and a pond report
Some of you might remember my post last year about the mast year we experienced here in Sussex, and my comments on the carpet of tree seeds all along the Cuckoo Trail, and how this bonanza would have previously fed a multitude of creatures such as pigs and other wildlife.
Fast forward to now, and the verges and rough ground alongside the cycle path are covered with tiny oak seedlings jostling for position. Look at them all:
Of course, lots are going to fail, and most will be mown or removed by overzealous maintenance people, but I suspect a lot will actually thrive, and if this germination success has occurred in places where the trees can survive, imagine the uptick in oak trees across the landscape – completely naturally. No tree guards, no transport, no digging, no human intervention whatsoever. Maybe some will grow up through hedges, or within bramble thickets where trees are protected from the attentions of our deer population.
There is similar representation of field maple among the leaf litter, but I haven’t noticed any other species. I should think the hawthorn have had their berries stripped by the winter thrushes so perhaps their seedings will be travelling further afield.
Have you noticed any repercussions of the 2025 mast year near you?
Pond news
I have noticed lots of damselfly nymphs in my newly vegetated pond, but I’m not sure which species; I thin they are most likely to be larval Large Red Damselfly as they definitely have the dark bands on their tail feathers (caudal lamellae) so sadly they don’t seem to be the Downy Emerald which I would be thrilled to host in my pond.
In the other, more established pond, I saw 6 newts and two frogs when I was out with the pup at about 4.30am and wearing my red headtorch. I think they are Common or Smooth Newts because they prefer really weedy ponds and are happy in small spaces, whereas my understanding is that Palmate Newts prefer larger bodies of water, and choose heathland/peaty areas. I think the frogs are some of last year’s babies – they certainly aren’t big enough to be of breeding age. Maybe next year there will be frogspawn…here’s hoping.
