Rangers View - January

Lighter Days
Days are becoming Lighter

January is the month named after Janus, the two-headed Roman god of vigil, looking at the past and into the future. The days will slowly become lighter from now on until mid-summer. The sun at this time is mostly low in the sky and so will only allow some areas to thaw out when cold and this can cause problems not only for wildlife but for the farmers too.

The farmers will have to ensure that their livestock in the fields have enough water and nutrients. So farmers have to go out in all weathers to break ice from the water troughs and provide food and saltlicks.

This is a good month to sort out those gaps in the hedge and fix the fencing and from a conservationist’s point of view, we would like to see the farmers leave the odd old tree with ivy on it. This is because they make wonderful niches for many species of insect and animal and by leaving the ivy, it provides a source of nectar. In addition, to improve the health of the hedge it is good policy to only cut the hedge every second year where possible.

Grazing Sheep
Sheep Grazing on the Downs

When up on the Downs it is well worth holding in mind that with the colder weather, the ground freezes and the wild birds and animals will be attracted to hunt and forage in the more sheltered areas where the sun light and warmth rests longest. Farm animals like sheep also take advantage of the more sheltered slopes, especially after a snowfall or hard frost, because these are the first areas for snow or ice to melt and reveal the turf below. These areas are usually heavily grazed as a consequence and the animals trample the ground. Over many years plants have adapted to grow in these warmer, usually south facing, slopes and many insects have adapted to these specific microclimates. For example, one of our rarest butterflies the Adonis Blue, is dependant on the plant Horse-shoe Vetch (which prefers the southern face on the Downs) as its food source. The Adonis Blue caterpillar, then takes advantage of the bare patches of chalk to warm up and carry out its courtship as an adult. So the effects of winter grazing on the south-facing slopes, as the snow or ice melts, is helping the ecology of many insects during the summer months.

Stinking Helebore

In woodlands, at this time of year, there is plenty going on. Under the ground Badger cubs are being born. Look out for one of our less common native woodland plants, that prefers chalk, the Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus). It is a green plant with green flowers that has a red margin on its petals. The leaves of this plant when crushed give a rotting foetid smell, which gives this plant its name. This smell is emitted in oil that coats the plant seeds. The smell although unpleasant to us is very attractive to snails. The snails eat the oil but disregard the seeds. The seeds, however, become attached to the slimy coating that protects the snail’s foot, only to fall off later and further away from its place of origin, so helping this plant to distribute itself throughout the woodland.

Alder Male Catkins

In the wetter areas you may see the male catkin flowers of the alder (Alnus glutinosa). Alder is found growing along river and pond edges. It not only has deep roots but also has the ability to fix nitrogen from the air to give it a good chance to survive in water-logged areas. Soon the red-mauve female flowers will appear on the twigs beside the male catkins and hopefully they will be fertilised and turn into cones that will drop later and then germinate and grow in other wet areas. The wood of the alder, when cut, does not rot if used under water and so it has been used for centuries for piling and to shore up canal edges. The wood was also used to make clogs and the charcoal from it was used in gunpowder. It has also long been associated with evil spirits because when cut the sap appears like orange-red blood and the more superstitious people refused to cut it in case it brought harm to them and their family.

Winter Aconite

Whilst the meadows are barren our gardens will show the first signs of life. Look out for the early flowering plants like the Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) which has a pretty yellow flower. It originates from southeast Europe, but is a widely naturalised garden-escape and is especially found in churchyards.

Winter Heliotrope

Another plant that does not mind this cold weather is the Winter Heliotrope (Petasites fragrans). It naturally grows happily in European mountain ranges like the Alps. It is not a native but seems to be taking hold in this country. Despite it becoming an invasive weed to many roadside bank and streamsides it does give a beautiful smell that resembles vanilla mixed with almond and so it is worth looking out for.

Birch Trunk
Birch

This is a good month to attract the birds to your bird table by feeding them and the over-wintering flocks of redwing and fieldfare will take advantage of any fallen apples in the orchards.

On our heaths the white-stemmed birch are apparent this month and they have long been associated with the start of the New Year. However, before the Romans came here, the New Year started at the end of November. The birch was once used as a religious tool and used for “birching”. This practice involved birch stems being used to beat the bad out of someone and to ensure the soul was pure for the New Year. The white of the bark symbolised the pureness of the soul at the beginning of the year and the black weals in the bark symbolised the beatings given to drive the bad out from the soul. The Silver Birch (Betula pendula) is the commonest of this country’s Birch species and is the one with the whiter bark. The twigs of the birch were also cut and gathered and used for making brooms which again symbolised the sweeping away of the old and cleaning for a new beginning.

Next month is February and I will talk about frogs and hazel catkins.