The wildlife pond near Gid Lane has a good population of Great Crested Newts that also breed there. The number of newts has increased substantially since the pond was constructed in 2016 when the first newt was recorded there. By 2021 a professional survey using bottle trapping recorded a maximum count of 28 Great Crested Newts and 23 Smooth Newts. This year 2023, I counted 35 GCN larvae on a warm day in June that were close enough to the water surface for identification with perhaps ten times that number out of sight while hiding in the pond vegetation. This is an outstanding success story achieved by Froyle Wildlife and the volunteers who give their time and effort to maintain the pond and surrounding wildflower meadow.

In the last 12 years there have been a number of newly constructed ponds in Froyle with some in gardens and fields. Froyle Wildlife asked Pete West (from Hampshire Amphibian and Reptile Conservation) to survey selected ponds in April with landowner permission. Smooth Newts and Great Crested Newts were seen in all four ponds surveyed with evidence of breeding in two ponds at Upper Froyle. Unlike frogs and toads, newt eggs are laid singly on submerged vegetation wrapped in a folded leaf (Water Mint is a favourite).
Historically there has been an enormous national decline in their range and abundance over the last century and the Great Crested Newt previously had no records from Lower Froyle but it is now found there as well. The newly constructed ponds don’t just benefit amphibians, they are a magnet for dragonflies, damselflies and other wildlife. Even a small garden pond can help to increase local biodiversity and provide a fascinating window into aquatic life. As the saying goes ‘Just add water’, you could be amazed by the results!

So why do organisations such as the Wildlife Trusts, the Tree Council, the Woodland Trust and the RSPB all extoll the importance of hedgrows in our landscape?  Hedges are more than an essential refuge for wildlife. Small but mighty, they also clean our air, capture carbon, reduce flooding and give clues to historic land management. In Froyle most rural hedgerows follow the field boundaries shown on the 1847 Tithe Map and are likely to have been hedges for hundreds of years.

Upper Froyle view winter (above)             Lower Froyle view autumn (below)

There are an estimated 500,000 miles of hedgerow in Britain which could be looked on as our largest nature reserve. Hedges come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can include many different species. Rural hedges are often a mix of shrub and tree species, such as hawthorn, blackthorn, spindle, hazel, ash and oak. In more urban and landscaped settings, they are likely to include species like box, yew, privet and holly.

They provide wildlife corridors through a farmed landscape to connect habitat areas. 130 nationally rare species are closely associated with hedges including lichens, fungi and reptiles. Many more use them for food and shelter during some of their lifecycle. Bank vole, harvest mouse and hedgehog all nest and feed in hedgerows as well as birds, while bats use them as ‘commuter routes’ for foraging and roosting.

Some species of birds depend on hedgerows for their survival. At least 30 species nest in hedgerows. According to the RSPB several of these, such as bullfinches and turtle doves, prefer hedgerows more than 4m tall, with lots of trees, whereas whitethroats, linnets and yellowhammers favour shorter hedgerows (2–3m) with fewer trees. Dunnocks, lesser whitethroats and willow warblers prefer medium or tall hedgerows with few trees.

Wrens, robins, dunnocks and whitethroats usually nest low down, but song thrushes, blackbirds, chaffinches and greenfinches nest well above the ground level. Grey partridges use grass cover at the hedge bottom to nest. It is therefore important to manage for a range of hedge heights and tree densities and to maintain a grassy verge at the base of the hedge.

Redwing (photo right) in a Froyle hedgerow
Grassy hedge bottoms and field margins provide nesting material and insect larvae for chicks to feed on. Wild flowers and grasses growing up into a hedge also help to conceal nests from predators. In winter, hedgerows can be feeding and roosting sites for resident birds and winter visitors such as fieldfares and redwings.  Conservation organisations say that no cutting should take place during peak bird nesting season, which runs from March to September. Where possible, delay any maintenance work until January or February, as hedgerow berries provide a valuable autumn and winter food source for birds.

The Wildlife Trusts advise that rural hedges should not be cut every year, as flower buds often form on second-year growth. Trimming hedges on a two or three year rotation, targeting different sections each year, will make sure there are always flowers for pollinators in spring and berries for birds in autumn. Hedges cut every three years can produce two and a half times as much blossom as those cut annually. Rotational cutting can also save time and money that would be invested in annual cutting. The main message for hedges in the landscape is that ‘Big and Blousy’ is better for wildlife than ‘Neat and Tidy’.

Acknowledgment: Some of the text above was copied from information sources.

Wildlife recording:  If you don’t know what you’ve got, then you won’t know when it’s gone

Many of us are interested in wildlife and watch  the species which visit our gardens or favourite local places. Unfortunately, far fewer record the wildlife they see and don’t pass on this valuable information. And that is where you can help! Wildlife records describe the presence, abundance, associations and changes, both in time and space, of wildlife. In its simplest form it is no more than writing down a little information about what you have seen, where and when you saw it and sharing it with County recorders.

In doing so you can help to contribute greatly to local knowledge of our wildlife and habitats. Records can help to establish the distribution and size of populations, and regular recording may enable detection of changes over time. They help to identify the location of rare and locally important species, and can be used to help protect them and their habitats from damage. Over time they help to understand how our environment is changing, for example in response to climate change. Even records of commoner species can be valuable too – what is common today may not be in the future. So why not help by sending in your wildlife records and make the information available to present and future generations. A list of where you can send Hampshire records (depending on the species identified) is available from https://documents.hants.gov.uk/biodiversity/Hampshire-County-Recorder-List.pdf.

Briefly a wildlife record is WHAT you saw, WHERE you saw it, WHEN you saw it and WHO you are. There are websites to help with identification, see links to some at https://www.froylewildlife.co.uk/links/.  The Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre (HBIC) has an extensive database of records for the County and collates records with partner organisations. HBIC and their partner organisations such as Butterfly Conservation, Hampshire Flora Group and Hampshire Ornithological Society have provided us with past records within the parish of Froyle. Lists of species found in Froyle can be viewed at https://www.froylewildlife.co.uk/recording/species-lists/. Some of these local records were originally submitted by Sue Clark and myself.

A recent talk organised by ACAN ‘Can Nature Count on You?’ introduced HBIC and explained the importance of biological recording, also with a contribution from a local Alton amateur botanist, email altonclimatenetwork@gmail.com if you would like to watch this recorded talk.

A local landmark on a hilltop field in Froyle was the Cedar of Lebanon that stood there for over 150 years as a sentinel tree. The cedar fell during gales in 2020 and an 8ft long section of trunk was kindly donated by Belport in April 2022. Froyle Wildlife arranged for a local chainsaw artist, Jona Cleaver to carve out a wonderful new seat from the log, weighing about 2 tons.

It is located on Froyle recreation ground (with permission from the Parish Council) next to an area of perennial wildflowers and cornfield annuals. A grant from East Hampshire District Council covered our costs for this community project.

When the weather turns cold, you may wonder what happens to these insects. Winter poses a problem for butterflies as they cannot get warm enough to become active.  They enter a dormant phase either as an egg, larva, pupa or adult insect, dependent upon species.  This isn’t simply a random choice but is a way of ensuring that the insect’s awakening the following year corresponds with the peak availability of its main food source.  Amazingly the Painted Lady avoids winter conditions completely by migrating long distances to regions in North Africa and the Middle East.

Eggs, larvae and pupae tend to be hidden away, though you may find Large White pupae attached to the walls of your house.  Those species that overwinter as dormant adults include Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Comma.  The Red Admiral, which has become a common sight in British winters of late, doesn’t enter a proper dormancy but can become active on any suitable sunny days.

The Comma has its name written on the underside in the only white marking, which resembles a comma. When resting with wings closed this butterfly has excellent camouflage, the jagged outline of the wings giving the appearance of a withered leaf, making the butterfly inconspicuous when resting on a tree trunk or when dormant in winter.

The sea urchin-shaped eggs of the Brown Hairstreak are laid singly on the bark of blackthorn, typically on one- or two-year old growth that is in a sheltered area exposed to the sun.  Within the 1mm pin-head sized egg, the larva partially develops before entering hibernation for the winter.  Overwintering eggs are particularly vulnerable to hedge-trimming since they are laid on the youngest growth of the foodplant.

The Orange Tip pupa (or chrysalis) is formed on an upright plant stem that provides a suitable overwintering site, attached by a silk thread girdle.  Green when first formed, the pupa turns light brown to more-closely match its surroundings.  Several crucifers are used as foodplants, especially Cuckooflower in damp meadows and Garlic Mustard along road verges.  It also lays its eggs on Honesty and Sweet Rocket in gardens. The chrysalis will not survive winter if the plant stems are cut down before the adult butterfly emerges in spring.  Leaving part of your garden naturally unkempt helps to benefit other wildlife aswell.

Barry C.

The Holly and the Ivy are words of this traditional Christmas carol, thought to have Pagan origins and could date back over 1000 years. Holly (Ilex aquifolium) and Ivy (Hedera helix) were taken indoors during the winter, the hope being that the occupants would endure the cold season just as these hardy plants do.  In addition, they are both brilliant for wildlife, their flowers benefit pollinators and their berries are eaten by birds.

Stroll past any ivy clad wall or tree on a sunny day in late summer and early autumn and you will see a myriad of bees, flies, wasps and butterflies attracted to the rich nectar and pollen offering. A study by Sussex University demonstrated how significant ivy’s presence is to insects. During September and October they showed that the majority of pollen pellets collected by honey bees were from ivy. Hoverflies were also observed to be particularly frequent visitors. Ivy even has its own specialists, including the Ivy Bee (Colletes hedera).

The Holly Blue butterfly (Celastrina argiolus) generally has two generations each year the first in early spring emerging well before other blue butterflies. It tends to fly high around bushes and trees, whereas other grassland blues usually stay near ground level.  It is by far the commonest blue butterfly to found in gardens with a second generation flying July to September.  The larvae feed predominantly on the flower buds, berries and terminal leaves of Holly in the spring generation, and on Ivy in the summer generation.

Although holly berries are often ripe by autumn, birds such as song thrushes, blackbirds, fieldfares and redwings don’t usually feed on them until late winter. The dry pith of ivy berries contains nearly as many calories, weight for weight as Mars bars! In most cases, while the bird digests the pith and juice, the seeds travel undamaged through the bird’s gut, and may be dropped many miles from the parent plant.

In February 2021 twelve RSPB nest boxes were put up on trees in Froyle. These will provide more nesting opportunities for small birds around Froyle recreation ground and near the wildlife pond area. The ‘standard’ boxes are for birds such as blue tits and great tits. The open fronted are for robins and wrens typically.

The natural pale wood will soon weather and darken to be less visible and some will disappear from obvious view when the leaves are on the trees. Thanks to the local volunteers that helped and who worked during lockdown as individual households.

Several trees have died in recent years leaving gaps on the eastern edge of Froyle recreation ground (see photo) that could be filled. The tree species planned are Wild Cherry, Whitebeam and Rowan, these would be purchased from British grown stock. Planting by volunteers would then be done November 2020 at the earliest. Information about these tree species can be found in the proposal approved by Froyle Parish Council.

Small young trees will transplant better and after several years will outperform large planted trees. So this will not be an instant effect project but one that should benefit wildlife in the future as well as adding interest for people. Native trees provide food and shelter for local wildlife and give seasonal interest throughout the year. From cascades of blossom in spring to a blaze of autumn leaf colour and fruits.

Update: Volunteers planted 6 new trees on Froyle recreation ground on Saturday 28th November 2020. This was largely done with one household per tree, using their own tools and with social distancing to others. The standard trees were 2 each of Whitebeam, Wild Cherry and Rowan, 2.4m to 3.0m tall, native trees grown in Hampshire. The bare rooted trees were only lifted from the ground the previous day and delivered fresh from Mill Farm Trees, Winchester. We look forward to seeing buds of growth next Spring and the seasonal changes through the year.

In the last month, a pair of Turtle Doves has occasionally visited a garden in Upper Froyle. They used to be widespread but have suffered a 94% UK population decline since 1995. At this current rate of change if we don’t find a way to help them scientists calculate that complete UK extinction as a breeding species will be a real possibility within just a few years. In Hampshire there are just a few sites where these birds hang on. Finding extra food in gardens can be an important source of nutrition for the birds. Turtle Doves are ground feeders, although you may see them on a bird table and even at a hanging feeder. They often struggle to find sources of water in the summer so please do fill up any bird baths that you may have – or simply put out a shallow dish with water.

Keith Betton is the County Bird Recorder for Hampshire and is keen to hear from anybody who sees these birds around Froyle – or hears their gentle purring call when out on walks. If you can help with sightings (which will not be made public) please contact Keith on 07809 671468 or at keithbetton@hotmail.com.

The wildlife pond and surrounding meadow near Gid Lane is adjacent to Ryebridge Stream that rises from springs in Upper Froyle and flows down to the River Wey. It’s seasonal flow usually dries up in summer and appears to be no more than small ditch. After this year’s exceptional rainfall in February the stream overflowed into the field like a river and made a temporary new lake about 200x20m in size. By mid-March the flood had subsided and the overflow ceased.