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Nature Notes: Jono Forgham visits Bat Willow Hurst Country Park and Birchanger Wood




Another week where I had to check the weather carefully before venturing out. Last Monday (Oct 14) was a washout so I headed to Bat Willow Hurst Country Park mid-morning on the Tuesday. I arrived in murky grey light and immediately realised I had forgotten to change the camera battery and the one in my camera had very limited life left.

Nevertheless, it was apparent that autumn was in full flow as I picked up the hardstanding path that circumnavigates the site. There was a huge amount of reds and oranges from both leaves and fruit.

Guelder rose berries
Guelder rose berries

Most prolific were the guelder rose berries and rosehips. These bushes were laden with large clumps of the former, just showing slight frost damage, which means they are attractive to moth species. I made a note to return after dark to see what was feeding upon them. The rosehips still required more frost to help them begin rotting for insects to enjoy.

Hawthorn berries and a few holly fruits were also to be found. Really pleasing that Bat Willow Hurst has been planted with native trees that will benefit smaller mammals and insects. Also, due to them attracting moths etc, arachnid species move in to set traps for the insects. Two particular species I encountered: a Tetragnatha species, probably Tetragnatha extensa, and Araneus diadematus, the garden cross spider.

All of this had been witnessed within 50 yards of the car park as I approached the large stand of sycamores and the smaller balancing pool. Here, no hoped-for dragonflies – the previous week’s frost may well have finished them – but I was struck with the idea that this pool could certainly do with a little clearance. Very overgrown.

Araneus diadematus
Araneus diadematus

I continued, checking the vegetation for posing insects, but very few were encouraged to emerge, such were the conditions.

Teasel heads stood tall; great seeds here and a favourite of goldfinches and linnets. A flock of the latter bounced away towards the A120 as I arrived back by the car park, where a spindle tree was fully loaded with its spectacular seeds, orange inside a pink shell.

At this point it was clear I would need to head home, change camera batteries and then return with a view to wandering to Birchanger Woods for, hopefully, many fungi species.

An hour later, I was back at Bat Willow Hurst car park. The sky was a tad brighter and the temperature had risen – fingers crossed. I wandered up to Homebase car park in Stansted Road, took the footpath up the side of Wickes and was soon in Birchanger Woods.

Mouse guts fungus
Mouse guts fungus

Immediately, a bracket fungus species was apparent on a fallen silver birch trunk, and only a little further on, Ascocoryne sarcoides, the purple jellydisc fungus or mouse guts fungus, for fairly obvious reasons. A most appropriate name.

I took the path up to the compound and back again but failed to find another single fungus species. Maybe a week or two too early?

Jays, great spotted woodpeckers and nuthatches were all heard in the canopy whilst a large number of grey squirrels were foraging on the woodland floor; plenty of sweet chestnuts for them to bury in their overwinter stores.

7 spot ladybird
7 spot ladybird

I retraced my steps and got an espresso in H@ME & EAT before arriving back at Bat Willow Hurst. I really needed to find something to photograph and to write about as, so far, I was struggling. Fortunately, the clouds broke, the sun shone through and plenty of insects began to appear – and, as always with a bit of sun, everything looked and felt better.

I decided to wander around the whole park and began checking leaves along the eastern edge, where there are cricket bat willows standing in a line.

Three 7-spot ladybirds looked to be planning on hibernating in a dogwood leaf and, nearby, a harlequin ladybird looked to be planning a similar activity.

Colourful Norway maple leaf
Colourful Norway maple leaf

An extremely colourful Norway maple (Acer platanoides) caught my eye, magnificent oranges and yellows, whilst nearby, several oak apples could be seen on one of the oaks.

These galls on oaks are made by a tiny wasp, Amphibolips confluenta, known generally as the spongy oak apple gall wasp, and by autumn it will have turned hard and brown. Many folklore stories are to be found about these galls.

Oak apple
Oak apple

One such story is that the oak apple needs opening upon Michaelmas Day (September 29). If a maggot is found inside then the following year will be pleasant with potentially good harvests. If, however, a spider is discovered within, then the year will be poor, with food shortages and ruined crops.

May 29 is known as Restoration Day, but more commonly referred to as Oak Apple Day, which celebrates the restoration of King Charles II to the throne in 1660. The association with oak is that it is claimed that Charles hid in a large oak in the grounds of Boscobel House in Shropshire to evade capture by Roundheads after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. End of Jono’s History Notes!

Robin's pincushion
Robin's pincushion

Back in the park, I came across rose bushes that had growths of red and green on their branches. These are also caused by a tiny wasp, Diplolepis rosae, often called Robin’s pincushion.

This led me to start checking leaves for evidence of micromoth caterpillars feeding within the layers of the leaf. These are called leafminers and soon I had found Stigmella oxyacanthella on hawthorn and Lyonetia clerkella on apple.

Stigmella oxyacanthella, leafmine moth species
Stigmella oxyacanthella, leafmine moth species

These tunnels in the leaf turn brown in autumn and become visible. Uusally, by now the moth has pupated and emerged as an adult, but it’s always worth holding the leaf up to the light to note the diminutive larva still feeding.

Several fly species alighted nearby, a Melinda and the more regular Lucilia, one of the greenbottles and possible Lucilia sericata.

Melinda species of blowfly
Melinda species of blowfly

On another leaf, a member of the Psychodidae group of flies landed. These have loads of English names, often depending where you live: drain fly, moth fly, sink flies, filter flies, sewer flies and sewer gnats are all fairly regional. Moth fly for me.

As I headed back to the car park I noted a good stand of sulphur tuft fungi I must have missed earlier and, on a leaf right by my car, a bug species, Lygus pratensis.

Sulphur tuft fungus
Sulphur tuft fungus

I headed home and downloaded my photos, sorted out ingredients for the evening meal, popped into Tesco for a few items and then back in the dark to Bat Willow Hurst with my camera and headtorch. It was breezier than I had anticipated so I had to drop down to the far side of the park, where it was more sheltered.

I searched the guelder rose and rosehips but encountered only two moths: Carcina quercana, a very worn example, and a fine macro, feathered thorn. The temperatures were OK for moth flight, so maybe I was just too early and a check after 10pm would have been more productive, but I had a Thai curry to prepare and consume, so I returned home.

Carcina quercana
Carcina quercana

Whilst I was in Bat Willow Hurst there was a team of men mowing and trimming. I would be keen to know if these are employed for just basic maintenance or if they are also going to be responsible for developing the habitat for nature.

The whole site has plenty of potential. The berry-laden vegetation certainly will begin attracting large numbers of insects, while the balancing pools offer feeding and breeding opportunities for damselflies and dragonflies. If managed correctly, this small habitat could be an important reserve.

I would be interested to hear what the future holds for Bat Willow Hurst. In a few years it will certainly require management if it is to achieve its full potential. Fingers crossed this will happen as it is already a vibrant and busy nature site.

Drain fly
Drain fly
Lucilia species, green bottle fly
Lucilia species, green bottle fly
Lygus pratensis
Lygus pratensis
Spindle seeds
Spindle seeds
Tetranagtha species
Tetranagtha species
Teasel seedhead
Teasel seedhead
Rosehips
Rosehips
Bracket fungus species
Bracket fungus species


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