Wild Man of the Woods

With the days lengthening and some recent mild and sunny weather to bring out a few butterflies from hibernation, it was nice to be working in the wood with the sun warming my back and casting long shadows through the trees.

 

When Carol and I bought our wood back in the 1990's, on the border of East Sussex and Kent, much of it was a tangle of abandoned coppice and rhododendron infestation. Much of it still is but we have made inroads over the intervening years. Our focus has always been to improve the wood for the benefit of butterflies and moths as well as the Dormice and Glow Worms that also occur there.

 

With just the two of us, one has to be realistic about what can be achieved. Any thoughts of working towards the re-introduction of long gone species that used to occur in the area were banished. The White Admiral (Limenitis camilla) was still breeding in the wood in small numbers and it made far better sense to enhance the habitat for this species and hopefully to attract other species to breed in the wood such as Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia).

 

This winter, we have been thinning an area that 15 months ago was choked with rhododendron and curtains of birch. We have opened up the canopy to allow much more light to reach the woodland floor. Hopefully this will encourage camilla to venture further into the wood where its foodplant grows. 

 

 

 

 

 

Some early season species of moth that occur in our wood are now on the wing.

 

 

Dotted Border (Agriopis marginaria) (male)

 

This species (as well as the Mottled Umber) often displays a face-like image on its thorax.

 

The wild man of the woods !

 

 

Spring Usher (Agriopis leucophaearia) (male)