-

July Work Update

Summer is a a quiet time for working in the Wood. The bird nesting season from April to October means that cutting back invasive species like cherry laurel and rhododendron has to be put on hold. Therefore work concentrates on repairs and general maintenance. For example, during the previous two workdays, volunteers have worked their way along Sydenham Hill cutting back vegetation which has grown out over the pavement and pruned any branches that were getting in the way of pedestrians. Another important job was to clear out the drainage channel at the Crescent Wood Rd entrance, as the recent heavy rainfall has overwhelmed the drain on the road, sending torrents of water into the Wood. 
 
Another very important job will be to skim the duck weed off the surface of the Dewey pond. The pond is fed by the Am Brook, which rises as a spring less than a hundred metres away. The water percolates down through the Claygate Beds which are made up of sand silt and clay and this forms the top of the hill. When the water reaches the impermeable London Clay beneath, it emerges as a spring, so feeding the Am Brook. The water should be relatively free of nitrates which should keep the Dewey Pond healthy. However, the duck weed uses up much of the oxygen in the water so reducing aquatic diversity. In addition, as it dies off, the decomposition process will use up oxygen. Consequently, the weed has to be kept under control. Volunteers will need to clear as much weed as possible, however this has not been done for two years due to lock-downs. Consequently, the vegetation around the edge of the pond had become too dense, so it had to be cut back to allow access for clearing the pond to take place.
 
Another important task for the summer is to carry out butterfly surveys. A specific path is walked and the Wood has been divided into eleven compartments and in each, any sighting of butterflies recorded. The results are sent to the UK Butterfly Monitoring Service. However, being woodland, the results are quite limited. The Wildlife Trust sites at Hutchinson's Bank and Saltbox Hill are the places to see butterflies. 
 
However, these are the results for Wednesday 4th August. 
 
In addition to these, two Jersey Tiger Moths were seen. These spectacular day-flying moths come out in late July and August and have become increasingly common here during the past two decades. The area seems to be a favourite of theirs, one theory being that the railway line has provided a safe corridor along which they have migrated. 
 



 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
  Protecting our Wood The trees making up our woodland are a mixture of native species and garden survivors from Victorian development. Before the expansion of London, the Wood was used extensively to provide raw materials for ship-building on the Thames and timber for general building in domestic and agricultural use. As such, many species were coppiced to maintain a steady and reliable supply of wood. Species suitable for this type of woodland management include ash, hornbeam and hazel. When a tree is coppiced, its main trunk is cut down to the ground and soon new side shoots will emerge to grow upwards. Depending on the size and age of this growth, the shoots can be harvested for various uses such as canes, posts and palings. Coppicing can extend the life of the tree enormously and the resulting patchwork of light and dark increases biodiversity. Without coppicing, the woodland will grow old and degenerate, species diversity declines and ecological health suffers. Unfortunately,...
Read more
-
Image
Drains and More Steps   The drainage system on Crescent Wood Road has been causing big problems for the Wood. When there is heavy rain and especially during a thunder storm, polluted water overflows from the drain covers in the road and cascades into the Wood. This has caused damage to the newly improved section of path and steps near the tunnel mouth. It seems Thames Water thinks it has done everything it needs to do, however, the problem remains.  Consequently, the Wood's volunteers have started to put in place mitigation to help tackle this.  Slowly but surely, new steps are being added to the main path down from the Crescent Wood Road entrance. These should help where heavy footfall and water damage have eroded the path to make it uneven. The new steps use materials from the Wood such as branches as well as recycled material such as scaffolding and decking boards. The steps are backfilled with crushed concrete and then topped with li...
Read more
-
Image
Finding the Villas....Part 3 Fairwood Of all the villas along Sydenham Hill, Fairwood has left the best-known relic, the folly and its accompanying cascade. However , the re are other clues as to its existance. Just inside the fence along Sydenham Hill, there is a gate-post complete with ironwork, there are footings for greenhouses and, against the wall separating it from Beechgrove, there is lead flashing suggesting a hot house of some sort. There are also the remains of the main terrace and its cellars.     Remains of Fairwood.   Gate post for Fairwood's drive. Fairwood's cellar wall, in the background, a chute, perhaps for coal deliveries? Steps leading down from the terrace to the garden. The wall between Fairwood and Beechgrove. What was once a lean-to greenhouse, note remnants of a plaster coating and eyes in the brickwork for training vines.  O.S. maps show terraces in Fairwood's garden. The sudden change in level suggests this is one of them. Half way down f...
Read more