Spring begins at Fineshade Wood – from a smattering of Dog Violets and Common Primroses, the forest floor has transformed over the past few weeks, with the Lesser Celandine and Wood Sorrel appearing, followed by a white carpet of Wood Anenomes. And such a transformation has begun above our heads; the trees! From mainly greys and bare branches, to now predominantly lush green. Spring is in full force!
No longer are we just seeing Blackthorn and willow blossoms to signal the start of spring - the hedges are finally looking full from the recently unfurled hawthorn leaves and the majority of the trees have decided it’s finally time to start putting on some foliage in preparation for the sunny days ahead.
Joining the team are our two new skipper rangers, Ellie and Graham, joining on the ‘Chequered Skippers – Taking Flight’ Project. The project is funded by Green Recovery funding and works with Forestry England, BCN Wildlife Trust partners, managed by Susannah O’Riordan.
Hello from Graham and Ellie!
We will be putting out a blog every month to summarise what has been happening during the season, and share some of the amazing things we will be seeing, both butterflies and beyond!
While it isn’t quite time for our skippers to be seen yet, during these first couple of weeks it has been exciting to see that Peacocks, Commas and Brimstones were all on the wing. We have now been adding to the list: Green-veined Whites, Orange-tips, Small Tortoiseshells and Holly Blues.
We also have had the opportunity to explore Fineshade Wood and other Rockingham Forest sites to learn of the woodland management that has been taking place here over the past 5 years and why it is so important for the successful establishment of the Chequered Skipper, which was reintroduced here in 2018.
