<![CDATA[WOODCHIPS - WoodChips Blog]]>

<![CDATA[WOODCHIPS - WoodChips Blog]]>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 16:52:03 +0100Weebly<![CDATA[Firsts of the year]]>Fri, 04 Mar 2022 15:37:35 GMThttps://www.thewoodchips.org/woodchips-blog/firsts-of-the-year

This week has seen some very different 'firsts' of the year for the WoodChips.
The dead hedge resulting from the coppicing on the main path in Banstead Wood was completed by one of our teams on Thursday. Delayed by the recent foul weather, the hedge starts from just behind the Lion sculpture near Holly Lane car park, wending its way uphill for around 74 metres (or for those of an Imperial persuasion, over 80 yards).
An extra Walnut tree was planted in the Knoll, adding to the Walnuts, Elms and Hazel planted in this area last year.
The frogs in the Banstead Woods pond have already begun their spawning, and today we saw the first frogspawn of the year in the Lagoon. Also the year's first sighting of a newt!
Graham K

Part of the team working on the dead hedge: Graham K, Richard III and Geof H.

First frog spawn for 2022 in the Lagoon.

Another Walnut sapling securely planted in the Knoll.

The team that finished the dead hedge in Banstead Wood. Andy doing his best to remain incognito with our info sign.

]]><![CDATA[After the wind blows]]>Wed, 23 Feb 2022 14:54:41 GMThttps://www.thewoodchips.org/woodchips-blog/after-the-wind-blowsOn Tuesday, following the visit of that stormy pair Eunice and Franklin, the WoodChips went out in two parties of hard-hatted volunteers to deal with fallen and damaged trees in Banstead Wood.
One team cleared some dangerous trees and branches affecting the path leading past the Wardrobe, while the other group dealt with three trees blocking one of the other main paths. Pics provided by Richard Carter. There are other damaged trees that require our attention, which will be dealt with in due course. Let's hope there won't be more severe storms (Georgina, Gordon,?) to batter the woodland.
Graham K

]]><![CDATA[Cleared before the flood]]>Wed, 06 Oct 2021 14:23:56 GMThttps://www.thewoodchips.org/woodchips-blog/cleared-before-the-floodIn late summer, the WoodChips carried out the first major clearance of overgrown water plants in the Lagoon. These were mainly Hornwort and Bulrush, which were invading the space of less-vigorous species. Hornwort is an oxygenating plant useful for wildlife, which also helps to check Duckweed. But you can have too much of a good thing, especially with pond plants. From just 50 tiny clumps scattered in the water in April 2019, our Hornwort had grown to a thick mass covering most of the Lagoon surface from top to bottom.

Reaching higher than the volunteers, the Bulrush did its best to match this achievement with a two-pronged attack, extending its fleshy roots rapidly underwater while scattering fluffy seeds in the wind.

There was good weather for the clearance, as the water had dropped to a safe level following the previous fine period. Unlike now, with the recent heavy rain covering the access path and substantially increasing the depth of the pool (pics below).

With this sort of growth rate, it looks like we'll be revisiting this task in future years. It's also good practice for similar work that's needed in Banstead Woods pond. And, thanks to help from the Downlands Trust, our volunteers now have suitable protective clothing (waterproof gloves and waders) for the task.
Graham Kenward

Graham H & Richard II tackling the Bulrushes.

Richard III raking out Hornwort.

Sept 2021 after reducing overgrown water plants

Oct 2021 after heavy rain

The no-longer-shallow end

Looking south from the drainpipes end

The dark 'tidemark' shows the maximum water level reached after the recent heavy rain. The plants outline the original bank beside the flooded path.

]]><![CDATA[First blooms of Summer]]>Wed, 09 Jun 2021 13:44:49 GMThttps://www.thewoodchips.org/woodchips-blog/first-blooms-of-summerThe Lagoon and its meadow are once again bursting into life, with the beginnings of the succession flowering that was so spectacular last year. This includes Kidney Vetch, the food plant of the Small Blue, and this week we observed no fewer than seven of these tiny butterflies around the Lagoon.

Our wildflower plantings are increasingly colonising the Lagoon banks, and even Cut-leaved Germander is to be found away from its first site, despite being partially eroded by water from the new additional pipe drain from Outwood Lane.

Although the pool water level is low in the present dry conditions, the recent pond plant matting is starting to grow and Broad-Bodied Chasers and a mass of Damselflies are swarming over the water surface. Some of the established plants like the Bulrushes have become a little too successful and the time is coming when some of the growth will have to be cut back. Here's hoping it's a warm day for a paddle!
Graham Kenward

Early Scabious blooms

White Campion, Poppies and Kidney Vetch

Kidney Vetch on the Lagoon bank.

Thyme clinging to the rocks.

The banks are turning greener.

Extra drainpipe from Outwood Lane.

Three's a crowd: Damselflies mating.

]]><![CDATA[More planting in the Lagoon]]>Thu, 22 Apr 2021 14:14:25 GMThttps://www.thewoodchips.org/woodchips-blog/more-planting-in-the-lagoon

In 2019 we enriched the shallow end of the Lagoon beside Outwood Lane with a range of pond plants, a considerable success for local wildlife ever since. Today we extended this planting to 'green' the rest of the Lagoon, installing an additional 18 metres of pond plant matting along the remainder of the banks.

As in 2019, the pre-planted coir matting, in 2m x 1m strips, contains a mix of the following British native marginal plant species:
Carex acutiformis (Lesser Pond Sedge)
Juncus effusus (Soft Rush)
Lythrum salicaria (Purple Loosestrife)
Iris pseudacorus (Yellow Flag Iris)
Caltha palustris (Marsh Marigold)
Myosotis scorpioides (Water Forget Me Not)
Ranunculus flammula (Lesser Spearwort)
Alisma plantago-aquatica (Water Plantain)
Mentha aquatica (Water Mint).

The biodegradable matting was laid half in the water and the other half secured to the bank with stones and sharpened sticks. The matting holds the plant roots in place until they become established. The Lagoon water level is currently much reduced due to the recent dry weather, so it may take a little longer for the plants to build up.

The matting was supplied by britishpondplants.co.uk. As a bonus, several newts and some Dragonfly and Damselfly nymphs survived the journey with the consignment.

Big thanks to the Downlands Trust for providing the funds for this worthwhile conservation project.
Graham Kenward

One of several newt stowaways found in the matting.

How the pond plant matting arrived.

18 metres of wet matting just about fits this car.

Pegging the matting to the bank.

Lagoon before planting, showing reduced water levels.

Today's planting, leaving gaps for access.

]]><![CDATA[First tasks of 2021]]>Wed, 07 Apr 2021 12:31:23 GMThttps://www.thewoodchips.org/woodchips-blog/first-tasks-of-2021

We are back with a bunch of volunteers keen to start the first jobs for the WoodChips in 2021.

Split into teams in line with C19 guidelines, one felled dying ash trees near a busy woodland path, while the other planted the remaining Crab Apple saplings from last year's new tree stock, kindly sponsored by the Downlands Trust. Eight trees were planted and protected in the large and small orchards in Banstead Wood. In addition, supporting props were added to two of the older trees that had developed a sideways list. The naturally forked props were recycled from Hazel coppiced last year.
More dead and dying Ash was cleared in the woods on the next task day, despite friendly interruptions from families out for a stroll!
Graham Kenward

Fruit tree propped by Hazel.

Brief encounter: Andy sets out the tasks.

Cutting a felled Ash into manageable chunks.

Three of the new Crab Apples planted in the Banstead Wood orchard.

]]><![CDATA[Dabbling ducks]]>Sat, 13 Mar 2021 14:58:11 GMThttps://www.thewoodchips.org/woodchips-blog/dabbling-ducksLife is returning to the Lagoon, with a larger amount of frogspawn than last year, in more places along its banks. Yesterday three Mallards were dabbling in the pool, enjoying the brief bits of sunshine despite the cold wind. Visitors from the Banstead Woods pond, perhaps?

Dabbling in the shallows.

Frogspawn along the west bank.

Frogspawn in the usual spot at the shallow end.

They kept on mooning: were they trying to tell me something?

]]><![CDATA[Feels like –8°]]>Fri, 12 Feb 2021 17:35:26 GMThttps://www.thewoodchips.org/woodchips-blog/feels-like-8

So said the forecast for the area today, and it was certainly chilly at the Knoll, where the whole snowy carpet was covered in animal tracks. Was it a mass of creatures stampeding about or a single rabbit trying to look busy? A great place to improve tracking skills, should we get another suitable dump of the white stuff.

Further afield (actually Hither Field), there was a cutting easterly wind that made it feel even colder.

As the snow reluctantly disappears, Barn Field's slopes are no longer hosting sledge runs. Some of these unfortunately ended abruptly in our Kidney Vetch patch, flattening half the protective fencing and pulling out the posts. The fallen noticeboard had to be removed as there was no way of renewing its hole in the frozen ground.

Another job for the spring!

Graham Kenward

Massed tracks in the Knoll.

Braking point for sledges; breaking point for our fence.

Exposed in Hither Field

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