edible mushrooms. What now? Essentially you have three main choices – eat them freshly fried, dry them or saute them and store in oil. Fresh – fried slowly in a tiny bit of oil, garlic and a pinch of salt is all you need to do. Delicious on a slice of fresh bread or toast. Or add them to a stew.

Drying mushrooms takes time. Clean the mushrooms – you don’t want dried slugs or maggots if you can help it, slice them thinly and then place on a metal tray in an oven at 50oC with the oven door slightly open. Turn a couple of times to make sure the slices are really dry. This can easily take 3-4 hours. Once dry, place in clean, dry glass containers and then place with open lids once again into the open oven for a further 30-40 minutes to drive out any residual moisture. Close the jars, label up and enjoy over the next 12 months.

Slow drying Bolette Mushrooms

Storing in oil means you fry them slowly in garlic and a bit of olive oil, then submerge them in a jar of good oil. I tend to use these over the next four months as later than that the mushrooms get a bit sloppy.

For those who want more details, my friend Iza is giving a talk on storing mushrooms on Sunday 10^th October in Lewes. She has been a real guide for me over the above. Organised by Common Cause, the event: ‘Pickled’ www.pickledlewes.co.uk, will form part of the Lewes October Feast, and will celebrate the art of food preservation with fascinating talks and presentations, from storing and bottling to pickling and drying, and feature the towns first official ‘Crop Swap’. Try http://www.commoncause.org.uk/ for details.

Either way, a few slices of the stored mushrooms can really pep up a soup or stew with a delicious taste of Autumn.  And you sometimes get lucky and find a rare species. What a pleasure last week when I found two clumps of hedgehog mushrooms – the first I’d found for two years. They were delicious, and friend Geoff, whose birthday it was when we did the walk on that day, was the very lucky boy to be eating them with me. I told him he had just had a £12 starter at a posh restaurant  London.

Happy Foraging!

PS. Still trying to identify this one – I figured it’s non-edible……anyone out there who knows it?

One for the Book

Giants Chair (the normal size one is on the right)

What a magic day it was yesterday! From end to end it was a day of beautiful synchronicity, wonderful meetings with old and new friends, gorgeous autumnal weather, evidence of hopeful creativity everywhere, and a real sense of closure on the old and lots of new beginnings. Oh and the Pope’s visit. More of that later.

An early start as I have a 3-way conference call to finalise my departure from my current job. Yes, after 19 months working in the wood pellet industry I am moving on. I am stepping out into the world of consultancy again, using my skills and experience in the wonderful world of biomass energy to anyone needing guidance, advice and hand-holding. The call goes well and it seems that everything will be completed by close of play today. It’s really my last day.

A quick meeting on the way back home to talk to my financial advisors Chris and Karen, who as usual provide honest, pragmatic and direct advice. They are real gurus at the unusual end of finance and are invaluable in what is a somewhat crazy world we live in right now.

Shortly after breakfast my friend Iza arrives. Iza has been a real mate and a stalwart for me through good times and bad. We bought some woods together with a few other friends some years ago and we share a love of mushrooms, butterflies, dragonflies and all things wood. Today we are off to Woody Heaven – the annual Weald Wood Fair over at Bentley Wildlife Park. Several thousand ‘woodies’ all hanging out and showing off their wares, their skills and generally catching up. The car park is filling up fast as we arrive and the weather is great. We pay for our tickets and immediately spot Matt, a confirmed food forager and woodie from Firle Village talking to a wooden boat builder with two beautiful clinker boats. We tag up and immediately bump into Ben Law. Ben, as some will know, achieved some fame through his appearance on Channel 4’s ‘Grand Designs’. He built, for very little money, but with huge amounts of love and hard work, a beautiful chestnut cruck framed house in the woods. Ben and I first bumped into each other at the Earth Spirit Festival more than 12 years ago. We were both going through very difficult times with former partners and our children and supported each other.

Ben Law in action

Since then Ben has become a national figure and in great demand to talk about managing woodland, building sustainable houses and as an author. He was there to sign copies of his latest book ‘Roundwood Timber Framing’ (via publishers Permanent Publications – http://www.permaculture.co.uk). We caught up on families – he now has three children, work (busy, busy) and life in general (really good). I promised to come back later and get a book signed from him.

And the day just went on like that. Bumped into James Little, an old friend whom I have done pellet boiler and pellet fuel business with. It’s a really honest relationship and we are able to talk frankly about life, wood fuel business prospects and his pellet making project. After a few false starts due to pellet equipment not performing to spec., he is now on course to produce quality pellets (see http://www.harvestwoodfuels.co.uk)

Right after saying farewell to James, run into Max Brownrigg who runs a business called Tree Spirits. He takes kids into a magic space where they see pieces of wood and turn them into Sprites, Elves and other magical creatures. He has a huge sprawling stand with scores of his ‘friends’. Max is slacking off lying down on the job but just about raises himself up to pass the time. He’s a great character. (http://partywithtreespirits.com/index.htm)

Into the wooded area at Bentley where lots of active wood things are going on, ranging from horse logging to firing clay pots in the way they were 1000 years ago. Iza and I buy a nice thick enamel pot for camping as well as a great copper kettle. A bargain at £15. I spy a simple wood stove that might be suitable for our tool shed in the woods. This will allow us to work the land in winter and give us some warmth in inclement weather. Steve the Romany who runs the stand and owns a classic horse-drawn caravan, is helpful and can deliver another time when we are ready.

Great carvings and practical skills are on show all over the woods, ranging from flint knapping and wood turning, to metal smelting, wooden shingle making and iron forging. We bump into Ruby who works for East Sussex Archaeology and Museums Partnership (www.esamp.com ). An artist and all-round craft lady, she is slow firing some clay pots via a simple wooden fire, covered by bracken and earth. She explains to us with real care how the system works and that it is due to complete the following day. What a great teacher this lady is – really enthusiastic and with attention to detail.

Hello Friend

We are really taken with a magnificent timber framed structure in the woods brought by Frankie Woodgate and her partner from Kent. It was erected and designed by Ben Law. Frankie offers horse-drawn timber extraction and woodland management (www.sylvanenvironmental.co.uk – 07929202 963). Where access is limited for big vehicles, horses really do the business. For keeping on top of the ubiquitous bracken they also offer a more cost-effective system than standard diesel vehicles. The timber frame is made from softwood pine. That’s very interesting for us as we have a lot of quite mature pine in our woods and much less oak and chestnut. A knowing look between us at this point – one for the future.

A quick purchasing run of two wicker baskets (Iza), two chopping boards courtesy of Dave West (W. L. West the timber mill near Midhurst in West Sussex), a big kettle, rope, some balm for furniture and kindling sticks, and then a late lunch. Saw some beautiful modern tipis offered by Mark from Green Outdoor (www.greenoutdoor.co.uk). Mark’s an IT guy who loves camping and canoeing and with his partner has made a business out of his true passion. Tipis are great tents but in winter the traditional ones take a lot of work and effort to erect and keep dry. These modern ones are really quick to set up and dry easily. The two guys have also designed a neat portable stove in stainless steel that is light and small enough to be carried in a canoe but can heat a tent in winter.  I have to keep my credit card firmly in my pocket at this point.

There is a really good vibe all round at the Fair. Money seems tight according to some of the stall-holders, with as many people coming as in previous years but not so many people spending cash.  We end off with Ben Law signing his book for my friend Chris, who is going to spend more time in France at his second home.

What’s really inspiring about many of the woodies here today is that if the proverbial really does hit the fan, there are a lot of people who have kept key knowledge alive that we all might need. While it’s great to go on courses to discover how to flint knap and fire pots, the fact that we really can do all kinds of practical living even if the power is off and supermarket shelves empty is re-assuring.

Over at 4pm to Rottingdean village by the sea to meet up with my friend Willow. Willow is a master fire-keeper who travels across the UK and internationally, keeping fire for ceremony and ritual purposes. Having seen him at work in a tepee over 12 hours his fire work is quite magical and incredibly focussed. He believes that through the fire and the re-connection this gives us to the Sun and Nature, we can really make big changes in our own lives and life on this planet. He has some great insights. “Slow down and let the good catch up” is one that resonates. We talk about doing a piece on him for my ‘Extra-Ordinary People’ series. Over a long drink and then a meal we travel through our various life stories. Quite an awe-inspiring the journey he has made to be here now. We agree to meet at the Wood Fair the following day.

Home now, quite tired but peaceful. The late radio and TV news is full of the Pope’s visit. This is the first irritation in a great day. Jeez – why are we giving this guy a State visit? He heads up a medieval organisation with enormous power and influence, but with a terrible track record on women, paedophilia and the cover-up which is still going on, birth control and education. When it really counted in the War they buried their heads to survive but left the Jews to the tender mercies of the Nazis. Lots of apologies to all and sundry since then, but whenever it really counts the church and the hierarchy this guy represents have never been brave.

Sorry for what might seem a bit of an anti-Catholic rant. Lots of individual Catholics are wonderful people and do amazing work, but the senior people, including the MD who run their Church, should collectively hang their heads in shame. A lot of healing is needed here. I guess it’s a reminder that not all people and organisations want change. Still a lot of prayers and work to be done.