Past events

 

On 23rd November 2023 we were treated to a presentation by Barry Clark entitled ‘The story of a Froyle wildlife pond’. The wildlife pond area is situated near the bottom of Gid Lane where members can visit anytime. The talk was well illustrated and for those that were unable to attend the slides shown are available to view by downloading the .pdf. After construction in 2016, the first Great Crested Newt appeared within three months followed by toads and frogs, and by 2018 Great Crested Newts were breeding there (a recent count showed 28). There is a huge variety of insect life including water boatmen, pond skaters and great diving beetles, seventeen species of dragonfly and damselfly and a large variety of butterflies and moths. There are ‘pond-dipping’ days where children under supervision can investigate what creatures live in the pond.


The Froyle Wildlife Annual General Meeting held in November 2023 reviewed what wildlife had been about in the parish and welcomed comments on future events. A copy of the annual report with accounts was sent to members and a .pdf of the slides shown is viewable. After thanking the volunteers and members for their support, resolutions were unanimously approved.


There are over 15,000 species of fungi in the UK, many of which occur in Hampshire. The talk on 14th September 2023 Rosemary Webb stunned us with a slide display of 200 of her beautiful photographs during her talk ‘Fabulous Fungi in Hampshire’. Although fungi are maligned for the species that are poisonous toadstools, they in fact perform an essential service in breaking down dead plant material into a form that provides nutrients for living plants and trees. Without them, years of leaf litter and the remains of dead trees would pile over our heads rather than enrich the soil. You can get a sense of the variety of forms by just considering a selection of their English names: bird’s nest, coral, stag’s horn, candelabra, eyelash, orange peel, blue or red elf cap, black vulgar, jelly babies (they wobble), yellow brain, jelly ear, beefsteak, hedgehog, earth fan, bog bell, bearded tooth, hoof, turkey tail, cramp balls or King Alfred’s cakes, plums and custard.


We held four pond-dipping sessions over two mornings in August 2023 at the wildlife pond. About 25 people attended in all and enjoyed using the nets to see what they could find in the water. Key organisms of note were lesser water boatmen, great crested newts, smooth newts, a water scorpion and numerous dragonfly nymphs, diving beetles and ramshorn snails. Children and adults seemed to really enjoy being around the pond, which was surrounded by a colourful display of wildflowers. Ted Matthews said, ‘The pond dipping was good because lots of people helped me to find different creatures.’ Feddy Boote said, ‘I liked using the nets and finding the newts.’ Henny Boote said, ‘The water scorpion breathes through its bottom.’ Now in its seventh year, the pond really is teeming with life, in the water and above.


A bat and moth evening jointly with Alton Natural History Society met at Froyle Church on 15th July 2023 and then moved on to the Wildlife Pond area. After the showery July weather, fortunately it stayed dry for the evening but was too chilly for good conditions. Several of us had bat detectors and once we had positioned ourselves under the trees of Gid Lane we soon started hearing and seeing bats with good aerobatic display of several Pipistrelles (both Common and Soprano) and the characteristic zipping noise as they found insects to eat. We also heard Noctule and bats from the Myotis family. By the time we walked down the avenue of Common Lime towards the pond area it was quite dark and a moth trap had been set up with a powerful light that attracts moths to where they can rest on egg boxes before being identified and released. Considering the temperature started at 14C and went down to 12C it was good that we saw as many moths as we did. The list of 19 species included Black Arches, Mother of Pearl, Nut-tree Tussock, Swallow-tailed and Ghost Moths.


The weather forecast was unsettled for the ‘Drop-in’ Day on 8th July 2023 at the wildlife pond area and meadow near Gid Lane. We had barely finished setting up when the rain poured down accompanied by thunder and lightning – After 2h the rain ceased and we had our first two visitors followed by more as the weather warmed up. The sun also brought the insects out, the most numerous and colourful were the butterflies with 17 species noted including Small Copper, Brown Argus, Small Tortioseshell and Painted Lady. Other species spotted included Dark Bush-cricket, Roesel’s Bush- cricket, 14-spot Ladybird, Tawny Longhorn beetles, Spotted Longhorn beetles Dock Bug and of course dragonflies.


We were delighted to see 9 species of butterfly including the Duke of Burgundy Fritillary on our walk at Noar Hill, SSSI on 16th May 2023. With the sun shining most of the time, Holly Blues flitted about the bushes and on short vegetation we caught sight of Dingy Skipper. Then we spotted something buzzing around our feet -the solitary bee Osmia Bicolor. We observed this bee flying with small pieces of debris to put on its nest for camouflage where the eggs are laid in an empty snail shell.

We eventually found several Duke of Burgundy perching on cowslips after only having fleeting glimpses of them flying past earlier. The caterpillar food plants are primrose and cowslip mainly on chalk grassland and preferably in sheltered locations. Other butterflies seen on the day were Brimstone, Orange Tip, Small Blue, Comma and Red Admiral while one person also spotted Green Hairstreak and Speckled Wood.


Our talk on 9th March 2023 about the life stages of butterflies found in Froyle, by Peter Eeles was very informative by someone who has spent years studying butterflies. We all learned something new about these amazing insects that are indicators of the health of our natural environment. Peter is the chairman of the Hampshire branch of Butterfly Conservation and runs the website UKButterflies. A list of the 36 butterfly species found in Froyle were grouped into their taxonomic families. All butterflies go through four main stages: egg, to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to adult. The caterpillar stage is subdivided into up to four intermediates or ‘instars’ as the caterpillars grow and repeatedly shed their skins; these can have colour variations. The adults generally live for a few weeks, but some overwinter as adults, eg Peacocks, Red Admirals, and Brimstones that can reach a year old as an adult. Others overwinter in every stage of development depending on species.


Dave Williams from the Surrey Dormouse Group gave a fascinating talk on 15th November 2022. The hazel dormouse is arboreal, living in both trees and hedgerows and particularly likes hazel coppice.  They usually build their nests in hedgerows, hibernate from December to March, and also sleep for half the time while not hibernating. They eat berries, insects, nectar, pollen, and of course hazelnuts. The holes they make on the shell have distinctive diagonal grooves on the edge which can prove their presence. It is our only native dormouse and is legally protected.  Predators include stoats, weasels, tawny owls, cats, yellow-necked mice, and creatures that impair their dwellings/nests. But the main cause of their decline is loss of habitat, lack of connectivity and woodland clearance.


In October 2022 we held the AGM of Froyle Wildlife a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Members had been sent the Trustees Report and Barry Clark reviewed the year’s events (see slides shown). The wildlife pond area near Gid Lane continues to thrive as a local biodiversity hotspot with new species recorded this year. A new leaflet about our activities was delivered to households in Froyle and is available to download as a .pdf. After thanking the volunteers and members for their support, resolutions were unanimously approved by 45 members present at the meeting in the Village Hall and was followed by a talk about Barn Owls.


At our talk on 25th October 2022, we were treated to the gorgeous Barn and Tawny Owls that Kim Boog from the Barn Owl Project Hampshire had brought along. Kim took us through some information on the conservation status of owls around the World with a questionnaire and a number of trick questions (did you know that the Barn Owl has a third ear, cannot see well in daylight and their head is not completely symmetrical?). Kim then spoke passionately about these serene creatures and the work she performs to rehabilitate the birds brought into her hospital.


Old Winchester Hill NNR provided our walk on 4th August 2022 and did not disappoint with wonderful views, wildflowers and butterflies. The south slope had numerous Chalkhill Blue butterflies flitting over the hot vegetation among their caterpillar foodplant Horseshoe Vetch. We spotted the delicate flowers of the rare Round-headed Rampion growing in the poor chalky soil along with species such as Harebell, Squinancywort and Small Scabious. Well worth a visit at any time of the year, we enjoyed some of the best of Hampshire’s countryside.


Sunny weather was excellent for the drop-in day on 9th July 2022 at the wildlife pond area. During the day we saw 15 species of butterfly including Marbled White, Meadow Brown and Comma. The mesmerising arial displays of dragonflies and damselflies over the pond are always a delight to witness, with 8 species recorded such as Broad-bodied Chaser, Banded Demoiselle and Small Red-eyed Damselfly. The wildflower meadow surrounding the pond also hosts a variety of hoverflies, bees, ladybirds and beetles. Water in the pond dropped to the lowest level ever this August, so unfortunately, we had to cancel the children’s pond dipping activity.


We ran a moth lamp on two evenings at the meadow surrounding the wildlife pond in Upper Froyle. The first evening on 10th June 2022 recorded 15 species even though the temperature quickly plummeted under a clear cold sky. The second on 12th July 2022 with ideal weather conditions recorded an amazing 68 species under overcast sky with a temperature of 21 C at midnight. These included the colourful Elephant Hawk-moth and our largest British species the Privet Hawk-moth. Amongst the hundreds of individual moths seen and some photographed, there are more micro-moth species still to be identified. Hardly any of the moths recorded would be seen during the day.


Our guided walk on 21st May 2022 was led by reserve officer Mike Coates at RSPB Farnham Heath.  Mike explained how from 2003 the original heathland had been restored by clearing over 300 acres of commercial conifer plantation.  The varied heathland vegetation has now attracted back a wide variety of flora and fauna.  Heathland birds we spotted included tree pipit and woodlark, plus the distant song of a Dartford Warbler.  The walk also took us into an area of the reserve where we were fortunate to hear chirping Field Crickets, a species found in only 8 UK sites in Sussex and Hampshire.  Butterflies seen included Holly Blue, Speckled Wood and Small Heath.  Moths included Speckled Yellow and Mother Shipton.


Flora recording on 8th May 2022 around Froyle was led by botanist Isobel Girvan. This joint project with Alton Natural History Society recording plant species in Froyle started in 2021 as an update to a previous survey in 1991. The list of 89 flora seen on the day included Yellow Archangel, Hairy St. John’s-wort, Beaked Hawk’s-beard and White Helleborine (a wild orchid).


An enjoyable talk about ‘Attracting Wildlife to your Garden’ on 13th April 2022 was presented by Susan Simmonds of Hampshire and IOW Wildlife Trust.  For some there is a gardening dilemma: do we tidily weed our gardens or do we allow native plants to flourish because they are well-liked by pollinators (dandelions, germander speedwell), or are good for butterflies to lay their eggs on (nettles, garlic mustard), or provide nesting places for birds and hibernation sites for butterflies (brambles and ivy).  Susan also suggested that we leave at least some of our lawn to be uncut and we might be surprised what springs up.  Plants that benefit wildlife include mixed native hedges (buckthorn is used by brimstone butterflies), honeysuckle (for moths), scabious (for many pollinators), primrose (for bee-flies). Garden ponds should have a shallow edge or ‘beach’ for easy access by amphibians and also some marginal planting such as water mint or purple loosestrife.


Hampshire’s County Bird Recorder Keith Betton gave an informative and chirping talk on ‘Bird Song Around Froyle’ on 24th March 2022. Keith explained that birds sing to establish and maintain a territory, and to attract a female. That is not to say that singing is restricted exclusively to male birds. Female Robins for example sing in Winter when they separate from their partner and establish their own territory for a time.
Keith used recordings from the Collins Bird Guide app to illustrate the songs of birds likely to be seen and heard locally. Some of the more striking songs of the common birds are the rich ‘chocolatey’ song of the Blackbird, the note and phrase repeats delivered by the Song Thrush, and the powerful, loud and fast song of the tiny Wren.


We heard a fascinating talk on 21 October 2021 by Tom Mabbett from Naturetrek, on ‘My Favourite British Wildlife Locations’. Lavishly illustrated with an impressive range of bird and animal photographs, Tom took us on a tour starting with the Ardnamurchan Peninsula and finishing closer to his home the Forest of Dean. Along the way we heard about Spurn Point, the Somerset Levels (wonderful starling mumurations) and more locally Alresford Pond.


The AGM via Zoom on 21 October 2021 heard an account of the range of activities which have taken place during the largely pandemic-struck year (see Annual Report and slides shown). Froyle Wildlife continued to look after the wildflower area on the Recreation Ground and the Wildlife pond area near Gid Lane. The excellent news from the pond, as shown by professional surveys, is that they recorded increased peak counts of 28 Great Crested Newts and 23 Smooth Newts. We have informally monitored the habitat there and records amazingly now include: 16 species of dragonfly/damselfly; 4 species of amphibian; 26 species of butterfly; 103 species of moth and 113 species of flowering plants.


We ran a stall at the Froyle Festival in September 2021, which was very popular, we hope not just because of the prizes for children. A display of photos of wildlife seen in Froyle gave people an insight into what they can find in our own Parish.


Perfect Pond Dipping! On 20th and 22nd August 2021 we had a wonderful time pond dipping with several families at the wildlife pond near Gid Lane. In addition to searching the pond for Froyle’s tiniest aquatic creatures, the children delightedly roamed through the towering, butterfly and bee-covered wildlflowers. We found many newts and newt tadpoles (juvenile newts with their gills still on the outsides of their bodies) and pond-skaters, diving beetles, water boatmen, numerous Ramshorn snails and dragonfly nymphs. One of the most interesting finds was a water scorpion. These fascinating creatures breathe underwater through their snorkel-like tail. Their leaf-shaped bodies allow them to hide in the shallow edges of the pond, undetected by their prey.  It was a great way to spend time in nature and we look forward to repeating this event next year.


We ran a moth lamp one evening on 7th August 2021 at the meadow surrounding the wildlife pond and recorded 15 species even though it was cool and breezy.  These included Straw Underwing (photo), Flame Shoulder and Spectacle moths.  Butterflies and moths are useful indicator species for the health of our environment.


On a cool morning on 24th July 2021, a small group visited Bentley Station Meadow our nearest SSSI that is managed by Butterfly Conservation.  We had close views of butterflies and other insects at rest because without sunshine they remained stationary.  These included Ringlet, Gatekeeper, Roesels Bush-cricket and Shaded Broad-bar moth.  Hidden in the lush vegetation we also spotted Herb-paris, an indicator species for ancient woodlands.


The weather on the 11th July 2021 ‘drop-in’ day at the Froyle wildlife pond area, started wet turning cool and overcast.  So although the wildflowers were splendid, most of the dragonflies, butterflies and bees stayed hidden in the vegetation.  Repeated the following Saturday 17th, hot and sunny weather ensured that we saw plenty. Butterflies included Marbled White, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper. Of the 8 dragonfly and damselfly species seen the Emperors stole the show with their aerial chases over the pond.  Some of the 36 visitors sent us photos taken on both drop-in days, these included, Large Skipper, Mint moth, Banded Demoiselle and Four-spotted Chaser.


We heard about ‘Wildlife Photography Tips and Experiences’ from Stephen Powles, a former vet. His talk on 15th April 2021 was a beautifully-illustrated presentation on Zoom and well-attended. Although a professional photographer the talk had something for all levels. You don’t need expensive kit, the photographer’s imagination is the most important piece of equipment. Many excellent photos can be taken with camera-phones which have good wide angle lenses and can be used with great effect. Focusing is important for insect and reptile photographs, select the the eyes to be in sharp focus. Composition matters too, putting the subject bang in the middle of the picture isn’t always best. Getting down low gives a better perspective on plants and fungi and a wide aperture setting can blur the background.


On 4th March 2021 we enjoyed a really wonderful talk by Paul Reynolds, Hospital Manager of HART Wildlife Rescue via Zoom. Located at Medstead near Alton, HART Wildlife runs a wildlife hospital, providing a rescue, treatment and rehabilitation service for wildlife from all over Hampshire and surrounding counties. Over 3,000 animals were treated by HART in 2020 including hedgehogs, wild birds, foxes, owls, ducks, rabbits and mice.


In February 2021 we put up 12 bird nest boxes on trees in Froyle; around the recreation ground and near the wildlife pond area. These will provide more nesting opportunities. The ‘standard’ boxes are for small birds such as blue tits and great tits and the open fronted boxes are for robins and wrens typically.


Volunteers planted 6 new trees with enthusiasm on Froyle recreation ground on Saturday 28th November 2020 (plan approved by Froyle Parish Council). This was largely done with one household per tree, using their own tools and with social distancing to others. As a reminder 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 on 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.


Our talk via zoom on 20th November 2020 was ‘Hampshire -Nature in Trust’. Presented by Mike Read, a freelance nature photographer specialising in birds, flowers, mammals and other wildlife as well as landscapes. He visited one Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust reserve each month through the year to record the scenery and wildlife. From Farlington Marshes to Broughton Down, the wide spread of locations produced a broad variety of habitats and showcases the great work that the HIWWT is doing. We enjoyed the beautiful photographs and were inspired to visit more of Hampshire’s nature reserves in 2021.


We welcomed Keith Betton to tell us about the ‘Birds of the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica’ on 15th October 2020. As a Farnham resident, and Hampshire County Bird Recorder, Keith  is a keen world birder and has visited the Antarctic oceans three times. In this talk he took us through some of the amazing birds seen and he explained how the wildlife of these areas fits together in a very challenging environment. We enjoyed hearing the excellent talk with some superb photos at this virtual meeting via zoom.


In October 2020 we held the virtual AGM of Froyle Wildlife a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Members had been sent the Trustees Report and Barry Clark reviewed the year’s events (see slides shown). After thanking the volunteers and members for their support, resolutions were unanimously approved by 31 members present at the meeting via zoom.


At the ‘drop-in’ day on 11th July 2020, 19 visitors came to see the wildlife pond and surrounding meadow near Gid Lane (with social distancing). The wildflowers looked splendid especially the purple loosestrife, knapweed and hedge bedstraw.  Seen on the day were 14 species of butterfly, 6 species of dragonfly/damselfly, ladybirds, hoverflies, bees, grasshoppers and the rare Tawny Longhorn Beetle.  Certainly an amazing hotspot for local biodiversity.


Due to Covid-19 restrictions we cancelled our ‘walks and talks’ in most of 2020, we hope to resume talks in the village hall in October. In view of the reduced number of events, we will giving free membership in 2020 to all those who paid for the 2019 calendar year. Those members who have already paid for 2020 may wish to regard this as a ‘donation’ or can request that their £5 paid goes towards their 2021 membership. We plan to continue looking after the wildflower area on Froyle recreation ground and the wildlife pond area near Gid Lane with individual volunteers rather than groups. Thanks for the positive comments received about the new living willow dome.

Nature in Froyle has carried on as usual during lockdown and here is a link to the map of public footpaths if you can exercise in this parish.


We welcomed Hugh Milner on 18th October 2019 for an informative talk about our wonderful Ancient Woodlands and trees. Hugh worked for many years at nearby Alice Holt for the Forestry Commission. He told us that with sympathetic management ancient woods can create ecological impact, enhance biodiversity and benefit ancient trees. The age of a woodland can be estimated by surveying for indicator species such as spindle, butcher’s-broom, wood-sorrel, hart’s tongue fern and by physical features such as ditch and bank boundaries. Ancient semi-natural woods are woods that have developed naturally, often managed for timber and other industries over the centuries they have had woodland cover for over 400 years.


In October 2019 we held the AGM of Froyle Wildlife a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Members had been sent the Trustees Report and Barry Clark reviewed the year’s events (see slides shown). After thanking the volunteers and members for their support, two resolutions were unanimously approved by 33 members present.


A moth evening at the meadow surrounding the wildlife pond on 25th August 2019 recorded 31 species of moth (see list), arranged at short notice when mild temperatures after dark were forecast. A highlight was the Gold Spot moth that had not been recorded before in Froyle. Also seen were; Hawthorn and Red-legged Shieldbugs; scores of Water Boatman and two Wasp Spiders. Additionally Pipistrelle and Soprano Pipistrelle bats were detected on the bat recorder.


On 11th August 2019 a pond dipping event organised for children and adults saw some keen young wildlife watchers meet the inhabitants of the pond. Highlights included two beautiful young Smooth Newts, many Greater and Lesser Water Boatmen, pond skaters (although it was breezy so most were sheltering not skating!) and lots of diving beetles. Submerged were dragonfly larvae, water snails and see through phantom midge larvae. In flight we saw stunning Emperor Dragonflies, a Southern Hawker Dragonfly, Small Red-eyed damselflies and a Painted Lady butterfly enjoying the wildflowers. All in all it was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!


Our walk on 7th August 2019 took us to Old Winchester Hill NNR complete with ancient Hill Fort, stunning views and wonderful flora and fauna.  We didn’t see it at its best as shortly after we’d set off the rainclouds burst and hardly let up during the next two hours! However, we pressed on to the Hill Fort and saw myriads of wildflowers such as round-headed rampion, harebell, fairy flax and yellow-wort. Luckily everyone took the walk in good humour and we did see two beautiful wasp spiders before the deluge.


At the ‘drop-in’ day on 7th July 2019 24 visitors came to see the wildlife pond and surrounding meadow near Gid Lane. Great Crested Newts have bred there again this year with several sightings of newt larvae in the water. The wildflowers looked splendid especially the purple loosestrife, knapweed and hedge bedstraw. Unfortunately, the weather was overcast and breezy so not the best conditions to see insects, however amongst others six species of dragonfly a handsome Ichneumon wasp and ten species of butterfly were noted including a painted lady which was new to the site bringing the total number of butterfly species recorded there to 23. The most unusual sighting of the day was a Kingfisher flying past.


We visited Noar Hill SSSI near Selborne on 26th June 2019 where we enjoyed seeing the wonderful array of wild orchids that thrive there on the thin chalky soil.  Common Spotted, Chalk Fragrant and Pyramidal orchids were everywhere we also saw Common Twayblade, Musk and a couple of Frog Orchids. There were many other wild flowers too including Knapweed Broomrape, Dragons Teeth (Tetragonolobus maritimus), Kidney Vetch, Meadow Vetchling, Mouse-ear Hawkweed, Milkwort, Yellow Rattle, Salad Burnet, Rockrose and Wild Thyme to name a few. Butterflies such as Small Heath, Marbled White, Painted Lady, Common Blue and Small Blue skipped amongst the flowers but perhaps it was the Dark Green Fritillary that stole the show!


Our walk on 18th May 2019 looked at local flora in Upper Froyle at St Mary’s Churchyard and a nearby wildflower meadow.  68 plant species were identified  including Bush Vetch, Salad Burnet, Sweet Violet and Thyme-leaved Speedwell.  Photographs taken last summer can be seen on our gallery.


Mike Coates from the RSPB told us about the conservation success story of Farnham Heath on 30th April 2019. Centuries ago heathland developed from Common Land that was used for grazing and digging turfs. It is now a rare habitat, Surrey having lost 90% of its heathland. In 2004, an area of conifer forest was cleared in sections over 10 years. The heather seeds, which had laid dormant for decades, sprung to life and this attracted a number of rare birds including nightjars, woodlarks, and Dartford warblers; reptiles including endangered sand lizards; and invertebrates including field crickets and silver studded blues. You can access Farnham Heath from Tilford Rural Life Centre. Pick up a leaflet there and follow a marked trail.


Our fascinating and entertaining walk on 27th April 2019 was hosted by Mark Howard, a local hurdle maker and coppicer.  Starting at a hedge which he had laid a year ago, Mark explained the techniques and benefits of hedge-laying. We moved on to a woodland copse near Crondall, to be greeted by a fabulous carpet of bluebells. Some of this copse is believed to be medieval – certainly there were some ancient trees, wood banks and indicator plant species that bore this out.  Coppicing has been practiced for hundreds of years, Mark showed us various stages of hazel and sweet chestnut coppice stools. Operated on a roughly eight-year cycle, a coppice wood offers a range of habitats for flora, including huge patches of euphorbia, bluebells, yellow archangel, a few orchids, and fauna such as roe deer and numerous woodland birds. Coppiced hazel produces poles with many uses, including bean poles, pea sticks, thatching pins and in hurdles. In the fields around the copse Mark explained the principles of conservation farming.


On 22nd March 2019 our informative talk was ‘Plight of the Bumblebee’, Dr Nikki Gammans from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust told us about the three types of bees -solitary, honey and bumblebee their lifecycle and ecology. We can all help bumblebees by planting some bee-friendly plants in our gardens, to flower between March and September. As gardens cover over one million acres in the UK, this presents a great opportunity to provide food for bumblebees. By using these spaces more effectively, everyone can get involved in making the landscape friendlier to bumblebees, and help reverse the declines of the past century. Whether you have a window box, allotment or large garden, bee-friendly flowers can help boost your local bumblebee population. In return, they will dutifully pollinate our flowers, crops, fruits and vegetables


The topic of a ‘Surrey Safari‘ was on 25th October 2018. Geoff Lunn gave a fascinating and entertaining talk about the wildlife he has observed and recorded over the years, mainly within his garden near Farnham.  It was illustrated with his own superb photographs and demonstrated the impressive variety of wildlife that can be attracted into gardens within this area. Particularly memorable was his rescue and rearing of a young green woodpecker which he eventually successfully released back into the wild.


In October 2018 we held the AGM of Froyle Wildlife a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Members had been sent the Trustees Report and Barry Clark reviewed the year’s events (see slides shown). A new area of cornfield annuals was sown in Spring on Froyle recreation ground. By July the poppies were at their peak and then the corn marigolds and corn camomile extended the flowering season. The wildlife pond and surrounding wildflower meadow continues as a hot spot for local biodiversity; including 21 butterfly species, 14 dragonfly species, 4 amphibian species (with breeding Great Crested Newts) and 87 species of flowering plants (see list).  After thanking the volunteers and members for their support, three resolutions were unanimously approved by about 30 members present.


Our destination on 1st August 2018 was Magdalen Hill Down, a large a chalk downland reserve managed by Butterfly Conservation.  Guided by reserves manager Jayne Chapman we had lovely views from the steep, south-facing hillside. Ten species of butterfly were seen including Chalkhill Blue and Small Heath as well as 3 day flying moth species, a Wasp Spider and wonderful wildflowers such as Clustered Bellflower, Harebell, Common Rockrose, Horseshoe Vetch and Kidney Vetch.  Two species of Robberfly were photographed one of them being new to the reserve.


We ran a moth lamp on 7th July 2018 at the wildflower meadow that surrounds the wildlife pond near Gid Lane, it was well worth staying up to the early hours as over 40 species were recorded from the large Privet Hawk Moth to the small Apple Ermine which is only 10mm long.


The weather was good for our walk at Broxhead Common SSSI on 27th June 2018 with dozens of the rare Silver-studded Blue butterflies seen on the heathland and the unusual Red-banded Sand Wasp.

 


We were treated to an inspiring talk about ‘Wild Orchids‘ and amazing photos by Rosemary Webb on 15th May 2018.  She told us she has been an “orchid freak” since first seeing a Bee Orchid over 60 years ago.  We discovered that Hampshire is the best county for orchids, having 35 of the 52 species in the British Isles.  After hearing that if you haven’t been to Noar Hill, the jewel of Hampshire for orchids, you haven’t lived I’m sure we will all be there in this summer.  Whether we will manage to get a photo of a flower self pollinating on the breeze caused by a passing horse remains to be seen!


On 19th April 2018 we had an enjoyable and informal evening when John Buckley enlightened us with tips on how to identify our native species of ‘Hampshire’s Amphibians and Reptiles‘ concentrating on the Smooth, Palmate and Great Crested Newts, Common Frog, Common Toad, Common Lizard, Slow-worm, Grass Snake and Adder – all found locally.  We also learnt something of their habitats, enjoyed a picture quiz and had the opportunity to examine live newts closely.

We were encouraged to record sightings of these creatures (in our gardens or elsewhere in Hampshire) on ‘Living Record’. Alternatively records can be sent to Hampshire Wildlife Trust, thereby contributing towards an Atlas of Hampshire’s amphibians and reptiles to be published in 2020.  Data collected from such surveys inform conservationists which species are doing well and which are in decline.


Wildlife author Dominic Couzens took us on an entertaining journey on 8th March 2018 through the year he spent trying to show his children 50 British mammals. He wasn’t at all sure his little 3 and 5 year olds would make it! They travelled to the Ardnamurchan peninsula which holds the daily record mammal count (26 if you want to know): the children were asleep in the back of the car when a wildcat crossed their path, so that could not be counted! Another time the family went to Brownsea Island to see red squirrels – and eventually found one in the café.  He was full of anecdotes about his year of creating memories for his family.


Local wildlife enthusiast Alan Wynde gave an informative talk on 9th November 2017 about the ‘Seabirds of Skokholm’. The island lies off the south-west coast of Pembrokeshire and despite being only 240 acres it is an internationally important breeding site for many seabirds. It holds 52,000 pairs of Manx Shearwaters and 20% of Europe’s population of Storm Petrels.

Some 40 years ago, Alan had helped to remove a herd of goats which were destroying shearwater burrows and stunting vegetation. The pioneering work of Ronald Lockley started the first bird observatory and ringing of shearwaters. It was explained that shearwaters use the position of the sun as a means of orientation and how their highly developed sense of smell enables them to have an olfactory map of the oceans. Various aspects of the biology of puffins, razorbills, guillemots and gannets were described. Gannets use Grassholm another nearby island as a breeding site, holding 35000 pairs.


In October 2017 we held the first AGM of Froyle Wildlife since becoming a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Members had been sent the Trustees Report and Barry Clark reviewed the year’s events (see slides shown). The new wildlife pond and surrounding wildflower meadow has added an astonishing increase in local biodiversity; including 22 butterfly species, 13 dragonfly species, 2 amphibian species and 86 species of flowering plants (see list).  After thanking the volunteers and members for their support, six trustees were elected unanimously by about 40 members present.


Harvest Mouse talk  19th October 2017.  Zoologist Dr Francesca Pella gave an enthusiastic talk about her work on Harvest Mice in Selborne. First recorded by Gilbert White in 1767, the good news is that 11 local farmers around Selborne covering 10,000 acres are now working to improve habitats for key species including the harvest mouse.  The concern is that harvest mice numbers are declining nationally and the species is considered rare. Fortunately n the recent Selborne study over 400 nests were recorded in the two years 2014/5.

Their latin name is micromys minutus, or ‘smallest mouse’, which is apt as it is the smallest rodent in Europe, with a head and body length of 5-8cm and typically weighing 4-6g.  It is the only British mammal to have a prehensile tail able to grasp plant stems as they move through long vegetation. The nests of Harvest Mouse have also been found in Froyle at two locations; one of these was along grassy field margins between the hedgerow and crop.


On a breezy but sunny day 20th August 2017, the new wildlife pond welcomed 19 children with their accompanying parents and grandparents. It was perfect weather for pond dipping and children and adults had lots of fun finding and identifying many interesting inhabitants of the pond. These included greater and lesser boatmen, juvenile ramshorn snails, damselfly nymphs and at least three different species of dragonfly nymph.

Sam, aged 3 remarked, ‘I liked catching all the different creatures’. And Joe, aged 6 said, ‘My favourite thing was catching a massive dragonfly nymph’.  Frankie aged 6 said he absolutely loved it. Bea aged 11 said she thought it would be babyish but it wasn’t and she loved looking at the really tiny creatures under the microscope. Eryka said, ‘I’ve never been pond dipping before, it was so cool!  I caught a waterboatman.  I would like to do it again.’


The sun shone at the start of our leisurely stroll around Bentley Station Meadow on 29th July 2017.  The abundant nectar of the Water Mint as we went in was clearly a favourite with the Silver-washed Fritillaries, not often you get such good views of so many at once.

The butterflies we saw:- Silver-washed Fritillary, Green-veined White, Large White, Small Copper, Comma, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Common Blue, Small Skipper. We also saw Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Banded Demoiselle male, Beautiful Demoiselle male and Shaded Broad-bar moth. Plants included:- Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Sneezewort Agrimony, Betony, Hedge Bedstaw, Tormentil, Tufted Vetch, Wild Angelica, Lesser Burdock. Herb Paris (Paris quadrifolia) was also seen further up the meadow just as the rain started.


The new wildlife pond and surrounding wildflower meadow was opened on 25th June 2017. After enjoying refreshments at Froyle Park we walked to the pond area near Gid Lane where Glynis Watts from East Hampshire District Council cut the ribbon. The wildflower meadow that surrounds ‘Froyle Park Pond’ looked superb and we lingered to observe what was flying over the pond. Dragonflies have already found the new habitat as well as pond skaters, water boatmen and whirligig beetles.

This successful project was lead by volunteers from Froyle Wildlife and there is now permitted access for members. Conditions of our access licence include visitors using only the stile for entry/exit (see plan) and no fires, BBQs or picnics. Advice from wildlife pond experts is to let the pond colonise naturally over time. So please do not introduce any fish, aquatic species or pond plants because this could bring in diseases or potentially invasive non-native species.


The sun shone at Noar Hill on 10th May 2017 for a really enjoyable afternoon’s walk at short notice. We saw Duke of Burgundy and the not so Dingy Skippers but think the Green Hairstreaks may have stolen the limelight!

9 butterfly species seen – Holly Blue, Brimstone,  Orange Tip,  Small Heath, Duke of Burgundy, Dingy Skipper, Green Hairstreak, Large White, Red Admiral. 2 Brimstone eggs (on Purging Buckthorn). Early Purple and Twayblade orchids, Milkwort, Salad Burnet, Germander Speedwell (bird’s-eye) Adder’s-tongue Fern. Birds seen/heard Whitethroat, Yellow Hammer, Chiffchaff, Green Woodpecker, Blackcap. For more information see a list of British Butterfly books and websites.


Wildlife of the River Wey – Glen Skelton, from the Surrey Wildlife Trust, gave an interesting talk about rivers being ‘Nature’s Super Highways’ on 27th April 2017.

Banded Demoiselle female near River Wey

After rising from a chalk aquafer in Alton, the Northern branch of the River Wey flows through Upper Froyle, and Farnham before joining the South Wey at Tilford, and ultimately joins the River Thames. This chalk stream is an approximately 80km wildlife corridor. There are only around 200 chalk streams in the world and 85% of these are found in England, so we are fortunate to have the River Wey in Froyle. Coming from groundwater aquafers, the water is of high clarity and good chemical quality, making it precious for certain wildlife species, potentially supporting a rich flora and fauna. However, unfortunately man’s activities are having a detrimental effect on rivers including the Wey. Consequently volunteers, including those led by Glen, do restoration work with the aim of improving the biodiversity and health of the river, to enable them to function naturally.


Hedgerows for Wildlife – At our talk on 16th March 2017, we enjoyed a riveting and at times humorous evening with Jon Stokes from the Tree Council.

Apparently there are 500,000 miles of hedgerow in Britain which could be looked on as our largest nature reserve. 130 nationally rare species live in hedgerow but sadly 88 of these are rapidly declining, this is due to several factors, and one such is the close annual cutting that some hedgerows undergo.  Jon explained that moving the hedge cutter just four inches back from the usual cutting position produces flowering and fruiting on second year wood.  This in turn provides food for many species including insects, mammals and farmland birds. Employing this method of management each year then cutting back to the original size in the 5th year would dramatically improve biodiversity. Information on maintaining hedgerows http://hedgelink.org.uk/index.php and on Seasonal berries, nuts and apples.


On 23rd February 2017 we welcomed Dr. Andy Barker of the charity Butterfly Conservation to speak about the Butterflies of Hampshire.  We learnt there are 46 species of butterfly that breed in the county with most of the scarcer species relying on special habitats such as deciduous woodland, chalk downland and heathland.  This is due to the exacting habitat requirements of many species including the presence of specific larval foodplants. Richly illustrated with photographs and graphs, the latter showed the serious declines over a number of years of many of these beautiful insects with the Pearl-bordered Fritillary nearly extinct in Hampshire due to loss of coppiced habitat.  Success stories include the recreation of wild flower chalk grassland at Magdalen Hill Down near Winchester.

Gardening for butterflies – Plenty of ideas for nectar and larval food plants to grow for butterflies. Garden Butterfly Survey – Make your garden butterfly sightings count by noting what you see each month online, something for the whole family.


On 20th October 2016 our AGM and Red Kite talk was well attended. It was a joy to welcome new members to Froyle Wildllife and have a chance to chat with existing members. Attendees were shown pictures from our main project this year, the wildlife pond and seeds from our wildflower meadow on the Recreation Ground in Lower Froyle were available (free with membership).

red-kite-taggedFollowing delicious drinks and nibbles, Keith Betton began his fascinating talk about Red Kites. We learnt that Kites were actually recorded as extinct in Hampshire in 1864, but thanks to a government scheme their population has been partially restored. In the 1960s kite numbers had dropped to just 40 breeding pairs in Wales. The scheme introduced 2500 breeding pairs from Spain in the late 1980s. The Kites we see flying in the skies above Froyle today are likely descendants of those reintroductions.


Mill Farm walk 2We enjoyed a lovely late summers evening on 8th September 2016 for our walk and talk at Mill Farm Organic, bordering Froyle and Isington. The farm extends to around 600 acres and has been managed organically for over 16 years, certified by the Soil Association. The main enterprises are a herd of South Devon and Aberdeen Angus beef cows, a flock of Black Welsh Mountain and Easycare sheep and a herd of traditional breed pigs. These all produce meat which is sold at the farm shop  and at local Farmers Markets. Thanks to Nick Shaylor for an inspiration evening.


Bee walk FroyleOn the 23rd July 2016, Mike Edwards enthused us about “The Magic of Bees” while we walked to see what was buzzing in Froyle. We visited the wildflower area on the rec and two nearby gardens. Compared to honey bees, the solitary and bumble bees are better pollinators flying at lower temperatures and distributing dry pollen.


Raking up the cuttings

Volunteers did the first cut of the wildflower area on Froyle recreation ground on 30th/31st July 2016. Many people have enjoyed seeing the wildflowers from May to July (link to photos). Although it seemed a shame to cut the cornfield annuals while still flowering, it will allow more growing room for the perennials to thrive in subsequent years. After scything, the cutting were raked up and removed next day.


On 18tWildlife pond Froyleh June 2016 we walked to a wildlife pond in Lower Froyle, where Bill Wain spotted over 20 exuvia (empty skins) of Emperor Dragonfly that had recently emerged. A Common Blue Damselfly allowed close views while stationary and an emerging dragonfly on the flag iris leaves was probably a Four-spot Chaser. The absence of any sunshine meant that none were flying.

Swift talk Froyle


Edward Mayer delighted over 50 people on 12th May 2016 with his enthusiastic and inspirational talk on swifts (and a little on swallows). As well as bringing that uplifting sound of summer, these amazing birds are superbly skilful flyers and they drink, feed and even mate in flight!

Swift bricks & nest boxes are relatively inexpensive and can be fitted to new builds and during any renovation work to roofs, soffits and guttering. The ‘Hampshire Swifts’ website link takes you to the swift survey page. Please record any 2016 sightings you make so that Hampshire’s swift records are up to date and accurate.


Thanks to the invitation from Froyle Estate, 30 Froyle residents were able to enjoy walks in Hawkins Wood to see the carpets of bluebells, amongst other plants, on two occasions in April 2016. Sue C led the walks with great enthusiasm and knowledge, click on link for more information.

Froyle bluebells 3As well as the glorious bluebells, other ancient woodland plant indicators that were seen on the walk included Yellow Archangel, Wood Anemone, Barren Strawberry, Early Dog-violet, Primrose, Wood Sorrel, the imaginatively named Townhall Clock with delicate flowers facing in 4 directions, and Toothwort, again appropriately named for its tooth like appearance, a plant that is parasitic on tree roots.


Dr Bill Wain gave us a fascinating insight into the world of dragonflies on the 15th March 2016. Common darterVarious freshwater habitats from lakes, rivers and canals to small boggy pools and garden ponds are used for egg-laying.  Dragonflies are carnivorous as larvae and adults, the underwater larval stage typically lasts 2 years but it’s the adults that catch the eye with their vibrant aerobatics. Threats include rivers drying out, canalised rivers with no bank-side vegetation, boat traffic churning up silt and pollution from industry and agri-chemicals.

Garden ponds can aid these insects, make them shallow-edged and fish free with submerged and marginal plant life. Look out for Azure, Blue-tailed and Large Red Damselflies and Southern Hawker, Emperor, Broad-bodied Chaser and Common Darter dragonflies. There is more information from the British Dragonfly Society and last year’s sightings in Froyle.


On 30th October 2015, Monica Johnson from the Hawk and Owl Trust talked about one of Britain’s best known but little seen birds. Barn Owls are birds of farmland requiring rough grasslands and tussocky field margins, hedgerows and riverbanks, areas where their chief prey – field voles (and other small mammals) thrive. Once known as the ‘Farmer’s Friend’ ‘Owl holes’ were often built in the gable end of barns to encourage them to keep rat and mice numbers in check.

Barn Owls on the gloveToday their UK population is declining partly due to loss of habitat and suitable nesting places but also from roadside casualties and consumption of poisoned rodents. Positive steps that could be taken include retaining and recreating rough grassland, retaining traditional roosting and nesting places and creating new ones in suitable areas preferably at least 2km from a main road. Also leave old or dead trees with cavities standing wherever possible. For more information including best designs for nest boxes see Barn Owl Trust.


ARolling the turf new wildflower area  on the northern edge of Froyle recreation ground was sown with native seeds in 2015.  A meadow mixture of Spring/summer flowering perennials will germinate with cornfield annuals included to provide a display in 2016 and act as a nurse crop for the perennials that take longer to establish. Thanks to Froyle Parish Council for purchasing the seed.
Vintage Merry Tiller 8Sep15Work started in July with a turf cutter to remove the top layer and leave bare soil.  Thanks to the 10 helpers who rolled and lifted the 3 tons of turves then stacked them into two habitat piles. In August we removed deep rooted weeds such as dandelions and started to hoe. Then volunteers lightly forked over part of the area and weeded again. The loan of a vintage ‘Merry Tiller’ the following week proved invaluable to cultivate the whole area. On 20th September we raked and levelled the soil to produce a good tilth, then broadcast sowed the seed.


Froyle footpath

Our ‘Two Mills walk’ on Saturday 30th May 2015 starting at Froyle village hall took a leisurely 2.5 mile stroll following footpaths and quiet lanes taking in Isington and Froyle Mills. Some 65 plant species were noted in flower, along with 21 bird and 3 butterfly species. See link for the full list. Tea and cakes welcomed the end of our walk at Mill Farm Organics Shop.


On Friday 12th May 2015, we went on an evening walk with bat detectors that Nik Knight and Phil fromPipestrelle bat the Hampshire Bat Group kindly supplied for our use. After a lovely Spring day, the evening soon turned cool but not before we had good soundings and sightings of Common Pipistrelle, Soprano Pipistrelle, and Daubenton’s bats by the Wey River bridge at Bentley. Returning to the Village Hall, we heard the echo location calls of Common Pipistrelle bats in Well Lane, then Park Lane and Husseys Lane. See link for details of the recorded sightings and to hear samples of bat echolocation calls.


The weather certainly did us proud on Sunday April 12th 2015 for our bird walk led by KeithStarling Betton. We were able to see and/or hear 36 different species with Keith helping us to identify those more unfamiliar to some of us. Seven of these; House Sparrow, Linnet, Marsh Tit, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling and Yellowhammer, are on the BTO Red list meaning they have declined severely (at least 50%) in UK breeding population. This shows how fortunate we are in Froyle to still have these species, and how important it is to preserve the environment so that they continue to delight us.


Hairy VioletOn March 9th 2015 at 7.30 in the Village Hall, Geoff Hawkins gave one of his amusing, informative talks about the wild flowers we might see around Froyle. Hairy violet is pictured and click on link to download a list of plant species in Froyle Parish.


moth evening was held on Saturday August 30th 2014 at Copse Hill Farm, Lower Froyle. Two lamps were operated from 8pm by Nigel Peace, link to see what moths are ‘flying tonight’.

Brimstone moth
Brimstone moth

98 moths were recorded for 11 species:- Orange Swift, Light-brown Apple Moth, Double-striped Pug, Brimstone, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Square-spot Rustic, Common Rustic agg, Straw Dot.

 


Our butterfly walk on Sat 26th July 2014 visited Magdalen Hill Down, a superb chalk grassland nature reserve managed by the Hampshire branch of Butterfly Conservation. As well as grassland with wild flowers, we went to an area of chalk scrape that had been created specifically for Small Blue.

Chalkhill Blue on knapweed
Chalkhill Blue on knapweed

With sunny weather conditions we identified 15 butterfly species; Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Marbled White, Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, Peacock, Small Tortoishell, Brimstone, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Chalkhill Blue, Small Blue, Large White, Small White, Small Copper. Also seen; day flying moth ‘six spot burnet’ and caterpillars of the cinnabar moth.

Some of the plants we saw included; common knapweed, marjoram, wild basil, lady’s bedstraw, field and small scabious, sainfoin, salad burnet, harebell, wild carrot, bird’s-foot trefoil, kidney vetch, horseshoe vetch, common rockrose, tufted vetch.


Our visit on Saturday 26th April 2014 to Witley Common SSSI was led by our enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide Matt Dowse  from the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation trust.

Emperor moth egglaying
Emperor moth egglaying
Witley Common guided walk
Witley Common guided walk

We were lucky to see a mature male Adder and the rare Smooth Snake in addition to some Slow-worms. Also we found an Emperor Moth in the process of egg laying and had glimpses of tree pipits and heard wood lark.

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