Garston Wood

Garston Wood

Our March outdoor meeting was a visit to Garston wood near Sixpenny Handley just over the Hampshire border in Dorset. Sixpenny Handley has nothing to do with money but was derived from two medieval hundreds Saxpena and Hanlega. A hundred was 100 hides. A hide was an area of land about thirty acres which was enough to support a family. Saxpena means hilltop and Hanlega a high clearing in a wood.
We were a little apprehensive about visiting this venue so early in the year as spring had not really become established. On our arrival we found that car parking had been moved to a temporary car park so that renovations could be carried out on the old one. The old car park had been torn up by heavy machinery and piles of earth were waiting to be removed. The track behind the car park had also been damaged by machinery used to clear woodland areas. This walk up the hill was only last year one of the most beautiful woodland walks in the country and will take some time to recover.
A sign near the entrance provided information on why some areas were being cleared. Apparently the fungal disease ‘Phytophtora ramorum’ which is associated with ‘Sudden Oak Death’ has now been found to infect Larch, Beech, and Birch as well as Oaks. Fungus is essential for the breakdown of dead wood but this particular fungus can also transfer to healthy or weakened trees. Larch and Beech trees which do not form a major part of Garston wood had been cut down and the wood was being removed to prevent infection. It is only a few years ago that leaving dead wood on the ground was seen as a good thing to encourage small animals and insects and particularly in Garston Wood where the Dormouse was being encouraged to breed.
Garston wood is managed by the RSPB and although some of the ash and oak trees are very old many of the coppiced hazel trees are renewed every twelve years or so. The hazel wood is plaited to make fencing screens which we saw being constructed during our visit. These screens have been used to keep out deer whilst the younger growth recovers but are now supplemented by wire fencing.
The good news about our visit was that warm spring sunshine had arrived at last. One of the joys of life is walking through mature woodland with warm sunshine on your back, spring flowers at your feet and birds singing in the treetops. Although the flowers were not sufficient in number to carpet the forest floor there were early examples of most spring flowers. Dogs Mercury and the spotted leaves of Lords and Ladies are always amongst the first touch of green trying to push back the memory of a colourless winter. There were some Wood Anemone with their creamy white flowers and a touch of pink. Shiny golden yellow Lesser Celandine flowers contrasted with the pale yellow of the primroses. Early Dog Violet plants were scattered at the side of and sometimes on the paths as if they wanted to be trodden on.
Large queen bumble bees were in constant flight looking for a place to make a hive and hover flies droned around the yellow catkins of pussy willow. The catkins also attracted Blue tits and Great tits giving their chests a yellow tinge from the pollen. Marsh tits and coal tits were also seen on the older oak trees and a Tree Creeper starting on dead wood on the forest floor gradually worked its way up a tree looking for insects. A Nuthatch warning call directed our attention to one part of the woods only for the rustle of Deer crossing our path to make us turn around just as they disappeared from view.
The sounds of bird calls played an important part in our walk with Buzzards calling overhead but the most welcome call was that of the chiffchaff which we eventually located; a sure sign that the summer is just around the corner.