Sitting on damp grass. No Problem.

Another of our early Roundball flowers is the Lesser Celandine. Gilbert White, writing in 1788, describes its first flowering in the Hampshire village of Selbourne, as on average the  21st February. At Roundball this year, the first flowers appeared about a month later, but give them a few weeks and we will see them everywhere. Because they are so common they are largely ignored. That's a pity because they really are a glorious flower with a glossy yellow to the inside of the petals with a bronzy green on the outside.  

They are, however, unpopular with gardeners, as they spread rapidly on disturbed ground where their tuberous roots break up easily and re- root easily. It is its roots that give it the Old English names of Pilewort - the plant given for haemorrhoids. This was based on the old tradition of using plants which resemble the symptoms as cures. The tubers are tuberous and knobbly. I'm sure I don't need to say more! 

The Lesser Celandine is also an early source of pollen and nectar for insects and well worth a closer look. If the grass is damp, remember the Old English name and don't worry.

How old are our oaks?

One of the things that surprises people as they walk up to Roundball Woods from Weatherall Way is how the branch has fallen off the large oak without damaging the fence that surrounds it. Looking closely, it looks as if it was down to the shape of the branch and good luck, but it poses the question is the tree in danger, is it dying?

It is well documented that oaks can live for over 500 years, but how old is our oak? The first answer that comes up is count the growth rings. This can be done when the tree is cut down or by taking core samples. As both of these are not options, another method is to use a rough formulae.  Measure the circumference of the tree in metres and divide by 2.5. By using this formulae it looks as if the age of the oak is around 250 years. This takes it back to the mid to late 1700's.

So is our oak dying? The answer to that is definitely not. Trees, unlike many other plants have evolved for longevity and oaks are particularly long lived. There are examples around the country over 500 years old, so our tree is probably just middle aged. 

In order to survive, trees need a method of getting rid of superfluous branches which were formed when they were young, so the loss of the large branch on our oak is part of its survival techniques. Oaks react to such damage by laying down barriers and walling off damaged areas.  Over their life they survive by shedding higher branches and broadening at the base and often hollowing out.

As I stop for a breather on my climb up to the woods I look at the oak and wonder whether it will still be there in 250 years time. I suspect that this will be down to human intervention rather than the trees ability to survive.

Dogs and Ballet Dancers

At this time of year the main group of Roundball regulars are the dog walkers. Mud seems to be a magnet to dogs, so a lot of owners make a diversion to the River Gissage on their way home. As well as serving as a suitable place to wash the dog, the Gissage and it's  woodland border are the habitat for one of our special woodland flowers.

Wood Anemones are described by Sarah Ravens in her book 'Wild Flowers' as like a group of 5 year old girls in their tutus, going off to their first ballet lesson, pure, pretty and cheerful. Belonging to the Buttercup family they take the opportunity to flower in March and April to make the most of the light before they are shaded out by leaf cover on the surrounding trees. 

The presence of Wood Anemones indicate that the surrounding woodland has been around for a long time and are classed as one of our ancient woodland indicators (AWI).  The reason for this is that their seeds are seldom fertile and any expansion is by root growth. This is a slow process and the plant expands at no more than 6ft in 100 years. Weatherall Way and the adjoining housing development has, over the years, broken up the valley woodland, but the presence of wood anemones is a refreshing reminder that nature survives to brighten our day, even if the dog is still muddy

The wood is full of flowers, but can you see them?

As I walked through the woods at the end of March things did not seem much different than the end of February. However on looking closer, the wood is full of the flowers of one of its most numerous plants.  Golden Saxifrage is a plant of damp and marshy ground where there is continuous movement of water. It is therefore well suited to Roundball. 

The plant forms a mass of vibrant acid green around the many springs in the centre of the woods and along the woodland pathways. It is also a plant that deserves a closer look. Opposite Leaved Golden Saxifrage, to give it it's full name, is one of the woods smallest flowers being only 2-3mm across the flower head. It is also unusual in that it is a flower with no petals. The yellow colour comes from the stamens and the bracts, which are what supports the petals in other plants. It generally flowers from April to June, but as the South West is milder than the rest of the country it can be seen in Roundball from mid March and is one of the woods earliest flowers 

Looking around the borders of the woodland I found individual flowers of Campion, Lesser Celandine, primrose and Dandelion but nothing in the numbers of Golden Saxifrage. So if you don't mind getting even muddier, get down close and appreciate one of Roundball's most numerous plants.

Do we have Dormice?

Dormice are present in hazel hedges and woodland across East Devon but we don't know whether they frequent Roundball Woods.  Dormice are nocturnal and spend about half the year in hibernation so you are very unlikely to see them. However East Devon is a stronghold for these adorable small mammals. The warden has found evidence of them in neighbouring woodland so there is every chance that they may be resident in our wood. If they are present they are probably hibernating in amongst the base and roots of hazel coppice and will not be waking up until April time when the weather warms up.

There are two main methods of surveying for dormice. The first is a nut search. Dormice leave their own distinctive tooth marks on hazel nuts, so we will be collecting nuts in the autumn to look for evidence. The second method is by placing plastic nest tubes in the woods to see if dormice use them as temporary day nests.  If we find evidence we will be putting up purpose built dormice nest boxes and see if they are used.  Dormice are a protected species and it is illegal to disturbed them and you need to be licensed by Natural England to handle them, so we would request that if you see any of the tubes you do not disturb them. 

One of the Roundball Wardens is working towards obtaining  his dormice handling licence and took the above photo whilst checking nest boxes in woodland bordering Dartmoor last Autumn. If we discover dormice at Roundball we will keep you posted on this blog and hopefully provide photos of one of Devon's most elusive animals.

A Perfect Place of a Picnic?

Roundball Wood volunteer wardens took a break from their labour last Saturday to have a picnic in one of the few dry places in the wood.  We have been had to cancel several work days because of the weather, so a short dry spell and a glimpse of sunshine was welcome. We decided to wait until the ground is dryer before we continued our work on the footpaths and instead concentrated on coppicing hazel near the Woodhill View entrance to the woods.

At Roundball we have a 10 year rotation of coppicing, or cutting down hazel to encourage new growth. There is plenty of evidence that this has happened in the woods for generations, and it is a common countryside practice to cut hazel to provide wood for fencing, bean poles and many other purposes. Our reasons for coppicing hazel in this area is three fold. Firstly, to allow more light in an area which has bluebells and primroses. Secondly, to provide timber for improving the pathways and thirdly to create a hedge alongside one of the main pathways in the woods.

You will notice that we have layered some of the main hazel stems by partly cutting through the base, bending them over and layering them. We have then used the brash or small branches and twigs to fill in the the gaps. We are hoping that this combination of live and dead hedging will be start of a path side hedge and are expecting to see plenty of evidence of new shoots in a couple of months time.

Along with holly, hazel forms the main understory, or lower level of trees in the wood. It does not generally fruit, or produce hazel nuts until the seventh year after coppicing and it is for that reason that we coppice no more that 10% of the hazel annually. Hazel produces an important food source for wildlife in the woods and we need to do what we can to maintain its productivity. 

As well as our resident squirrels and wood-mice, hazel is also a favourite food for dormice. Our aim is that Roundball Wood should become a perfect picnic place for dormice as well as wardens, but more about that in a future blog.

Wardens Day Out

Saturday saw one of the Roundball Wardens having an away-day. The destination chosen was Weymouth & Portland. In particular the Portland Bird Observatory and Field Centre, based in the old Portland Bill Light House.

The observatory is a great place to visit. It was established in 1961 to provide a focal point for anyone interested in the natural environment of Portland. Because of its geographical position, some 6 miles out into the English Channel, it has proved a site of major importance for the study of bird migration. A daily census of migrant and resident birds has been undertaken since its inception, with a programme of bird ringing also carried out there. To date over 180,000 birds of 200 species have been ringed, with subsequent recoveries as far north as Norway and Sweden and as far south as Ghana and Nigeria.

The centre has one of the best stocked shops of new and second hand natural history books in the country, and has caused a considerable lightening of the wardens wallet. The old lighthouse provides accommodation for observatory members and visitors, with some rooms high up in the tower. A tremendous view in unique accommodation, but a somewhat hazardous trip down to the loo in the middle of the night! It is a fascinating place with a friendly welcoming warden and a system of gardens and small ponds all designed to attract passing birds.

What has all this to do with Roundball Wood? Well... the spotted flycatchers, chiff-chaffs  and blackcaps that frequent Roundball Wood and surrounding area in the summer may use Portland as an arrival and departure point. Bird ringing and recovery at the Portland Bird Observatory provides vital records and information that helps us find out more about the lives of our summer and winter visitors. So the next time you are on Portland why not call in.