Denge Woods and Bonsai Bank | - Click on the image above to view gallery
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It had been a while since I had visited Denge Wood; in fact I had never visited there during the winter months before. I tend only to visit this wood close to Canterbury during the spring and summer when butterflies and orchids are in season, but this area of woodland is really interesting as so many changes, hopefully for the better, are happening there.  Duke of Burgundy butterfly Denge Wood itself can be traced back as far as 1600 and there are certainly many areas that are obviously ancient woodland, not just because of the size of the trees but there are various indicator plants growing here that are only present in ancient woodlands too. I have read there are ancient monuments dating back to the Bronze Age too although I don’t know exactly where they are. Britain's woodland butterflies have suffered major declines and the South East’s woodlands have suffered from a chronic lack of management. Butterfly Conservation, with support from the Forestry Commission, are showing how sustainable management can reap huge benefits for wildlife by talking to local land owners and making grants available to them to assist in the work. It is hoped that things really will improve but it all takes a lot of work and only time will tell if this initiative will really make a difference. I had an e-mail from Fran Thompson, the local project officer, listing the events that are planned during 2009 which reminded me I’d not visited the wood for a while and I was really interested to see the work that had gone on during the winter months.
What I found were big changes since the last time I visited, although this is hard to convey in pictures. It seems that lots of coppicing has been going on, in fact I met a team felling some beech coppice that had a lovely fire going, which was great to get close to on a cold day. I asked them how they know when to stop as it seemed to me they were cutting many trees down but leaving others. It seems that it had all been agreed with the land owner what was to stay and what was going. They also told me they will stop the work soon as it will be the breeding season for the birds.
 Felled area  Winter sunlight
Another area that is part of Denge Wood is known as Bonsai Bank, due to the unsuccessful crop of stunted conifers growing there. I first learnt about Bonsai Bank a few years ago when I was looking for locations for orchids. I have to say that last year this area was one of the best places I visited for orchids, because the very rare Lady Orchid, which is local to Kent, grows there. On this site last year it was no exaggeration to say that hundreds were growing in large groups, and I really hope the work that’s been done over the winter is going to encourage even more of them to grow this year.
It’s on Bonsai Bank that the endangered Duke of Burgundy butterfly can also be found if you know the right location. A tiny butterfly, its numbers have declined alarmingly: in the 1980s alone it declined by 24%. The butterfly’s habitat is recently coppiced woodland and chalk grassland where its food plants primrose and cowslip grow and this is just what Bonsai Bank is. On my visit today it was obvious that lots of work had been done clearing the areas where I had seen these butterflies last year. I’d even found an egg lying on a primrose leaf last May. My thoughts turned to where all the overwintering pupae are now, especially with the cold winter weather we are having this year. I really hope they are safe somewhere.
I made the walk a circular one by taking a different route on my way back to the car, which was parked at Garlinge Green. The route goes through another known Duke of Burgundy site called the Warren. The major work carried out in the last few years is to create a large woodland ride linking the site at Bonsai Bank and the Warren so free movement of these butterflies can occur. The aim is to help the species colonise other areas of the wood too.
The Duke of Burgundy isn’t the only butterfly they are hoping to encourage. Other species include the beautiful White Admiral which is unmistakable when you see one on the wing as they almost glide and they are also so much bigger than most other woodland butterflies. Last year a Silver Washed Fritillary was also photographed at Denge, though sadly not by me, but it’s certainly encouraging that species such as these have been seen. It’s not just butterflies but rare woodland moths such as the Drab Looper are being encouraged too.
 White Admiral butterfly  Marbled White butterfly
On my way back to the car I had the pleasure of bumping into Fran, the lady who had sent me the e-mail. Like me she was having a walk checking up on all the work that had been done. I asked her about where the overwintering pupae would be right now and she told me the majority will be safely underground or hiding in tree crevices. She also said that having proper winter temperatures this year may in fact have a positive effect on the butterfly population as more seem to survive following colder winters.
By the time I got back to the coppicing area with the fire the men were just packing up to go home having left the fire in a safe condition to be left overnight. I must admit I lingered awhile by the fire to warm up. I noticed also that, where the men had been working, the shoots of this year’s bluebells were already an inch or so tall. Spring really is on the way despite the real winter weather we are having this year.
In the album that accompanies this journal entry are pictures that never made it onto the website last summer. They include some of the butterflies and flowers I found on my walks in this wood. I’m really looking forward to the spring and summer and will be sure to make several visits to this woodland hoping to see lots more.
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Gary ...