Neil Hulme

[Jack Harrison]

Excellent Neil to hear of your educational talk about hedgerow management. Was your mate Eddie Norfolk in the audience?

That Silky looks a RELATIVELY benign piece of kit, a top-of-the-range-pruning saw.

But all pruners, secateurs and the like can bite if misused. My worst accident was when using an ordinary small anvil pair of secateurs. I was stretching just too much and holding the branch down with my left hand, I managed to prune into my left thumb-nail. The injury wasn’t in fact all that bad, but I have to admit that I suffered a mild degree of shock. I still shudder today when I think about it (and I bet that you too, dear readers, are also shuddering!)

Jack

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Felix and Jack,
Nothing wrong with a timely reminder that these tools are to be treated with respect! I do get a little queasy at the sight of tomato ketchup, so I'm not going to think too hard about either of your war wounds. I've never even considered getting a chainsaw licence - I watched 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' at too tender an age.
Neil

[Neil Hulme]

DED-Resistant Elms

On Saturday (15th January) I helped clear some ground in a lovely wood just north of the Downs, in readiness for planting with Dutch Elm Disease-resistant trees. The BC Sussex Branch is following in the footsteps of our Hants & IOW neighbours, by introducing some of the elms that Andrew Brookes (Portsmouth University) has been trialing since 2000. These cultivars, Lutece, Vada and Morfeo, have been chosen as particularly suitable hosts for the White-letter Hairstreak, in a landscape still ravaged by the disease.

A batch of these elms will shortly be planted along the southern fringe of this wood, which is owned by a couple of friends. Pete and Sally manage their own piece of paradise here, with 'manage' being the most important element of their ownership. Many woodland blocks are purchased simply as long term investments, often resulting in the wood becoming overgrown and of limited value to wildlife. That won't be happening here. With regular coppicing of the hazel understory in the sheltered depression shown below, it's not hard to imagine this area being carpeted with wood anemone, primrose and bluebell in the springtime - and home to good numbers of Silver-washed Fritillary later in the year. During my visits to the wood I always get the 'Purple Emperor twitch' - they've not been spotted yet, but I know they're here.

The three of us really got stuck in and by mid afternoon we had made good progress in clearing hazel and ash to make way for ten elm trees. There's still more work to be done before the two areas are ready for planting, but the sheltered embayments are already looking like homes for hairstreaks. It will take the best part of ten years before these trees are likely to support White-letters, but in the meantime the areas we have cleared (and which will be kept clear) will provide suitably sunny glades for fritillaries and White Admirals.

Pete and Sally at work

Area cleared for DED-resistant elms

[Matsukaze]

Hi Neil,

Excellent stuff. A few questions though - how good are these elm cultivars as timber trees? Can they be marketed as investments for the future, as elm wood makes good timber and is probably in short supply in this country at the moment? How much do they cost, and are many people prepared to give them a try?

[Piers]

Probably not. Elm has few commercial uses, and although it has a decorative grain it's primary use (in America as well as Europe) is for pallets, packaging timber etc. Elm is a cheap timber to purchase reflecting its commercial value.

Felix.

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Matsukaze,

You raise an interesting point. As you say, elm is a good timber, much beloved of wheelwrights, cabinet makers and ship builders, and English and Wych Elm is unsurprisingly in short supply these days. With more than 25 million elms lost (to DED) from our countryside (the large majority of the pre-disease stock) there's an awful lot to replace - and the British countryside is much the poorer for the vast gaps it's left. These cultivars can go some (relatively small) way to filling these holes, but of course it would be much nicer to see the 'original' tree repopulating the landscape - which seems highly unlikely in our lifetimes.

As far as commercial use is concerned, I can only see them serving a tiny and very expensive (slow-growing) niche market and I doubt these cultivars would ever be used widely, purely for timber. Let's face it, these days we can't even wait long enough for soft woods, such as pine, to weather properly before a coat of paint is slapped on, and they're incorporated into new-builds, only to rot within a couple of years. Thankfully there are still a few around that do a 'proper' job - although not the team of highly skilled craftsmen that put up my last house.

Liz Goodyear and Andrew Middleton have recently shown that White-letter Hairstreaks are still widely distributed where elm survives - more widely than suspected before their mammoth survey. So we are planting these trees both as a little 'insurance' against further, massive outbreaks (DED is always at work now, to some degree), and also from an aesthetic, landscape point-of-view. The demise of the three gigantic elms that graced the skyline on the other side of Patching Pond, as I fished for tench in the early mornings of the 1970s, will sadly leave a scar that can never be healed.

Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Felix,
It's true we don't have many wheelwrights or ship builders living in my street these days. Not building Man-O-War anyway.
Neil

[Piers]

Indeed. Elm was used by Wheelwrights for the wheel hubs (not the rim or the spokes though); and it's well known water resistant properties made it popular for coffins, water gullies, maritime use, etc. etc. Elm was also traditionally used for the seat of English chairs, Windsor chairs for example.

Irrespective of how much Elm is (or could be) available in this country it now has few uses commercially other than a pulp timber or for disposable items such as pallets, packaging etc. Hence it has a low commercial value, even in countries which are able to produce a significant quantity of the timber such as the USA.

Felix.

[Neil Hulme]

Revealing Downland History

On Thursday (27th January) I joined local BC man Dr Martin Kalaher and Simon Mockford of the South Downs Joint Committee to complete some scrub clearance on the Downs behind Worthing. SDJC volunteers had been up here the previous week, and had done a fantastic job in almost completing one area (many thanks). The area we had earmarked for clearance originally looked like this....

Although the effective conservation of declining species such as the Duke of Burgundy relies upon a landscape scale approach, as is so often the case 'the devil is in the detail'. It is generally the small areas of land, such as this microtopographical feature, that are the keys to success in providing the perfect egg-laying sites for very fussy species. Catering for the early developmental stages (eggs and larvae) is of paramount importance, more so than for the much more visible adults. The image below shows the same area on completion of the work.

The deep, linear feature revealed from beneath the mature scrub and trees will provide a sheltered (from all sides) refuge, which receives sun for only part of the day and will retain moisture. Removal of the vegetation will also allow morning sunshine to penetrate the sheltered embayment we cut into the woodland edge, just to the right of the area shown.

It was only when the scrub and trees came down that this feature revealed its true identity - a beautifully preserved section of an old sheep drover's track (a bostal in ye olde shepherd's speake). The point from which the second image was taken (showing Martin standing on the droveway) forms an apparent closure to the linear feature, which can be picked up again further around the Down. This section of 'fill' was caused by a large rotational slip of chalk which has slumped into the bostal, probably long after the last flock was driven up this hillside. As we dragged large sacks of cut material down the old track to form log piles in the wood below, I wondered how many decades have passed since the path was last used.

Not far from where we were working, contractor Mark Goulding was doing a superb job in clearing heavy scrub from a steep coombe. This area will provide a new playground for a wide variety of downland butterflies. As always I went away with a feeling of anticipation and optimism for summers to come, when it will be very satisfying to see these new areas of habitat occupied.

[Neil Hulme]

Elm Grove

On Friday (28th January) I joined Tom Ottley of BC Sussex and Steyning Downland Scheme members Pete Varkala, Dave Buckett and Nigel Bowman to plant 13 DED-resistant elms at Steyning Rifle Range. This is part of our own campaign, which follows in the footsteps of the 'elm pioneers' in the Hants & IOW Branch. After completing the preparatory clearance work, including the removal of a large quantity of decaying elm wood, we built a 'dead hedge' to provide a wind-break and hopefully deter any unwelcome interference with the planting. With the sad remains of so many native elms around, we are confident that these trees will thrive here, and go at least some way in mitigating the losses.

Getting started

Felling a dead elm

Elms for the future

Protective 'dead hedge'

[Jack Harrison]

Neil

Your hands-on conservation is second to none. I know we have on these pages had “issues” with BC Headquarters Management style. I don’t think anyone would have any issues with the way Sussex Branch is being run.

Jack

[Neil Hulme]

.......... I know we have on these pages had “issues” with BC Headquarters Management style.....

Hi Jack,
This is one area where we must agree to disagree. Of course this is a highly subjective topic and everyone will have different expectations, which of course may or may not be met. But I'm very much in agreement with the comments made by Felix at the top of page 4 in the 'Forest sell-off' thread. Bearing in mind the amount of time I give freely to the cause (which for me is synonymous with BC), I would be horrified if PAID senior staff found the time to join in the rough and tumble on a forum site. We are paying them to do a job on our behalf and I've only ever seen them doing it well ..... very well indeed! I've got a great deal of respect for all the staff (at all levels) and Council members I've ever met and am very happy to nail my colours to the mast. I don't see myself as biased either - I'm just a subscription-paying BC member that volunteers a lot!
Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Wonderful Wisley (Part 1)

On Thursday (3rd February) I visited 'Butterflies in the Glasshouse' at Wisley with Hannah and my parents. This was my first visit and I was mighty impressed! The camera was out of the bag before we got anywhere near the exhibit, as this cutesy robin posed for us.

The place was packed with visitors (weekends must be a nightmare) and like all UKB posters before me, it was a while before my equipment unsteamed . For those that haven't been yet - it's well worth a visit. Here's my first batch of exotics. Lovely as they are ....... you can't beat an English Purple Emperor, spread-eagled on a woodland ride on a warm July evening.

[Neil Hulme]

Wonderful Wisley (Part 2)

More images from Wisley.....

[Neil Hulme]

Last Elms Go In

On Friday (4th February) we managed to get the last of our DED-resistant elm cultivars in the ground. After much huffing and puffing over previous weeks, two clearings had been fully prepared at Pete and Sally's private woodland paradise. I joined Pete (Varkala), Dave Buckett and Tom Ottley to finish off this BC Sussex project, which covers four locations and will hopefully provide habitat for White-letter Hairstreaks long before I'm planted.

[Neil Hulme]

Steyning Downland Scheme Open Evening

On Thursday evening (10th February) I attended the Steyning Downland Scheme Open Evening, held at the Steyning Centre in the heart of this picturesque small town. The event was attended by approaching 100 locals, who are justifiably proud of their community project. The scheme covers a large area of mixed chalk grassland and wooded downland habitats owned by the Wiston Estate. The project has successfully 'connected' the town's folk with this rapidly improving area of countryside and has gone a long way towards uniting the various interest groups. The Steyning Downland Scheme puts the involvement of young people high on the agenda and has greatly improved the relationships between users of the land - apparently the local mountain-bikers used to use the badger setts as jumps!

The meeting was opened by Richard Goring (Wiston Estate) and Bryony Webb, the project co-ordinator, went on to give an overview of the scheme since its launch in 2007. Steering Group Committee member Pete Varkala then showed one of his excellent short films about the project. Go to http://www.steyningdownland.org to find out more about the Steyning Downland Scheme. Click on 'New Videos' to the right of the homepage and watch the first (top) film to see some nice butterfly footage, including Brown Hairstreaks.

The butterfly interest here now extends far beyond the Brown Hairstreak. Following the fencing and cattle grazing of the Rifle Range (and other areas), the habitat is improving in a rapid and spectacular manner. Waste-high Tor Grass has been stripped away to reveal numerous ant-hills, which have become reactivated as the turf warms up and is allowed to 'breathe' again. The Adonis Blue has already returned. The site is very good for Wall Brown and the area of scrubby grassland above the Rifle Range will become increasingly good for Green Hairstreaks and the spring Skippers. I said a few words about the ever-improving situation for the butterflies here; the area is getting so good that I'll be leading two walks for SDS/BC this year.

While media coverage usually focuses on the negative pressures affecting our countryside, I think it's important to highlight the success stories too. Everyone involved with the Steyning Downland Scheme should feel proud of their ongoing achievements.

Image by Pete Varkala

[Neil Hulme]

The Rise Of Rowland

Over the weekend (12th/13th February) another army of volunteers descended on the new BC reserve at Rowland Wood, continuing its rapid metamorphosis into a paradise for woodland butterflies. Marie Buss, Sherie New, Susan Suleski, Dave Mitchell, Keith Alexander, Colin Knight, Nigel Kemp, Peter Atkinson, Peter Coyston, David Bradford, Jim Barrett, Bob Foreman, Richard Roebuck, Dave Harris, Crispin Holloway, Colin Brinkhurst, Roger Carter, Tim Duffield, Alan Dengate and, of course, Reserve Manager Michael Blencowe, all laboured hard to supplement the recent clearance work performed by contractors.

Dave Mitchell - pyromaniac (and probably the greatest single contributor to the upkeep of the Park Corner Heath/Rowland Wood area over several decades). Image by Michael Blencowe

A network of sunny, open rides and clearings is fast developing. It's not difficult to envisage these areas being carpeted with violets and bluebells in the future. The transformation from a dark, oppressive forest dominated by non-native conifers has occurred within a very short timeframe.

Recently cleared Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary habitat

Helping out on Sunday were Marie Buss and new volunteer Jack, who did a great job of moving some of the heavier timber through the woods, without cutting up the surface.

Marie Buss, Richard Roebuck and Jack. Image by Michael Blencowe

[Neil Hulme]

15 Minute Make-Over

15 minutes was all it took to put together a brief report for the organiser of a small community wildlife garden in the centre of Worthing. One of our members sent me an email about this fledgling project, which is 'on her doorstep' and only a couple of minutes drive from where I live. I dropped by to have a quick look, just to get some idea of how large it is and what's already growing on this piece of 'spare' ground sandwiched between rows of houses.

With a list of butterfly-friendly plants and BC 'Gardening for Butterflies' leaflets to hand, it didn't take long to put a list of recommendations together. Being adjacent to the large open space of a local cemetery, I'm sure it won't be long before the area is awash with Speckled Woods and Holly Blues.These small areas may at first appear insignificant, but when similar urban patches are given a quick make-over, a useful network of habitat begins to emerge. 15 minutes well spent.

[Jack Harrison]

...'spare' ground sandwiched between rows of houses...

A significant point is that once it is a thriving mini-reserve, it will become much more difficult in the future for builders to move in.

Jack

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Jack,
In this case that might well be true. I think the land is council-owned and has been 'donated' to the residents via an (undoubtedly non-binding) agreement to use the space as a mini-reserve, making it much more difficult to snatch back. Let's hope so anyway.
Neil