Kempshott Conservation Group

About our group

Formed in 2006, our efforts are directed to enriching the wildlife value of three sites in the east of Kempshott – close to the Down Grange sports and leisure complex:

• Down Grange Meadow adjacent to St Marks Church
• Old Orchard, Kendal Gardens
• Old Hedgerow which runs between Down Grange and Coniston Road

For more information and latest news about our group please go to www.kempshottconservationgroup.org.uk or see our latest newsletter.

We are undertaking “Restoration Ecology”, in that all our sites have a “previous life”.  For various reasons, often through neglect, the sites were impoverished from a biodiversity perspective.  Our aim is to increase biodiversity wherever we can.  This tends to mean removing the existing mono-culture of cut grass by removing turfs and reseeding with wild flowers, using seed of known provenance.  We are also planting new trees and shrubs, either to add to diversity or for succession.

Our main aim is to improve habitat for invertebrates, the bottom rung of the food chain.  Some of these, such as butterflies, moths, hoverflies, ladybirds, shield-bugs, grasshoppers and crickets are worthy in their own right.  Other species provide a source of food for birds and higher animals, such as hedgehogs and bats.

Our approach to the use of native species varies from site to site.  In Down Grange Meadow we try to only use native wild flowers, trees and shrubs.  We will also attempt to remove any non-native species, such as Spanish Bluebells and cultivar daffodils, where appropriate.  However, in the Old Orchard we take a slightly more relaxed view.  For example, we have planted a large number of crocus here.  The Old Orchard, is just that, an old orchard, it is not meant to be a pristine wild habitat.

Our successes

The group has achieved a lot in a short space of time, but then we would say that wouldn’t we!

Some of our successes include: 

• re-establishing fruit and nut trees in the Old Orchard to maintain the heritage of a unique and overlooked corner of Kempshott
• creating a new community copse in Down Grange Meadow.  This involved planting large native hardwood trees and was done in conjunction with a number of individuals and groups such as the Residents Association and St Mark’s Church
• removing fertility from Down Grange Meadow by removing any arising from grass cutting, resulting in orchids appearing for the first time in 2009
• scraping and reseeding a number of patches in Down Grange Meadow and the Old Orchard, some scraped mechanically and the rest cleared by hand
• encouraging the Brown Argus butterfly to breed on Down Grange Meadow for the first time in 2010.
  

Surveys

We undertake surveys to continuously monitor the effect our plans and actions are having on the ecosystems on all our sites. Without baseline surveys, it is difficult to measure progress.

We undertake butterfly transects in Down Grange Meadow on a weekly basis throughout the recording year, which runs from the 1 April to the 29 September.  Our best year so far was 2010. We recorded a total of 23 species, an increase of two from 2009.  We gained the Brown Argus and the White-Letter Hairstreak.  The Brown Argus is possibly the one species we have gained by active intervention.  For the past three years we have been scraping and removing the coarse grasses that dominate the site, and reseeding with native wildflowers.  This has been a slow process as some ot the perennial flower species can take two or three years to fully establish.  However, in 2011 we recorded Brown Argus on all the patches we have scraped and seeded.  We think they are using the Doves-Foot Cranesbill as a food plant for their caterpillars.
                                                                                                                                Brown Argus

We had recorded the Common Blue in 2009 for the first time on transect and only a few confirmed sightings in previous years.  In 2010, the Common Blue was our third most recorded species, after usual Meadow Brown and Ringlet!  We are delighted with this result.

We have been trying to increase our numbers of Bird’s-foot Trefoil.  This flower is used by over 150 invertebrate species, including a number of butterfly and moths.  Apart from the clumps that have been established for some time, reseeding has produced very limited results, as this perennial may take two or three years to get established.  We will be planting “plugs” in late summer/early autumn 2011.

The White-Letter Hairstreak lives in the canopy of elm trees and feeds on aphid “honeydew”.  When the honeydew is washed off after rain, this butterfly may come down to nectar on flowers, creeping thistle is a favourite.  It is most often seen early in the morning or late in the afternoon.  Consequently, as it can illusive, it can easily be overlooked.

Our butterfly list for 2010:

2011 - The story so far

The dry and warm early spring of 2011 meant that we recoded Small Tortoiseshell and Coma in late March, even before the official “transect year” had started!  Holly Blues had a very good start, unlike 2010 which was disappointing. Orange-tips were seen in good numbers but by the end of May had dwindled to the odd individual.  In a normal year these butterflies would be still be flying well into June.  All species recorded so far have appeared between two or three weeks early.  For example, the first Meadow Browns and Large Skippers have been recorded by the last week of May.

We carry out flora surveys on a regular basis through out the flowering season.  By 2010 we had recorded a total of 69 flowering species.  These did not include trees or non-flowering shrubs and grasses. The existing populations of meadow flowers continue to spread into new areas and we continue to see an increase in the number of naturally occurring flower species. One pleasant surprise in 2010 was our second orchid.  While showing a councillor around the meadow, a clump of a dozen Pyramidal Orchids was discovered!

We have been extending the species count by seeding.  This seed was collected in the autumn of 2010 from various locations where we have arrangements with the owners.  This included our own locations, the sites of other conservation groups and the Butterfly Conservation Trust.  In early 2011, a number of clumps of kidney vetch were spotted in areas that had been reseeded in 2009 and 2010.

In 2009 we undertook an ad hoc survey of grasshoppers and crickets, while in 2010 we started recording hoverflies.

Transects

A transect is a consistent way of recording the butterfly numbers on a site.  The transect is carried out over a set route, that is always walked in the same direction.  This route is divided up into a number of sections, where each section represents some key habitat.  The butterflies are counted in a consistent way. This allows data from year to year to be compared and population trends to be monitored.

More information can be found on the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme website http://www.ukbms.org/methods.htm

Down Grange Meadow

The meadow is our largest site and has great potential for improving biodiversity. The site is 6½ hectares in total, of which 5¼ hectares is grassland. The rest is a mix of mature woodland, plantations of various ages and hedgerows.

The site is open to all and is used by a wide range of individuals, group and families.  We are trying to introduce more structure to the site by planting shrubs and trees and clearing areas and reseeding with wild flower mixes.  Areas close to some of the footpaths have been sown with native wild flower mixes that will add to the appearance of the area.  Other areas well away from the footpaths have been seeded with wild flowers specifically for butterflies and other insects.

We have also planted tree and shrub “islands” away from footpaths and these appear to be encouraging ground nesting birds such as Grey Partridge as well as rabbits!

From our experience with the creation of our Community Copse, we have learnt that just scraping an area clear of the grass, while it may not look good in the first six months, can yield dividends in later years.  A year after clearing the community copse site we got Cornflowers.  This species is classed as “Endangered” and is protected under the Wildlife & Countryside Act, 1981.

We have done scraping by both mechanical and manual means.  Apart from our own group, we have enlisted a variety of willing and not so willing volunteers.  These have included church groups, various 'Community Payback' teams and even a group from Alençon & Euskirchen who were on a twinning visit.

We are also attempting to reduce the overall fertility of the remaining grassland by removing arisings after cutting. This reduction in fertility will help the more delicate meadow flowers to flourish.  For example, in 2009 we recorded our first Common Spotted Orchid.  In 2010 we recorded another Common Spotted Orchid plus our first clump of Pyramidal Orchids.

We are also harnessing natural controls on grasses.  We have sown Yellow Rattle wherever we have scraped.  We also we a good quantity of resident Red Bartesia.  Both of these species are annuals and belong to a group of flowers that are semi-parasitic on the roots of grasses.  Wherever either of these species become established, the effect of the surrounding grass is quite marked.  Being annuals, they tend to propagate quite well, especially alongside footpaths where the grass is crushed by footfall.

At the end of September 2009 we discovered a rare fungus, the Bearded Tooth (Hericium erinaceum). This has been recorded less than a dozen times in North Hampshire since 2000. It also reappeared in 2010.

Future plans include creating a number of shrub islands to provide additional habitat for birds and insects. These islands will divide up the southern part of the site into a number of 'habitat rooms' so that they can be managed separately.

We have carried out butterfly surveys in Down Grange Meadow, for the last three years.  We wanted to build up a picture of the existing butterfly populations before we started changing the habitat.

Old Orchard

A hidden gem, known only to established residents and dog walkers. The site is located off Kendal Gardens and represents a remnant of the chicken farms, small holdings and orchards that evolved from 1900 onwards until Kempshott was subject to major development in the 70s.

This compact site of just over 1½ hectares packs a lot of habitats. These include:

• Legacy fruit and nut trees, including Bullace and Walnut
• Mature hardwood trees comprising Oak, Beech and Horse Chestnut
• Hazel coppice
• Other hedgerow remnants, including a complex of old Hawthorns
• A new orchard of mixed fruit and nut trees planted in 2007 and supplemented in 2008

In 2010 we scraped three long ribbons and reseeded with wild flowers in the community orchard. The spring of 2011 was so dry that little is showing at present.  We know from our experience in Down Grange Meadow, that reseeding can be a slow process.  While annual flowers tend to show in the first year after sowing, perennials can take two or three years to show.

Also in 2010 we planted 150 crocus bulbs, kindly donated by the Rotary Blub of Basingstoke in aid of their Life - Polio Plus campaign.

Old Hedgerow

This a 200m section of hedgerow probably planted in the mid-19th century. It contains the usual mix of mature beech, oak and ash. It also has a good selection of elm remnants. There are skeletons of dead mature elm trees as well as a good selection of re-growth elm.

This hedgerow also has a lot of sycamore which is vigorous and with its large leaves, shades out the understory. Over the last two years we have been reducing the amount sycamore and this has allowed smaller bird-sown shrubs to thrive.

The hedge also has some very mature hawthorn and elder. These shrubs are coming to the end of natural lives and are beginning to fall over after winter gales. As they fall over we will pollard the elder and plant young hawthorn for succession.

In 2010/11 work season we also created scraped areas and seeded with wild hedgerow type wild flowers, including digitalis. We also started planting new shrubs to provide understory.

The coming years we will plant new disease resistant elm and lime trees. These will supplement the existing elm trees and scrub that will no doubt die of disease sometime in the near future.  We think that the endangered White-Letter Hairstreak butterfly is using the elm in the Old Hedgerow as the food for its caterpillars. Planting new elm and lime will hopefully provide habitat continuity for this declining butterfly.  Why plant native lime as well? The adults feed in the canopy on aphid honeydew and Limes are particularly attractive to aphids!

The extension

There is 200 meter gap between the end of the Old Hedgerow and the boundary of Down Grange Meadow.  This comprises a small plantation of silver birch and a rough corner that has a lot of creeping thistle.  These thistles are the closest available nectar source for butterflies that live in the hedgerow, especially White-letter Hairstreak.  Being under the management of the council, this corner is often cut.  We are consulting with local residents and the council for the group to take over the management of this patch.  The plan is to plant shrubs on part of the patch as well as stop the thistles being cut down.  This extension will mean that Group will completely manage an important green corridor from Down Grange Meadow heading north.

Work parties

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible - please make a note of the dates and times below!   Thursday work parties run from 2pm to 4pm and Sunday work parties run from 10am to 1pm.  A list of conservation work parties for 2011 to 2012 can be found in the Work Party Schedule.

Equipment will be provided, just remember to bring some gloves.

Kempshott Conservation Walk

If you would like to see more of the wildlife around Kempshott, why not download a copy of a self-guided nature walk and give it a try.

The complete walk as described starts from Homesteads Road and covers all three sites - Old Orchard, Old Meadow and Old Hedgerow.  The walk is 2.5km (1.6 miles) in length.  Alternatively park in Stratton Park and walk just the Old Orchards or the whole walk in reverse sequence.  Another option is to park by the Walled Garden.

The majority of the complete walk is over rough grass or playing fields. It is recommended that stout footwear be worn, or wellies if wet!   Because of this, only a small part of the walk is accessible by wheelchair.

For further information, contact Marion Wolstencroft by emailing kempshott-conserve@tiscali.co.uk or by phoning her on 01256 470171, or you can write to her,14 Ennerdale Close  Kempshott  Basingstoke  RG22 5HJ.

Our portfolio of photos taken on our sites can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kempshott-conserve