Issuu

Wild

Spring 2022

Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire

WILD WOODS

Trees a crowd

Restoring our wonderful woodlands

CALL OF THE WILD

How a hands-off approach can help nature return

EXPLORE MORE

Get the most from your nature reserve visits

Berkshire Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust

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02/03/2022 17:09:43

Welcome Time to act

9 14

RIC MELLIS

With so much in the headlines recently, you’d be forgiven for having missed the new Environment Act adopted last November. This ground-breaking legislation covers a wide range of issues, from nature’s recovery to pollution. It is the first major environmental legislation in this country in more than a decade. The sections on nature’s recovery focus on both the diversity and abundance of wildlife, heralding a new era in nature conservation. Now that the Act is passed, local authorities are legally required to prepare Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS), while all developments, including large infrastructure projects, must deliver overall improvements in biodiversity. BBOWT has already played a significant role in leading the Buckinghamshire LNRS national pilot. We will of course press for the Act’s full implementation, while seeking to make use of its new provisions to accelerate our work in joining up habitats between our nature reserves. Our vision is for 30% of land to be well managed for nature by 2030. In keeping with this push for nature’s recovery, new agricultural schemes will now support collaboration between farms looking to step up for wildlife. By working with more farmers, influencing developers, and supporting local initiatives, including rewilding projects (see page 14), we can fulfil our vision. Legislation on its own isn’t enough, and every opportunity must be taken to capitalise on the new Environment Act. You too can be part of nature’s recovery by joining Team Wilder. It doesn’t matter how you start – it’s just important to make that start. See page 9 for more. With spring’s arrival I hope you find time to visit one of our nature reserves. They are incredibly exhilarating places to be! With thanks as ever for your continued support.

Team Wilder Will you take action for nature?

Call of the wild The exciting possibilities of rewilding

Right tree, right place Where we plant them matters

Estelle Bailey, Chief Executive

Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust Wild Berks, Bucks & Oxon is the membership magazine for Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust Contact 01865 775476, info@bbowt.org.uk Membership 01865 788300, membership@bbowt.org.uk Address The Lodge, 1 Armstrong Road, Littlemore, Oxford OX4 4XT Website www.bbowt.org.uk President Steve Backshall Chair George Levvy Chief Executive Estelle Bailey

Wherever you are in the country your Wildlife Trust is standing up for wildlife and wild places in your area and bringing people closer to nature. Wild Berks, Bucks & Oxon brought to you by Editor Ben Vanheems UK Consultant Editor Tom Hibbert UK Consultant Designer Ben Cook Design Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Design Studio Print Warners Midlands Cover Alan Watson/naturepl.com

Get in touch

A large-print version of Wild Berks, Bucks & Oxon (text only) is available on request. Call 01865 775476 or email info@bbowt.org.uk Enjoy the extended version of Wild Berks, Bucks & Oxon online at bbowt.org.uk/publications

Registered Charity Number 204330 Company Registered Number 006800007

Wild Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire | Spring 2022

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02/03/2022 14:56:53

GUY EDWARDES/2020VISION

Your wild spring The best of the season’s wildlife and where to enjoy it on your local patch

SPRING SPECTACLE

Fairy flowers Long associated with fairy magic, bluebells awaken each spring to beguile us with their electric-blue blooms. With a honeyed perfume that carries on the air, they are often smelt before they’re seen. Then, as they come into view, the enchanting spectacle unfolds. The native bluebell is an ancient woodland indicator species but is often seen along hedgerows too. Leave the nectar-rich flowers for early pollinators, including woodland butterflies, as folklore has it that those who pick bluebells will be led astray by fairies. SEE THEM THIS SPRING Bowdown Wood Admire the bluebells while listening out for drumming woodpeckers. Finemere Wood Walk the rides, edged with primroses, as you gaze across carpets of bluebells. Foxholes Bluebells, violets and early-purple orchids vie for attention in this iconic woodland.

Thank you

Some of the finest bluebell woodlands are found locally. Many of them are protected by BBOWT, but this is only possible with your support. Thank you!

More than half of the world’s bluebells are found in the UK. Bluebells are very slow growing, taking several years to grow from a seed into a bulb and flowering plant Wild Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire | Spring 2022 2021

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10/03/2022 12:15:24

YOUR WILD SPRING

F light checker

Since 2011 the British Trust for Ornithology has been satellitetracking individual cuckoos in a bid to understand why populations are plummeting. Track their exact whereabouts at bto.org/ourscience/projects/cuckootracking-project

Soak it all in Let the wonder of wildlife wow!

Return of the migrants One sight says summer’s almost here above all else: the first swifts swooping and diving overhead. Their high-pitched screams are the epitome of an English summer; their avian antics endlessly enthralling. Other migratory birds returning for summer include the cuckoo, nightingale, swallow, and wheatear. Like those birds who fly to our shores to sit out winter, these fair-weather species will have travelled thousands of miles to be here. Their return brings a song to our hearts. In our patch you are most likely to see sand martins, which fly in from March, then swallows from April, with swifts following close on the wing around early May. These birds clock up some serious airmiles. Swifts can fly more than a million kilometres in their lifetimes, while swallows travel at least 200 miles a day on their long-haul flight to

There be dragons! Dragonflies and damselflies are nature’s fighter pilots. Graceful and aerobatic, they can hover, hairpin turn at speed and even fly backwards! Their eyes are so big that 80% of their brains are devoted solely to processing visual information. Keep your eyes out for them this summer.

and from southern Africa. Enjoy them while you can. Adult cuckoos, whose young never meet their parents, are off on their return journey to Central Africa as soon as June. SEE THEM THIS SPRING Parsonage Moor This fenland wilderness of botanical gems is a good bet for the haunting, seesaw call of the cuckoo. Thatcham Reedbeds Keep eyes and ears peeled for cuckoos and sand martins feeding over the lake, plus a host of warblers among the reeds.

Southern hawker Spot this dragonfly around water, including garden ponds, or ‘hawking’ through woodland rides. Large and fast, it can catch its prey mid-air.

Spot the difference between swifts, swallows and sand martins: bbowt.org.uk/swiftsswallows-martins JOSHUA COPPING

PETER CAIRNS/2020VISIO

Born to be wild

SMELL THIS

Breathe deep to enjoy the intoxicatingly sweet scent of the honeysuckle. Look for wild honeysuckle in woodlands and hedgerows where its trumpet blooms are a favourite of moths.

Banded demoiselle Seen as early as April around slow-flowing rivers or lush vegetation. It is the males that have the dark band across the wing; the females are green.

Nature is good for us – it’s in our DNA. Reconnect with your wild side this June by signing up to 30 Days Wild. The challenge? To do something wild every day for 30 days. You’ll find lots of ideas on social media using #30DaysWild and you can sign up for your free pack at bbowt.org.uk/30-days-wild

Emperor dragonfly One of the biggest dragonflies. It prefers larger lakes and ponds, where it patrols high to seek out its insect prey.

LEAVE THIS

Take part in No Mow May and leave your lawn to grow long. The resulting flowers will provide a feast of foraging opportunities for pollinating insects such as bees.

Wild Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire | Spring 2022

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10/03/2022 12:15:42

WILD THOUGHTS

Sophie Pavelle @sophiepavs

Seas of surprise

ILLUSTRATION: CHRIS SHIELDS

OCEAN UPDATES

As I write, it’s a moody, overcast Tuesday afternoon. Desk days like these make me crave the sea. I want to be fully in it, head and all, with (ideally) the sun streaking through. I’m lucky enough to have boomeranged home to Devon after university, and the southwest coast has lodged itself deep in my heart. I think of the sea daily, envisaging myself on, in or indeed under it… if possible. One of my favourite things about British coastlines is that they are never the same. The rhythm of the tide brings new sights, smells, colours and characters to our shorelines four times a day. Give me a spare spring hour and you may find me walking barefoot along the local beach, looking for snakelocks anemones at low tide. Aside from their striking green and purple colour, I love how it takes barely any water for them to sway their thick tentacles like hula skirts, dancing in their rockpools like a couple of TikTokers. On this same beach, a colony of breeding kittiwakes nests on the sandstone cliff face, coming home after a challenging winter in the Atlantic. As one of our most endangered seabirds, seeing them so free as they wheel with abandon about the clifftops, diving for food to feed their growing chicks, is a sight to raise even the gloomiest spirits. But for me, nothing quite compares to the sighting of a fellow mammal in the water. Last

summer, I had a particularly memorable encounter with a grey seal— the larger of our two native species. I was paddleboarding on a calm April afternoon, when the water had this glassy appeal. Paddling in random circles and enjoying the rare absence of swell on this particular stretch of coast, I adopted a downwards gaze, unsure what I was really looking for. But then, there he was. About 10 feet away from me — an enormous bull grey seal. He was bottling as seals do, with only his (gigantic!) head above the water. Whiskers twitching, eyes watching. I stopped breathing, just in case. And then as quickly as he had surfaced, he disappeared below the waves. Off on some covert assignment, no doubt. Rather incredibly, the UK is home to 40 per cent of the world population of grey seals. Perhaps they enjoy the variety of the coast as much as I do? I think of that moment often and look forward to being surprised yet again by the beauty of the British seas this spring.

Find inspiration to get outdoors and discover your own spring surprises with our selection of seasonal spectacles! wildlifetrusts.org/spring-wildlife

Discover more about our seas by signing up for our marine mailing! You’ll get an exclusive monthly newsletter packed with marine conservation news from around the world, exciting wildlife sightings from our amazing UK seas, and updates on the latest developments in protecting our oceans. wildlifetrusts.org/ marine-mailing

Sophie Pavelle is a science communicator and Ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts. Her first book Forget Me Not, Finding the Forgotten Species of Climate Change Britain is published 9 June 2022 (Bloomsbury).

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02/03/2022 15:44:18

Don’t miss out

WILD NEWS

All the latest local and national news from The Wildlife Trusts

New logo

LEAVE A LEGACY

Noticed anything different on the front cover of this issue? It’s our logo! The Wildlife Trusts’ brand has been refreshed and BBOWT is one of the first to adopt the new look. Expect to see our new-look badger across more of our printed materials, posters and signs over the coming months and years.

What will your Legacy be? A gift in your Will is one of the most personal, yet transformative actions you can make. So when you honour BBOWT with a gift in your Will, no matter how large or small, we are keen to show our appreciation. This year BBOWT is launching its first Legacy Society, a group for those who have notified us that they will remember BBOWT in their Will. Legacy Society members will be invited to two events each year. The first, Afternoon Tea in the Wild, will celebrate the work

we undertake at one of our nature reserves. The second event will be virtual, featuring speakers on wildlifethemed topics. Members will also receive an annual digital newsletter. For more information on joining the Society or about how to leave BBOWT a gift in your Will, please contact legacies@bbowt.org.uk With your support, we will create more nature everywhere and help tackle the climate crisis.

Dig in!

The community orchard at Thatcham’s Nature Discovery Centre is home to a new community garden created as part of our Engaging With Nature project, which uses the power of nature to help people with mental health problems. Anyone can use the raised beds and plots to grow fruit, vegetables, herbs or flowers.

JIM HIGHAM

Call for new trustees

Ground breaker

The visionary conservationist who has led a 17-year project to transform farmland at Chimney Meadows into a 308-hectare nature reserve has won a national award. Lisa Lane clinched the Charitable Trust Leadership Award, which recognises ‘an individual who has led an innovative or transformative project to bring back wildlife’.

ANDREW PARKINSON/2020VISION

Could you be our next trustee? Candidates with the following skills are especially sought: HR and health and safety; ecology/ conservation (possibly a young entrant to this field); and farming/land management. We are also looking for two candidates with accountancy qualifications to join our Finance and Audit Committee as independent members. This list isn’t exclusive, and we would love to hear from others with suitable skills and experience as trustees, particularly those from diverse backgrounds not currently well represented on the Board. The closing date for applications is Monday 23 May. To find out more, download the recruitment pack at bbowt.org.uk/new-trustees

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10/03/2022 12:21:13

WILD NEWS

UK HIGHLIGHTS

UK UPDATE

Splatters matter The latest results from the Bugs Matter Survey show that significantly fewer insects were recorded nationally in 2021 than 17 years ago. These results add to the growing evidence that insect populations are declining across the world, with potentially catastrophic consequences for wildlife, wild places, and people. The Bugs Matter Survey, initially developed by the RSPB in 2004 is based on the ‘windscreen phenomenon’, originating from the observation that people find fewer insects squashed on the windscreens of their cars compared to several decades ago. The survey was revitalised and made more accessible in 2021, when Kent Wildlife Trust created the Bugs Matter App in partnership with Gwent, Somerset, and Essex Wildlife Trusts, and Buglife. The app makes it easy for anyone with a smartphone or tablet

Discover how The Wildlife Trusts are helping wildlife across the UK

Seabird power

to record the insects on their car, bringing meaningful citizen science to the pockets of thousands. Last year there were nearly 5,000 journeys logged, helping scientists monitor the alarming declines in our insects. Find out more and get involved at kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/bugs-matter

The Scottish Wildlife Trust has joined forces with alternative rock band Sea Power to raise awareness of the urgent need to tackle the nature and climate crises. The Wildlife Trust worked with the band to create a new video for their classic track The Great Skua, featuring footage of seabirds on Handa Island Wildlife Reserve. wtru.st/seapower

Failing farmland wildlife

Welcome to the team! The Wildlife Trusts are delighted to announce that GP and TV presenter Dr Amir Khan, and naturalist, TV presenter and author Iolo Williams, have become vice presidents of the charity. We also warmly welcome award-winning TV presenter Maddie Moate, and The Vamps’ lead guitarist, James McVey (pictured), as wildlife ambassadors. The nature enthusiasts will use their voices, influence and audiences to help The Wildlife Trusts shine a spotlight on the urgent need for nature’s recovery in the UK. Meet our new vice presidents and ambassadors at wtru.st/new-voices

includes a lot of the right rhetoric, but still lacks any clear details or urgency. The published documents failed to provide details on eligibility, the determination of priorities, or how Government will ensure these schemes achieve target outcomes. Read more at wtru.st/farm-reform

A city sanctuary Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust welcomed plans for a new ‘Green Heart’ in Nottingham city centre, after putting forward a bold ambition to transform a derelict former shopping centre into wildlife-rich greenspace. The vision is billed as a blueprint for sustainable city centres in a post-COVID world. wtru.st/green-heart

Wild in Wales Radnorshire Wildlife Trust has purchased a 164-acre farm in midWales, with plans to transform it into a haven for wildlife. Initial steps to bring nature back to the former livestock farm will include scrub development, to provide shelter for wildlife. The Wildlife Trust will work with neighbours, local farmers and landowners to create more space for nature in the region. wtru.st/mid-wales-farm

Wild Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire | Spring 2022

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GREAT SKUA © PETER CAIRNS/2020VISION; HOVERFLY © CHRIS LAWRENCE

This January, the Government announced new schemes to reward farmers in England for supporting nature’s recovery. Farmland accounts for a huge proportion of our land use, so it’s imperative that we have policies that support farmers to help nature. The latest announcement

10/03/2022 12:21:23

EVENTS DIARY

WHAT’S ON

Highlights from our busy events diary. For full and up-to-date listings or to book visit bbowt.org.uk/events

TOP PICK

Let your child go wild! Our popular Nature Tots sessions offer your child the chance to discover nature, with fun handson activities. Run by our experienced outdoor education teams, the sessions allow your little ones to explore and learn about the natural world, through outdoor free play, games, crafts, and stories. Nature Tots runs two or three times a month at four of our centres: the Nature Discovery Centre and Woolley Firs (Berks), College Lake (Bucks), and Sutton Courtenay (Oxon). Sessions last up to two hours and are open to children aged 18 months to four years. We recommend your child is a confident walker to get the most out of the experience. Children must be accompanied by an adult and should be appropriately dressed for the weather. Come rain or shine, though, they’re bound to have a wild time!

Family favourites n Explore a nature trail at our education and visitor centres. Find the Fox Cubs Easter Trails run at Sutton Courtenay and the Nature Discovery Centre (Mon 11-Thurs 14 April) or find out Where’s the Hare? at Woolley Firs (Tues 19-Thurs 21 April). Then at College Lake you can follow the Hare, There and Everywhere self-guided family trail (Tues 12-Sun 17 April).

Young naturalists n Forage for wild materials and weave your own Easter nest basket at Sutton Courtenay. Suitable 14–17-year-olds. Sat 2 April

n Come and find out what creatures are hiding at the Nature Discovery Centre while on a Family Minibeast Safari. Weds 20 April

n Our Online Rangers Club runs once a month giving young people aged 8-16 the chance to get together and learn about nature. Various dates – see website.

n Pull on your wellies and Discover a Stream on a workshop exploring Sutton Courtenay’s stream ecology and the fascinating creatures that live within it. For ages 11-15. Thurs 21 April

Walk and weave n Join us for a walk exploring birds of Greenham Common (Weds 11 May, Weds 8 June & Weds 13 July) or for one of our Birds and a Brew events at the Nature Discovery Centre, where you’ll learn about species and try to spot them as you walk around the site, before enjoying tea in the café (Fri 22 April & Fri 27 May). n Try willow weaving on a workshop at Sutton Courtenay. Make Easter nest baskets, decorative dragonflies and flowers or a unique hedgerow basket using willow harvested from the reserve. Sat 2 April, Sat 14 May & Sat 18 June 8

Educators Our popular online teacher training programme continues. Sessions are run by the knowledgeable staff at Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre. Thurs 28 April, Thurs 19 May & Thurs 23 June Home Educators’ Days are held on a regular basis. Coming up at Sutton Courtenay is Life in the Pond (Mon 23 & Tues 24 May) and in July at Woolley Firs we’ll be looking at wildflowers and minibeasts.

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02/03/2022 16:02:10

PEOPLE & WILDLIFE

Join Team Wilder! Our call to get more of us to act for nature is gathering pace. Will you join Team Wilder and keep the momentum going?

t’s a vision we all want to see come to fruition: more nature everywhere. We can achieve it if more of us do something positive for nature, creating a tipping point that triggers a new normal in how the majority of people value and respect the natural world. Team Wilder is a community of like-minded people who are taking direct action for nature. Everyone is invited to join, and it doesn’t matter how big or small you start. Just doing something positive – from feeding the birds to digging a new pond – earns you a place in the team! Since launching last autumn people from all walks of life and from right across our region have got involved, from families to farmers, schoolchildren to community groups, local councils to businesses. “It’s great to see so many already doing such fantastic things for nature,” says Liz Shearer, Community Engagement Director. “We would love even more of you to get involved, so please share what you are up to and help Team Wilder grow.” Anyone can add their wildlife-friendly activities or pledges to the interactive Team Wilder map – take a look and see what others are up to. You too can be part of the solution; add your piece to the jigsaw and help complete a wilder picture.

From sterile lawn to wildlife haven

Turning frustration into action Val Siddiqui turned frustration at lack of action on environmental issues into a focus for campaigning for change. As one of BBOWT’s Wildlife Ambassadors Val has written to her MP and both county and district councillors on a range of issues, from the badger cull to planning reform. She has also joined rallies and met her MP in person on several occasions to make the case for stronger protections for nature.

When Ed Munday moved into his new home in Cholsey, Oxon, he was faced with little more than a rectangle of sterile lawn. Over time Ed has extended the flower borders to make more room for pollinator-friendly plants, dug a pond and planted two field maple trees. He now grows his own organic vegetables. His front garden – once a dead space – has been brought to life by a native hedge, lilac trees, honeysuckle, and bird feeders frequented by the local sparrows.

Team Wilder

Let’s act together for nature and speed nature’s recovery. Explore the interactive map, seek inspiration and discover how you can join Team Wilder at bbowt.org.uk/teamwilder

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02/03/2022 16:09:13

GO EXPLORE THIS SPRING ADRIAN WALLINGTON

Big thanks!

We can only protect special places like Hartslock with your support. Thank you for being a member and helping us do what we do.

Hartslock

Time to explore the Great Outdoors!

CLIVE ORMONDE

Wakey wakey, rise and shine! Spring has sprung and there’s so much to discover. Any of BBOWT’s 86 nature reserves are a great place to start

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Hartslock

Postcode RG8 0EP (railway station) Great for… Magnificent views and orchids Best time to visit Spring to summer Size 9.5 hectares Map ref SU 616 796 Commanding views over the Thames, sloping chalk grasslands heaving with colourful insects, and some of the most precious orchids in the country: there are so many reasons to visit this remarkable reserve. The action kicks off spectacularly in May with a succession of orchids, starting with a national rarity, the monkey orchid. This is one of only a handful of sites in Britain where they grow. The painstaking work of staff and volunteers has nurtured just seven plants at the time the Trust took over the site to the hundreds you see today. Bee, pyramidal and common spottedorchids are among the other orchids to spot. Oh, and this is the only place in the country where a hybrid of monkey and lady orchids

has been recorded, making Hartslock an orchid enthusiast’s dream! There’s more to this sun-baked slope than orchids though. Look out for a host of other wild flowers, though you definitely won’t miss the mauve spray of marjoram that covers the hillside in July. Unsurprisingly these nectar-rich blooms attract a myriad of butterflies: chalkhill blue, green hairstreak and grizzled skipper, to name a few. If your luck’s in, you may even catch the brilliant turquoise splash of an Adonis blue. Then there are the day-flying moths, rare shieldbugs and the rasping stridulations of grasshoppers. Even if all those bugs and blooms don’t happen to be your thing, this is still a special place to sit and linger. Perhaps you’ll admire the swallows skimming over the pasture to feed or tune in to the mew-like screams of the red kites soaring on the thermals overhead. Stop a while, drink in the view of the river below and let everyday stresses fall away.

09/03/2022 15:56:10

GO EXPLORE THIS SPRING

WALK with care

BANBURY

Take care not to accidentally step on wild flowers. WALK with care:

MILTON KEYNES BUCKINGHAM

Follow the WALK code: Watch where you walk, Abide by the rules of the site, Leave the site as you found it, and Keep to the paths.

BICESTER

AYLESBURY

WITNEY THAME

OXFORD

CHESHAM AMERSHAM

ABINGDON DIDCOT

Explore more Fancy an in-depth tour from the comfort of your armchair? Join our wardens on a virtual visit to some of our most spectacular nature reserves, including Dancersend. Make a brew, put your feet up and enjoy: youtube.com/user/BBOWildlifeTrust

BEACONSFIELD

SLOUGH WINDSOR READING

THATCHAM

BRACKNELL

NEWBURY

Dancersend with Pavis Woods

Postcode HP23 6LB (water works) Great for… Tranquil escapes Best time to visit All year round Size 85 hectares Map ref SP 905 089 This huge, sprawling reserve offers a true sense of escape. Stride out on the network of footpaths that crisscross the site to take in woodlands carpeted with

bluebells ringing out to the drum or ‘yaffle’ of great spotted and green woodpeckers. Revel in the wild flowers, butterflies and moths of the chalk grasslands, or go back in time as you marvel at the rich archaeology of Pavis Woods. Dancersend continues to surprise with new-to-the-region species (such as last autumn’s discovery of purple edge bonnet fungus) found with startling regularity.

Hosehill Lake

Postcode RG7 4BE Great for… Lakeside wildlife Best time to visit All year round Size 23.5 hectares Map ref SU 649 698 Hosehill Lake captivates with its throngs of wetland wildlife. Waders such as lapwing and little ringed plover are fascinating to watch but linger awhile and you might – just might – hear the rich,

tuneful song of a nightingale in the scrub and hedges surrounding the lake. Spring is a great time to visit, when the large sand martin bank comes alive as migrants like the sand martin, swift and swallow return to gorge on the insect life that the lake and next-door wildflower meadow support. Take your time strolling the onemile circular walk along the water’s edge.

JOSHUA COPPING

KATE DENT

Enjoy bonus content in the extended version of Wild Berks, Bucks & Oxon online at bbowt.org.uk/ publications

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09/03/2022 15:56:22

PEOPLE & WILDLIFE

Explore more Spring has sprung and with it the desire to get outdoors and explore. If you’ve never visited a nature reserve before, now’s your chance! Engaging with Nature Project Officer Carrie Starbuck shares her six secrets to getting outside for the first time

It doesn’t matter what you wear

TOM MASRHALL

Unless you are climbing Mount Snowdon you don’t need the latest or most expensive gear to enjoy the outdoors. The global outdoor clothing market is forecast to grow to at least £15 billion by 2026 and top brands do a great job at making you think you need them. The secret is, you don’t! What you do need is to feel comfortable in what you are wearing. That means a good pair of shoes such as trainers, layers to keep you warm and, as we live in Britain, a waterproof jacket.

Nature reserves are special

To be an ‘outdoors’ person you don’t have to be outside for hours at a time doing lots of activities. Research shows that engaging with nature through simple activities, such as smelling flowers or listening to birdsong, has a greater impact on our wellbeing than simply the time spent outdoors. If you are feeling low, nervous about visiting a new place, or too busy for a long, arduous walk then that’s okay. What matters is how that time is spent – developing and being in a close relationship with nature. One way to do this is to focus on one of your senses – sight, touch, smell, sound, and taste – to engage with nature in a new way.

Nature reserves are dedicated areas where wildlife, plants and animals are protected and allowed to thrive. From meadows, wetlands, ancient woodlands, moorland, heathlands, coast and mountains, Britain’s nature reserves are the best places to connect with the natural world. Nature reserves invite us to slow down, to be quiet, to stop, look and listen to nature. Nature reserves allow us to disconnect so we can reconnect. That is very special in our hectic modern world. BBOWT sites often have quiet corners, hides from which to watch birds, and plenty of benches to watch the world go by.

Eye spy Bring some binoculars to admire wildlife from a distance.

ROSS HODDINOTT/2020VISION

By the book the Don’t forget ide Your Wild Gu ore m r handbook fo s. p a details and m

It’s about moments, not minutes

Wild Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire | Spring 2022

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10/03/2022 12:37:36

Be wild all year

THINA THIRUGNANASAMPANTHAR

PEOPLE & WILDLIFE

The Trust was formed to create a safe place for nature, and that includes you. You belong here. To feel part of a community, get involved by volunteering with BBOWT. There are opportunities at various locations, from out on our reserves or in our visitor centres, to essential administrative support. Volunteers are a lifeline for charities such as BBOWT. We can’t maintain our nature reserves, protect wildlife and advocate for climate action without our army of volunteers. They make a world of difference. Why not get involved too? Visit bbowt.org.uk/volunteer to find out more. CHRIS GOMERSALL/2020VISION

As the world awakens in spring, we can enjoy carpets of bluebells and the increasing crescendo of the dawn chorus. Come summer the world is alive; butterflies flit between flowers, reptiles bask in the sun, and dragonflies hunt waterside. At night, bats sweep swiftly through the air and the nocturnal badgers chat and play in their setts. Autumn invites us to slow down. Summer’s lush greens become browns and oranges, punctuated with pops of red and purple berries. Some say winter is lifeless. It’s anything but! Starlings fill the skies with the incredible patterns of their murmurations. Barn owls extend their hunting hours into daylight making these mysterious creatures easier to spot. Every season brings us something new to enjoy. Many of our nature reserves host guided walks and workshops throughout the year so you can learn about our wild, beautiful world.

You belong here

Your support is clim

ate action Nature reserves safeguard the m ost rich and diverse habi tats for the future . Yet, nature reserves make up just 0.7% country’s land su of the rface. By suppor ting your local W Trust you are taki ildlife ng action for na ture and the clim While visiting a na at e. ture reserve you can help protect these unique plac es by following th e principles of le no trace: ave

Wild Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire | Spring 2022

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PETER CAIRNS/2020VISION

Pla n a h ea d St a y on foot path s Prope rly dispo se of ru bbis h L ea ve wh at you fi n d R espe ct wildlife Be con sid erate of ot h er visito rs

10/03/2022 12:37:52

REWILDING LANDSCAPES

Call of the

wild

Sometimes it’s best to simply let go. Rewilding offers us a hands-off approach to nature conservation leaving natural processes to do the heavy lifting, but is it really as simple as that? Consultant Land Advisor Alex Cruikshank explores the possibilities

ature conservation in Britain has traditionally focussed on maintaining habitats heavily influenced by human activity. Wildflower meadows, coppiced woodland, chalk grassland and heathland all rely on continued intervention to keep them rich in wildlife. Meadows are mown to maintain their diversity, scrub removed to keep grass and heathlands open, while coppicing creates a variety of woodland habitats for all sorts of wildlife. Before people had such an impact, our landscape would have been very different. There was a complex tapestry of habitats maintained in an almost endless cycle by large herbivores like wild cattle, ponies, deer and elk, their numbers kept in check by wolves, bears and lynx. Beavers created wetlands and wild boar rooted through the earth, changing the landscape in subtle or dramatic ways.

What is rewilding? Rewilding is a way of recreating those wildlife-rich habitats by using natural processes in place of human activity. Instead of conservation volunteers or chainsaws cutting scrub on a heathland, longhorn cattle browse and bash it, and pigs dig up the roots. It is a concept that is gaining momentum, but rewilding is more than just abandoning land. In the UK it requires the reintroduction of those natural processes, like grazing, to make a significant difference for wildlife. Rewilding can be great for wildlife. Initiatives around the world, including the reintroduction of grey wolves to Yellowstone National Park and European bison to The Netherlands, have brought dramatic benefits, with increases in both biodiversity and biomass. Rewilding can even reduce the impacts of climate change and help wildlife adapt, as more trees grow and habitats join up. Other environmental benefits include

Glossary

Rewilding: Reinstating natural processes to create diverse and wildliferich habitats and landscapes. Keystone species: A species that has a large impact on its environment, so that other species are dependent on its presence. Their loss causes major disruption to the ecosystem. Ecosystem engineers: A species that significantly modifies its environment to suit its needs. Regenerative agriculture: Farming practices that reduce the impact of food production on the environment, for example reduced ploughing, more diverse crop rotations, and fewer pesticides.

flood alleviation and the purification of water as it trickles through a more complex system, slowing the flow of water and filtering it. The term ‘rewilding’ encompasses a range of activities – from reintroducing a single keystone species (see glossary, above) to reforesting vast tracts of land by letting trees naturally regenerate.

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REWILDING LANDSCAPES

controlling them. Instead, reintroducing pine martens has been shown to eradicate grey squirrels from woodlands, leaving red squirrels to escape because of their smaller size.

Beavers are formidable ecosystem engineers Ecosystem engineers The reintroduction of Eurasian beavers is a good example. British beavers were driven to extinction in the 16th century, and with it their famous dams. Their dam building and digging can create complex wetlands with pools and channels, while their grazing and coppicing changes the vegetation structure. These features support a wealth of other wildlife: breeding fish, aquatic insects, otters and water birds.

Rewilding in practice Larger rewilding schemes, like the famous one at the Knepp Estate in West Sussex, rely on a variety of rewilding activities such as the removal of fences, the introduction of grazing and browsing herbivores (normally traditional breeds) to create complex mosaics of scrub, woodland and grassland, the restoration of more natural river forms, and the reintroduction of keystone species (beaver and European bison are an aspiration at Knepp). New rewilding initiatives can understandably raise concerns. Beavers fell trees to make their dams and cause localised rewetting. Farmers and gamekeepers may be anxious about the reintroduction of predators like pine martens. Rewilding can also have an impact on food production, though, according to recent modelling, the least productive

“Rewilding will help us meet our ambitious target of recovering nature across 30% of land by 2030. ” The larger American grey squirrel was introduced to England in the 1870s and has since become a major pest, damaging woodlands and spreading squirrel pox to red squirrels. Shooting, trapping and sterilisation are laborious and often ineffective methods of Pine martens could help restore the balance in favour of our native red squirrel

20% of the UK could be rewilded without increasing our reliance on food imports. Rewilding offers opportunities to grow high-quality pasture-fed meat and dairy that can be marketed as a premium product. Working with local communities is central

What you can do Support initiatives: You can do your bit by helping others understand the benefits of rewilding. Rewild your garden: Create more opportunities for wildlife in your garden. Ban chemicals, mow less often and allow a few corners to grow a little wilder. For more ideas visit bbowt.org.uk/actions Get in touch: If you own or manage a farm or estate and are considering rewilding in any form, BBOWT would love to help you deliver your aspirations. Please contact the Land Advice Service to discuss this further. Visit bbowt.org.uk/land-advice-service or email: landadvice@bbowt.org.uk

to a successful rewilding scheme. People can continue to be employed for livestock management, tourism, and education. Any worries will be allayed as more schemes establish and their advantages become apparent. Carving out a space Rewilding in the busy south of England isn’t without its challenges though. Land prices are generally high and there is plenty of competition for space. Yet examples like the Knepp Estate show that rewilding can be successful and bring dramatic benefits for wildlife. More specific rewilding projects are also possible, with beaver and red deer introductions giving nature a helping hand in the home counties. BBOWT already uses ponies and cattle to graze many of our nature reserves, helping to create wildlife-rich scrub and grassland (or heathland) mosaics. Most of our nature reserves will continue to rely on more traditional intensive conservation management to maintain their suite of rare species, adapted to the specific habitats found on those reserves. However, we will be looking to use rewilding practices on any new land we acquire and in partnership with other landowners. Along with other initiatives such as regenerative agriculture (see glossary), rewilding will help us meet our ambitious target of recovering nature across 30% of land by 2030.

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REWILDING LANDSCAPES

Rewilding on our doorstep? Giles Strother, Lead Land Advisor at BBOWT’s Land Advice Service talks through the potential rewilding options to be had closer to home

ewilding is in its infancy here in our three counties, with opportunities to reinstate keystone species still to come. The upper reaches of the Thames tributaries may be suitable for beavers, which could help to smooth the peaks of flood events further downstream by damming the shallow streams that flow into the river. This in turn would create wetland habitat for hundreds of species. Natural colonisation will play its part. The patchwork of woodland in the Chilterns is already seeing slow but steady recolonisation by goshawks, which prey on grey squirrels, pigeons and crows, helping to restore balance. Otters are increasingly spotted on the Thames, even moving into Oxford city. Landowners with a yearning to rewild their fields are finding ways to encourage a more natural landscape to evolve. Allowing hedges to spread and scrub to develop in fields is a good start. Coupled with seasonal grazing by cattle this can develop into a diverse habitat with many more niches for wildflowers, insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and bats. Adding a few ponds, hills and hollows created by digger further increases opportunities. These activities may not seem very natural but will set the

Wide field margins and billowing hedgerows are a great first step towards rewilding

stage for natural processes to take over. The outcome will change as the years pass. One farm taking steps in this direction is Sheepdrove Farm near Wantage, who have been monitoring species on their organic farm for years and working to enhance chances for wildlife. Their aim now is to allow a more natural habitat to develop by using a variety of livestock, including cattle, sheep and pigs to create a wild heart among the farmed landscape.

Goshawks are an increasingly common sight in the Chilterns

New ideas to farm for soil health, to support crop production with a reduced environmental impact, are increasingly known as ‘regenerative’ farming. The fields still grow crops and look worlds away from our visions of rewilding, but the explosion of life invisible to us beneath the ground should surely be counted as part of the rewilding movement. Soil life may well turn out to be the most important recovery of all.

Recommended reading Rewild Britain: rewildbritain.org.uk Knepp Estate: knepp.co.uk/home 30 by 30 campaign: wildlifetrusts. org/30by30 Wilding by Isabella Tree (Picador, £20) Feral by George Monbiot (Penguin Books, £10.99)

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Barnaby Coupe is Land Use Policy Manager at The Wildlife Trusts and leads on the development of tree and woodland policy.

When it comes to tackling the climate crisis, sometimes it’s hard to see the wood for the trees, as Barnaby Coupe explores…

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RIGHT TREE RIGHT PLACE

MARK HAMBLIN/2020VISION

or many people, trees and woodlands are emblematic of our deepest connections with nature. They are a constant in our culture and histories, from the Hundred Acre Wood to the adventures of Robin Hood, and with good reason. Our native woodlands are vibrant, wild, and shrouded in mystery — the perfect place for nature to thrive. Ancient native woodlands in particular hold a wealth of life, with a complex weave of ecological networks and relationships between a huge array of diverse species. For example, the mighty oak, a staple of British woods, provides habitat for more than 2,300 species, from woodland birds to fungi. These long-standing woodlands also possess trees of varying ages, with old trees offering nest holes for birds like redstarts and pied flycatchers, dead and dying trees providing essential habitat for fungi and insects like stag beetles, and young trees and dense, thorny scrub creating nesting sites for warblers and nightingales. Stag beetles and nightingales, amongst other benefiting wildlife, are some of the most threatened species in the UK, so having wilder, natural woodlands which contain these habitats is critical for their continued survival. Yet as we are now seeing the impacts of a changing climate, our woodlands are receiving increased interest in another of their magical properties — the ability to take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and lock it away for centuries in their branches, their roots, and within the soil. As a result, trees have increasingly been put forward as a win-win solution for nature and the climate, but are trees always a silver bullet?

Heroic habitats While important, trees are not the only answer to solving the climate crisis. Habitats such as chalk downland, hay meadows, peatlands, and heathland all have extraordinary value for wildlife and will play a large role in addressing the climate crisis too. Yet, in the drive to plant more trees, it is precisely these habitats that can be put at risk. In fact, planting trees on the above habitats often does more harm than good. Trees planted on habitats such as our flower-filled meadows, most of which have already vanished in the past century due to increased agricultural intensification, can lead to a loss of wildlife, and further threaten the precious remnants that remain. Yet this bias for trees exists, as evidenced in a recent decision to replant an area of degraded heathland with conifers rather than restore it to its natural state. Shallow peat soil is particularly at risk from tree planting, and creating new woodlands in these areas can release more CO2 than the trees end up taking in as a result of soil degradation. Multiple examples of this were seen in the mid-20th century, when vast areas of peatland were drained, ploughed, and assailed with single-species

plantations of non-native conifers in a shortsighted bid to increase timber resources. Right tree, right place This approach to planting trees has been rightly castigated by the majority of environmentalists and foresters alike, yet we are still seeing examples of this happening today in the increased drive to plant trees to address the climate crisis. In just one example from last year, 100 acres of bog, heath and grassland were destroyed to plant trees. So what’s the answer? Have we learnt from the mistakes of the past? We know that trees are not just carboncapturing machines. They are part of a living, breathing ecosystem. When creating new woodlands, it has to be the right tree, in the right place, working with the environment around it. By ensuring that the right tree is planted in the right place, large areas of new, highly biodiverse, native woodland can be created as part of a joinedup system that benefits other habitats for nature, whilst drawing down carbon at the same time. Wilder woodlands Of course, one way to get around the issue of where to plant trees is to let trees plant themselves. After all, planting trees does not create a woodland. Forests are

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RIGHT TREE RIGHT PLACE

MARK HAMBLIN/2020VISION

Jays play a vital role in natural regeneration, carrying away acorns and caching them in the ground

Many birds, like pied flycatchers, depend on diverse, native woodlands diverse and dynamic environments which have developed over years, decades, and millennia. Their complex ecological networks

plastic tree guards. Natural regeneration is the best way of creating new, natural, and wilder woodlands for wildlife. This is particularly powerful when expanding ancient semi-natural woodland, as it allows the expansion of the entire woodland ecosystem, where new saplings can take advantage of symbiotic relationships with networks of fungi in the soil. With time and patience, this can result in stunning woodlands for wildlife, such as Brampton Wood in Cambridgeshire. Not only is it more cost effective than planting, but natural regeneration is also

“Trees are not just carbon-capturing machines. They are part of a living, breathing ecosystem.” are both above ground and within the soils, involving a huge array of interdependent relationships between many species. And these systems were operating long before the development of wooden stakes and

the best way of creating woodlands that are resilient to a changing climate. It allows these habitats to develop a dynamic age-structure, genetic variation, and associated ecologies, where trees that grow to maturity will be best Fallen trees can provide an essential habitat for beetles

BRANCHING OUT I f you are considering planting a tree in your own garden or pursuing a small woodland creation project, check out our guide to tree planting at bbowt.org.uk/plant-a-tree I f you’re considering a larger woodland creation project, then check out our guidance on suitable sites for tree planting at wtru.st/ tree-chart ou can also get in touch with your Y nearest Wildlife Trust who can help with any specific queries you may have when considering how best to go about a new tree planting project.

suited to their local micro-climatic conditions, such as soil type, water availability, and sunlight. All of this makes them more resilient to external pest and disease threats. A nuanced approach Now, natural regeneration won’t be possible everywhere, and in some locations it will need a great deal of support to get going. It is clear that expanding the UK’s network of native tree and woodland cover will have a huge role to play in rebuilding ecological networks, delivering nature’s recovery, and tackling the climate crisis, and if we are to increase woodland cover in this country significantly then we will need to look at planting more trees. But we must not forget about the other habitats across the UK. Restoring the UK’s peatlands will be critical to meeting our climate ambitions, and the protection and restoration of our other threatened habitats are crucial if we are to bend the curve on biodiversity loss. A nuanced approach is required, one which creates more, bigger, better, and more joined-up woodlands, hedgerows, trees and scrub thriving with wildlife and accessible to people, while also ensuring protection of other vital habitats where tree planting may be more damaging than helpful.

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Spring

Wildlife Gardening Our gardens come alive in spring. Ponds fill with mating amphibians, borders buzz with the season’s first bees, and everywhere else, from trees and hedges to fences and roof panels, birds are busy singing to defend territories, mating or feeding young. It’s an exciting time of year.

While all of this goes on around us, there are things we can do to make our gardens even better for wildlife. First, take a look at your borders — in early spring they should be carpeted with flowers such as spring-flowering hellebores,

lungwort, primroses and other primulas, and bulbs like crocus and snake’s-head fritillary. Later grape hyacinths, alliums, cranesbills, bugle and cuckooflower take centre stage. The early flowers are the most important as they provide food for pollinators emerging from hibernation — remember that daffodils and tulips are usually ignored

Kate Bradbury is passionate about wildlifefriendly gardening and the author of Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything in association with The Wildlife Trusts.

by bees. Make a note of which flowers you have, and fill gaps with pollinator favourites. Ponds are full of mating amphibians and invertebrates, so are best left alone now. However, it’s important to check that wildlife can enter and exit your pond safely — add a log or large stone to help wildlife access the water safely. If you don’t have many plants in the pond you can add more now, as long as you don’t disturb the water too much. Aim for a mix of floating, submerged and deep-water plants, with around two-thirds of the surface of the pond covered. Plants absorb nitrates from the water and therefore inhibit the growth of algae. They also provide hiding places for tadpoles and other larvae from

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predators such as diving beetles and dragonfly nymphs. Choose native marginals such as brooklime and water forget-me-not, floating plants such as frogbit, and oxygenators like hornwort and water crowfoot. Around the pond, think ahead to summer, when froglets and toadlets may be exiting the water for the first time. Let the grass there grow long and grow plants to protect them from predators. Cranesbill geraniums and birds’ foot trefoil work well around ponds, providing plenty of shelter for amphibians big and small. If you have a meadow then cut it back in early spring and remove clippings, then let it grow until autumn. As well as providing wildflowers for pollinators, the

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long grass will provide foodplants for caterpillars and shelter for beetles and other invertebrates, plus amphibians, small mammals and even hedgehogs. Get more wildlife-friendly gardening tips at wildlifetrusts.org/gardening

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6 places to see

beetles

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Find out how you can help beetles and other imperiled insects at wildlifetrusts.org/ action-for-insects

See the spectacle

for yourself 1

Ayr Gorge Woodlands Wildlife Reserve, Scottish Wildlife Trust This ancient woodland is full of beetles. You may be lucky enough to spot rhinoceros beetles crawling over old logs, two-banded longhorn beetles resting on fence posts, or even a beautiful thorn-tipped longhorn beetle perfectly camouflaged on a lichen covered tree trunk. Where: Failford, KA5 5TF 2 Highgate Common, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust An ancient lowland heath brimming with beetles, including the incredible glow-worm with its bioluminescent behind. Other impressive insects you could spot include black oil beetles, bloody-nosed beetles, green tiger beetles and minotaur beetles. Where: Swindon, DY7 5BS 3 Oakley Wood, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust In early spring you might find dor beetles bumbling along the woodland floor, or spot a black snail beetle stalking its slow-moving prey — their narrow heads are perfect for poking into a snail’s shell. Deadwood provides habitat for many more beetles. Where: Leamington Spa, CV33 9QP

id you know that there are over 4,000 species of beetle in the UK? These incredible insects come in a huge array of shapes and sizes. There are broadbodied ladybirds, slender rove beetles, longhorn beetles sporting oversized antennae, and weevils with oddly elongated faces. Many of our beetles have fantastically evocative names to match their looks or lifestyle. Head out on a beetle safari and you could meet tigers, stags, wasps and even minotaurs! Beetles fill vital roles in nature, including pollination, predation, and the recycling of dead wood, dung and dead animals. One of the best things about beetles is that you can find them almost anywhere, from parks and gardens to meadows and moorlands, or even beneath the surface of ponds. But some places are beetle hotspots — here are six of our favourite places to see beetles…

4 Balls Wood, Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust This varied woodland with its sunlit rides is a wonderful place for beetles that depend on deadwood, but it also has an unusually large number of ponds, supporting a range of water beetles. You might even spot the rare poplar leaf-rolling weevil. Where: Hertford Heath, SG13 7PW 5 Sydenham Hill Wood, London Wildlife Trust London Wildlife Trust’s oldest nature reserve is home to many rare and scarce beetles, from metallic jewel beetles and tiny flower beetles to the impressive stag beetle, the largest species in the UK, growing to over 7cm long. Where: Sydenham Hill, SE26 6LS 6

Bystock Pools, Devon Wildlife Trust Bystock’s mosaic of habitats provides a home to many different beetles. Whirligig beetles spin across the ponds, tiger beetles hunt the heathlands and soldier beetles march over meadow wildflowers. If you’re really lucky, you could spot the greenish glimmer of a glow-worm on a summer evening. Where: Near Exmouth, EX8 5EE

Did you spot any beetles?

We’d love to know how your search went. Please tweet us your best photos! @wildlifetrusts

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ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL HUDSON ILLUSTRATION

Discover a roadside haven with wildlifefriendly verge expert, Mark Schofield oad verges make up 1.2% of the UK, some 2,600km2 — that’s an area the size of Dorset. This county-sized tract of land, hidden in plain sight, is home to over 700 species of wildflowers, representing 45% of our native flora. In many cases, verges act as vital corridors for wildlife and can often be the last stand locally for scarce or declining wildflowers, such as sulphur clover, spiked rampion, Deptford pink, and perennial flax. The safety of road users demands that verges are maintained with shorter turf on approach to bends and junctions and with safe pull-over zones. However, beyond these requirements there are huge opportunities to create more space for nature. Huge opportunities that are all too often missed. Many verges are mown too frequently and the cuttings left in place, which first creates a physical barrier to growth, then

increases the soil fertility as the cuttings decompose. This gives an unnatural advantage to the most competitive plants. Spoil from ditch clearance is often spread across verges with similar effect. Conversely, too little mowing can also be a problem; many verges are left unmown and the strips of grassland are lost as they grow into scrub. Scrub is great for wildlife, but a mix of habitats which include scrub and wildflower areas is far better. A road verge that is well managed for wildlife can be a set of parallel worlds each offering different niches for wildlife. Tall, wide, diverse, native hedgerows at the back of the verge, complete with trees, can grade through infrequently trimmed tall herbs and tussocks to grassland meadows mown once or twice a year, where the cuttings are collected and removed. Here mowing is best done in late summer, to allow seed to ripen and insect lifecycles to complete, or even later where soil is poorer.

Removing cuttings simulates wild grazing and reduces fertility in the soil, maintaining more natural conditions that support a wider diversity of wildflowers and the invertebrates that rely on them. Open drainage ditches can add habitat for aquatic and marginal plants too, but spoil should be disposed of away from the verge where possible. Verges near you may be crew-cut strips that flank suburban crescents and cul-de-sacs, or they might be overgrown rural lane sides. Your local highways authority (typically your county council or unitary authority) will have these managed under contract. A local petition may be able to reduce the frequency of cuts in your area, delivering cost savings and lowering the carbon footprint for public services. Cutting and collecting the cuttings is the main challenge cited by authorities, but affordable machinery exists to achieve this; and it has been

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implemented with success by some councils. There are roadside nature reserves across the UK that set the standard for roadside habitat, but we must call for better management of the rest of our verges if we want to achieve a national Nature Recovery Network.

For advice on where to start, visit wildlifetrusts.org/verges

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Calling all keen photographers – our wild photo competition is back!

Berkshire Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust

Wildlife Photography Competition 2022 Enter your eye-catching photos of the natural world for the chance to win top prizes including: First prize: a top-of-the-range camera* All winners: wildlife photography workshop with an expert from GG Wildlife Experiences All winners: your photo featured in BBOWT’s 2023 wildlife calendar. Submit up to four photographs across the following categories:

*See website for details

ALAN GARNSWORTHY

n Flora and Fauna n Nature Reserve Landscapes n Team Wilder (individuals and communities acting for nature) n People in Nature n Children’s category (ages 6-12) n Teen category (ages 13-19)

Full details on our website: bbowt.org.uk/photocomp22 Entry is free and the closing date is 8 September 2022. 20 BBOWT_Spring22_Back cover.indd 16

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