Denge Woods and Bonsai Bank  | - Click on the image above to view gallery
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 Greater Stichwort
I have found that parking at Garlinge Green and walking into the wood from there allows for a very nice circular walk taking in many possible places for finding butterflies and also orchids, which grow well on Bonsai Bank too. On 29th April when I did this walk, the weather started off quite overcast so I made the most of the light and got some pictures of the flowers in a recently coppiced area of woodland while the light was gentle and in this way there were no hard shadows on the flowers.
 Bluebell  Early Purple Orchid  Yellow Archangle
As soon as the sun came out though I continued my walk as I knew with the sun now shining I had more chance of seeing some butterflies. On my walk through different areas of the wood and especially along the woodland ride, which had been made significantly bigger during the winter, I saw lots of different species of butterfly including Orange Tip, Brimstone and Speckled Wood. Unfortunately none of them felt like posing for the camera, which is often the way when there is warm sunshine. Once on Bonsai Bank, however, I soon found several Duke of Burgundy butterflies in their favoured spot. They always seem to perch on a blade of grass or low-lying plant that moves around in the breeze or in the most difficult place to get pictures of them but I always like a challenge and get down on my knees to get to their level. We always enjoy visiting this woodland not just for the variety of flowers and butterflies you can see but for the birdlife too. It has to be said most times we never actually see the birds, but the air is often filled with the sound of birdsong. One time while sitting on a bench in an area known as the Warren we were surrounded by birdsong. In one direction we could hear Blackcap and Willow Warbler and a Nightingale could be heard in another. Of course when we tried to see them we couldn’t see a thing but just hearing them always adds to the enjoyment of visiting this wood.  Green Hairstreak Butterfly  Duke of Burgundy Butterfly
I was delighted to hear that across the site 25 Duke of Burgundy butterflies were seen on a butterfly walk on the 10th May, which is a vast improvement on numbers seen last year. The best part is that they have been seen in many different areas too. Proof if ever it was needed that all the work carried out over the winter months really has been worth it. There was a report earlier this year saying our butterfly numbers are plunging to an all-time low, not helped by two awful summers. Work to improve habitat for them such as this is really important and to see these results is very encouraging for all those involved.
I’ll be looking forward to visiting Denge Wood several times in the coming months as there are several more species of butterflies to see as well as many more diiferent species of orchids.
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