Walk around Noar Hill SSSI 16th May 2023

1 May 2023 froyle_wildlife Walks and Talks

Join us for a walk on Tuesday 16th May 2pm – 4pm at Noar Hill SSSI when we hope to see several species of butterfly, including the Duke of Burgundy Fritillary. This 20 hectare nature reserve, managed by Hampshire Wildlife Trust, was originally formed by medieval chalk workings. Over hundreds of years the mounds and hollows were colonised by a great variety of beautiful chalk downland flowers now rare in the wider countryside.

Meet there 2pm or preferably share lifts from Froyle Village Hall leaving at 1.30pm. as there is very limited roadside parking, OS grid reference SU737321 near Charity Farm. Note that warm weather is needed so the date may change at short notice.

Short summary after the walk. We were delighted to see 9 species of butterfly including the Duke of Burgundy Fritillary on our walk at Noar Hill. With the sun shining most of the time, Holly Blues flitted about the bushes and on short vegetation we caught sight of Dingy Skipper (an unfortunate name for a lovely small butterfly). Then we spotted something buzzing around our feet -the solitary bee Osmia Bicolor. We observed this bee flying with small pieces of debris to put on its nest for camouflage where the eggs are laid in an empty snail shell.

Michelle, Andrew and Charles sent us a few photos that they had taken.
We eventually found several Duke of Burgundy perching on cowslips after only having fleeting glimpses of them flying past earlier. The caterpillar food plants are primrose and cowslip mainly on chalk grassland and preferably in sheltered locations. Other butterflies seen on the day were Brimstone, Orange Tip, Small Blue, Comma and Red Admiral while one person also spotted Green Hairstreak and Speckled Wood. Many of these species can also be seen in Froyle if you look out for them on a sunny day

Blossom and Leaf in May around Froyle

1 May 2023 froyle_wildlife Gardens, Sightings

What a beautiful time of year to walk around the village! And much of the charm comes from the blossom and fresh green leaves of the trees and shrubs in our hedgerows and copses. Here is a closer look at a few of the trees flowering around Froyle in May. These are all native varieties, which thrive on our chalky soil, and are excellent choices if you are looking to ‘wild’ a section of your garden.

Elder grows as a shrub or small tree, with flat-topped heads of sweetly scented creamy flowerets: many pollinators are attracted to the flowers, and dormice and bank voles will snack on them too, while moth caterpillars such as the white-spotted pug, swallowtail, dot moth and buff ermine eat the new leaves.
In folklore, elders were believed to protect farm buildings from malicious spirits, witches, and lightning, provided that the resident ‘Elder Mother’ was treated with respect! Bad luck to anyone who did not ask permission to harvest the flowers and fruit, or damaged the tree. The flowers can be used to make wine, cordial or tea, or fried to make fritters.

Hawthorn in flower is sure sign that summer is on the way; the white or pale pink blossoms are almond scented, and provide nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinating insects. The dense, thorny shrubs provide excellent nesting shelter for many varieties of bird, and the leaves are food for caterpillars of the hawthorn moth, the orchard ermine, and the light emerald moth.

Hawthorn is a pagan symbol of fertility and has ancient associations with May Day. A hawthorn tree was the ancestor of the Maypole, set up on the village green and decorated with ribbons, to preside over the festival fun and dancing. The leaves and blossom were also gathered on May Eve to be used in May Day garlands, which were carried in procession through the countryside. The young leaves, flowers and flowerbuds can all be eaten in salads, and a tea brewed from hawthorn leaves is believed to be good for the circulation.

Whitebeam: There are several of these lovely graceful trees growing around the lanes and gardens of Froyle, and they are at their most beautiful in May, with the pale silvery undersides of their newly emerged leaves, and heads of creamy, sweet scented blossom, beloved by the bees. The leaves are a valuable source of food for the caterpillars of such moths as the bordered pearl and the short-cloaked moth.
The hard, fine grain of whitebeam wood made it a popular building material in Anglo Saxon times, and traces have been found in the doorpost holes at roundhouse sites. Along with elm, it appears to have been used as a ‘boundary tree’ planted at the edges of villages and estates.

Guelder Rose is a large shrub, rather than a tree. It has deeply lobed leaves and denser clusters of pink/white flowers, rather like a lacecap hydrangea, and grows in shady and damp conditions. Guelder rose is an ancient-woodland indicator species. If you spot it while you’re out exploring, it could be a sign you’re standing in a rare and special habitat. The flowers are visited by several pollinating species, especially hoverflies, and is the food plant for such moths as the privet hawkmoth and common quaker. Low and dense shrubs such as the guelder rose form prime nesting sites for many of our visiting warbler species.
A tea made of the bark is believed to relieve muscle cramp. Finally, guelder rose is one of the national symbols of Ukraine, and is mentioned in many folk songs and featured in traditional art and embroidery, which alone is an excellent reason for planting one at the back of your garden!

Sue Lelliott, Froyle Tree Warden

‘The Hidden World of Froyle’s Butterflies’ talk 9th March 2023

28 January 2023 froyle_wildlife Walks and Talks

We welcome Peter Eeles to take us on a tour of Froyle’s butterflies, together with a glimpse into the hidden world of their immature stages by considering their egg, caterpillar and chrysalis. He will also discuss the habitats that suit each species and give a sense of how to attract butterflies to your garden by considering both nectar sources for the adult butterflies and foodplants for the caterpillar.

Doors open Froyle Village Hall 7pm for talk to start at 7.30pm. All welcome, teas/coffee, entrance £3 for non members, members free.

Butterflies have been a lifelong interest of Peter, who spent his childhood roaming the Cotswolds in search of its hidden natural wonders. In 2002 he combined the skills applied in his day job, his passion for butterflies and his interest in photography to create the acclaimed UK Butterflies website that has fostered a thriving community of butterfly enthusiasts, later adding the Dispar website as its publishing arm. An ardent supporter of the Butterfly Conservation charity, Peter is chairman of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight branch. In 2016 he created Butterfly Conservation’s Garden Butterfly Survey website and was presented with the ‘Marsh Award for the Promotion of Lepidoptera Conservation’ at Butterfly Conservation’s AGM and Members’ Day. Published in 2019, his book about the Life Cycles of British & Irish Butterflies illustates the life stages from ova, larva, chrysalis to adult of all the British species.

Hedgerows are important for Nature

26 January 2023 froyle_wildlife_B Projects, Recording, Sightings

So why do organisations such as the Wildlife Trusts, the Tree Council, the Woodland Trust and the RSPB all extoll the importance of hedgrows in our landscape? Hedges are more than an essential refuge for wildlife. Small but mighty, they also clean our air, capture carbon, reduce flooding and give clues to historic land management. In Froyle most rural hedgerows follow the field boundaries shown on the 1847 Tithe Map and are likely to have been hedges for hundreds of years.

Upper Froyle view winter (above) Lower Froyle view autumn (below)

There are an estimated 500,000 miles of hedgerow in Britain which could be looked on as our largest nature reserve. Hedges come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can include many different species. Rural hedges are often a mix of shrub and tree species, such as hawthorn, blackthorn, spindle, hazel, ash and oak. In more urban and landscaped settings, they are likely to include species like box, yew, privet and holly.

They provide wildlife corridors through a farmed landscape to connect habitat areas. 130 nationally rare species are closely associated with hedges including lichens, fungi and reptiles. Many more use them for food and shelter during some of their lifecycle. Bank vole, harvest mouse and hedgehog all nest and feed in hedgerows as well as birds, while bats use them as ‘commuter routes’ for foraging and roosting.

Some species of birds depend on hedgerows for their survival. At least 30 species nest in hedgerows. According to the RSPB several of these, such as bullfinches and turtle doves, prefer hedgerows more than 4m tall, with lots of trees, whereas whitethroats, linnets and yellowhammers favour shorter hedgerows (2–3m) with fewer trees. Dunnocks, lesser whitethroats and willow warblers prefer medium or tall hedgerows with few trees.

Wrens, robins, dunnocks and whitethroats usually nest low down, but song thrushes, blackbirds, chaffinches and greenfinches nest well above the ground level. Grey partridges use grass cover at the hedge bottom to nest. It is therefore important to manage for a range of hedge heights and tree densities and to maintain a grassy verge at the base of the hedge.

Redwing (photo right) in a Froyle hedgerow
Grassy hedge bottoms and field margins provide nesting material and insect larvae for chicks to feed on. Wild flowers and grasses growing up into a hedge also help to conceal nests from predators. In winter, hedgerows can be feeding and roosting sites for resident birds and winter visitors such as fieldfares and redwings. Conservation organisations say that no cutting should take place during peak bird nesting season, which runs from March to September. Where possible, delay any maintenance work until January or February, as hedgerow berries provide a valuable autumn and winter food source for birds.

The Wildlife Trusts advise that rural hedges should not be cut every year, as flower buds often form on second-year growth. Trimming hedges on a two or three year rotation, targeting different sections each year, will make sure there are always flowers for pollinators in spring and berries for birds in autumn. Hedges cut every three years can produce two and a half times as much blossom as those cut annually. Rotational cutting can also save time and money that would be invested in annual cutting. The main message for hedges in the landscape is that ‘Big and Blousy’ is better for wildlife than ‘Neat and Tidy’.

Acknowledgment: Some of the text above was copied from information sources.

Wildlife recording: Can nature count on you?

3 January 2023 froyle_wildlife_B Recording

Wildlife recording: If you don’t know what you’ve got, then you won’t know when it’s gone

Many of us are interested in wildlife and watch the species which visit our gardens or favourite local places. Unfortunately, far fewer record the wildlife they see and don’t pass on this valuable information. And that is where you can help! Wildlife records describe the presence, abundance, associations and changes, both in time and space, of wildlife. In its simplest form it is no more than writing down a little information about what you have seen, where and when you saw it and sharing it with County recorders.

In doing so you can help to contribute greatly to local knowledge of our wildlife and habitats. Records can help to establish the distribution and size of populations, and regular recording may enable detection of changes over time. They help to identify the location of rare and locally important species, and can be used to help protect them and their habitats from damage. Over time they help to understand how our environment is changing, for example in response to climate change. Even records of commoner species can be valuable too – what is common today may not be in the future. So why not help by sending in your wildlife records and make the information available to present and future generations. A list of where you can send Hampshire records (depending on the species identified) is available from https://documents.hants.gov.uk/biodiversity/Hampshire-County-Recorder-List.pdf.

Briefly a wildlife record is WHAT you saw, WHERE you saw it, WHEN you saw it and WHO you are. There are websites to help with identification, see links to some at https://www.froylewildlife.co.uk/links/. The Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre (HBIC) has an extensive database of records for the County and collates records with partner organisations. HBIC and their partner organisations such as Butterfly Conservation, Hampshire Flora Group and Hampshire Ornithological Society have provided us with past records within the parish of Froyle. Lists of species found in Froyle can be viewed at https://www.froylewildlife.co.uk/recording/species-lists/. Some of these local records were originally submitted by Sue Clark and myself.

A recent talk organised by ACAN ‘Can Nature Count on You?’ introduced HBIC and explained the importance of biological recording, also with a contribution from a local Alton amateur botanist, email altonclimatenetwork@gmail.com if you would like to watch this recorded talk.

‘Life of the Hazel Dormouse’ talk 15th November 2022

28 September 2022 froyle_wildlife Walks and Talks

Do come along to a talk on Tuesday 15th November about the life and habits of a Hazel dormouse. Dave Williams will tell us about their nests and nest boxes, habitat, food requirements and breeding cycle. Also find out how to identify Hazel nuts that have been opened by a dormouse, a sure way to know if dormice are present.

All welcome, doors open Froyle Village Hall 7pm for talk to start at 7.30pm, entrance free for members, £3 non-members, teas and coffee.

Dave Williams has been working with dormice for almost twenty years. He is currently chairman of the Surrey Dormouse Group (SDG), which he started when he was Mammal project officer at Surrey Wildlife Trust. Now retired he continues to work with dormice and the SDG.

Dormouse photographs by Dave Williams.

AGM and talk ‘Barn Owl Project Hampshire’ 25th October 2022

2 September 2022 froyle_wildlife Walks and Talks

Do join us for a talk on Tuesday 25th October by Kim Boog about the Barn Owl Project Hampshire and Bird of Prey Hospital. We’ll hear about the perils barn owls face in the modern world, rescuing rehabilitation and release, habitats and nest boxes. If you’ve never seen a Barn Owl or Tawny Owl up close before this is your chance as Kim will be bringing two of her rescues (which are unsuitable for release).

All welcome, Froyle Village Hall doors open 6.30pm, AGM pictorial review starts at 7pm, Barn Owl talk starts 7.30pm, entrance free for members, £3 non-members, teas and coffee.

Pond dipping Froyle, 19th and 21st August 2022

13 June 2022 froyle_wildlife Walks and Talks

Update 14th August: Cancelled due to low water level. Apologies but the water level in the pond has dropped substantially over the last few weeks and it will not be possible to carry out the pond dipping sessions. The problem is that the edge of the pond is now quite far from the water (which is really low) and therefore it wouldn’t be safe to dip or even possible.

Family fun –join us for a 1h dipping session on Friday 19th and Sunday 21st August to see what underwater creatures we can find in the wildlife pond near Gid Lane, Upper Froyle (see location plan). Children will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult. All equipment will be provided and numbers are limited so it is essential to book by emailing info@www.froylewildlife.co.uk, stating preference for 10 am or 11.15 am session.

Walk at Old Winchester Hill 4th August 2022

13 June 2022 froyle_wildlife Walks and Talks

Join us for an afternoon walk 2pm on Thursday 4th August 2022 at Old Winchester Hill, National Nature Reserve for flowers, views and butterflies. Most of our 3 mile, 2h route along the hilltop is relatively flat but it should be worthwhile to descend the steep ‘south slope’ where the chalkhill blue can sometimes be seen in huge numbers on sunny days. The flower rich grasslands have developed on the thin chalky soils that are low in nutrients, and prevent vigorous species from dominating the finer herbs.

Meet 2pm at the public car park OS Grid ref SU646213, about 2km south of A32 at West Meon or share lifts from Froyle Village Hall leaving at 1.20pm. For more information about this NNR, a leaflet can be downloaded as a .pdf from Natural England.

Note: The A32 is currently closed at Farrigdon so look for alternative routes to travel from Froyle.

‘Drop-in’ at Froyle wildlife pond 9th July 2022

13 June 2022 froyle_wildlife Projects, Recording, Walks and Talks

Call in anytime between 10am and 4pm on Saturday 9th July to visit the wildlife pond and meadow, near Gid Lane, Upper Froyle. There should be plenty to see especially if it’s a sunny day.
Members of Froyle Wildlife will be on hand to assist with identification of wildflowers, dragonflies’ and butterflies. Wildflower species to look out for include; knapweed, lady’s bedstraw, sainfoin, self heal, purple loosestrife, water figwort and bird’s-foot trefoil. Last year on the ‘drop-in’- day 12 species of butterfly and 8 species of dragonfly/damselfly were noted; ladybirds, hoverflies, bees and grasshoppers were also seen. No need to book, anyone can just pop in and see what you can spot.