Fauna, Flora and Butterflies on Witley Common (National Trust)

Leader: Arthur Greenwood (HNHS member & N.T. Volunteer)

We began at the Witley Centre, under cloudy skies, with a hint of rain. Mr Greenwood gave a short recent history of the Common, which is now a site in the newly designated Wealden Heaths National Nature Reserve (NNR), with all six UK reptile species, and a population of Silver-studded Blue (SSB) butterflies. Current conservation efforts recover and maintain areas of open heathland and grassland, interspersed with woodland. The use of the site as a camp in both world wars has left a legacy in the former Parade Ground site, where chalk brought in from the North Downs still influences the flora on what would otherwise be acid heath.

A Peacock butterfly was soon seen and a Blackcap heard singing vigorously, then the meeting moved through mixed woodland in which Turkey Oak and birch are vigorous pioneers that require ongoing efforts to control their numbers. Several tree galls were seen: a leaf gall on willow; a “Robin’s Pin Cushion” on a flowerless wild rose; plus a Pedunculate Oak that had numerous Artichoke Galls. We heard Chiffchaffs calling and a solitary Nuthatch.

At the former Parade Ground area, an Alder Buckthorn (Frangula alnus) was pointed out, a monoecious (hermaphrodite) species that is thornless, and is the larval food plant of the Brimstone butterfly. Other plants included Common Knapweed, Self-heal and numerous Common Centaury and Lesser Hawkbit, between which flew a few Meadow Browns and Ringlets. A nearby area of heath had cropped and mature Bell Heather, to assist its population of SSB butterflies, but none were found, it being close to the end of its flying season. A Gatekeeper was seen and Common Dodder was found growing on Bell Heather. A fallen, though still alive, Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), a thorny and dioecious bush, is possibly the only one on the site. A Marbled White and a Small Skipper were seen on the Parade Ground, plus a single Adder under a metal refugium. At the edge of woodland there was a Southern Wood Ants’ nest mound, about 1.5 meters diameter at the base and 0.8 meters high. Ant columns were foraging nearby for invertebrates, and into the oak trees to milk aphids for honeydew.