Much of The Blean is a wildlife haven, and there is an RSPB reserve here. Like most British butterflies, the Holly Blue has had several earlier vernacular names which have since fallen into disuse. This 509 hectare reserve TR122594 forms part of The Blean, the extensive woodland around Canterbury. Conservation action at Blean Like other butterflies, the heath fritillary has suffered from a reduction in the active management of woods, especially a lack of coppicing. A partnership project was set up between Butterfly Conservation and the various organisations or public bodies that manage the Blean Woods complex to stop This was one of the best years on record for this threatened butterfly, with 2,292 of them being recorded on . The birthplace of the MP John Burns in Simpson Street in South Lambeth, London. Easting: 611936. Woodpeckers thrive here, as do nightjars and about thirty pairs of nightingales. In the summer make sure to look out for damselflies, dragonflies and butterflies, including the rare Heath Fritillary Butterfly which is the The Blean's greatest conservation success story. the key to successful . It is a mixture of mature oakwood and coppice, broken up by wide rides, glades and two areas of heath. The heath fritillary, one of our most graceful woodland butterflies, came near extinction in . The Blean's western-most extent falls within Swale Borough and contains part of the Church Woods SSSI as well as three woodland LWSs: Blean Woods South, Blean Woods Harbledown to Dunkirk, and Blean Wood West and Holly Hill. Mark Tuson, Canterbury Area Warden for Kent Wildlife Trust added: "We knew that common cow-wheat, the main food plant of the butterfly, was growing in these areas and by cutting back the ride edges . Sam and I visited Blean Woods today just as a random thing to do on a Sunday. We also saw a White Admiral Butterfly in the Blean This bank in the foreground, with a second one towards the back of the photo, are the remnants of the Radfall, a medieval droveway through the wood, used to move livestock to and from the fertile coastal grazing pastures. Clarity Interpretation worked with the Blean Initiative and the Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership to design and manufacture a series of 18 interpretive panels for the Blean Woods near Canterbury. the blean woods - blean stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images. On the outskirts of Canterbury is the 1257 acres of Blean Woods. I have been monitoring the Blean Woods butterfly transect since 1982, and in the ensuing forty years there have been numerous highs and lows, but one of the few certainties is that I will always record speckled woods at the junction of sections 14 and 15 (the route is divided into 15 sections for the purposes of monitoring). Blean Woods in Kent, a reserve of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which is managed for all forms of wildlife, is the only place east of Devon to see them. It is also a popular destination and is very sought after by dog walkers. West Blean and Thornden Woods cover about 490 hectares purchased in 2003 and form a vital link between East Blean Wood NNR and other important woodland to the west, including Clowes Wood and the Blean Woods NNR to the south. This stunning little orange gem is one of Britain's rarest butterflies. Human activity here is limited to the traditional craft of coppicing sweet chestnut trees, which floods the woodland floor with light in spring and summer, producing glades of wild flowers, especially bluebells. The site comprises the largest ancient broadleaved woodland in southern Britain, situated on London Clay. It's a beautiful illustration of how detailed understanding of the species's needs is, in this case (and isn't it usually?) These woods on the Downs to the north and west of Canterbury are Kent's second largest woodland complex after the Weald and have a rich history, being owned and managed by the church for centuries, and a . I grew up close to both Hainault Forest and Epping Forest and visited both thousands of times. The best time to visit is in the spring, when you can expect to hear some of the many pairs of nightingales. Speckled wood: Aim and vision: Wilder Blean is a rewilding project taking place in the Blean Woods situated near Herne Bay, Whitstable, and Canterbury. In this post I will be looking at the West Blean and Thornden woods reserve, which is nestled in the larger Blean woods and forms a link between the East Blean Woods NNR, Clowes Wood to the west and the Blean Woods NNR to the south. East Blean Wood is internationally important, particularly for the rare heath fritillary butterfly. East Blean Woods Regular readers will know that I'm trying to finish off my UK (or GB more strictly since I'm not doing Ireland) butterfly list this year. Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation has revealed that one of the UK's rarest butterflies had an exceptional year in Kent in 2019. The Blean Woods. About this event. The Blean is classified as ancient woodland, its value for wildlife is recognised . RSPB Reserve Blean Woods: Muddy but good fun - See 78 traveller reviews, 16 candid photos, and great deals for Canterbury, UK, at Tripadvisor. We joined a fascinating tour of West Blean & Thornden Woods in July 2021, to learn more about Kent Wildlife Trust's exciting rewilding plans for the site, including the reintroduction of bison. An important species in the Blean is the heath fritillary butterfly whose food plant, common cowwheat thrived in recently cut coppice. Over the coming years, we aim to breathe life back into the woods in a variety of ways. Next you'll come to The Blean, or Blean Woods - a former royal forest in existence since before 1600. The heath fritillary lives in regularly-coppiced woodland in south-east England, such as Blean Woods, near Canterbury, but increasingly vigorous vegetation growth means that coppiced clearings are more quickly swamped with grass and brambles. wood-rush Luzula sylvatica is locally dominant in the woodland, and the characteristic greater stitchwort Stellaria holostea is found in more open patches. The strong sense of place is created by the large and continuous belts of woodland on elevated ground, that provide containment and a backdrop in the eastern part of the borough. But one sultry day in late June, in a small clearing in the heart of Blean Woods in Kent, a swarm began to build. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. Heath fritillary pre-diapause larvae of the 6th instar (Source: UK Butterflies, 2018) Figure 3. Blean Complex SAC is situated in south-east England within the North Kent Plain National Character Area (NE357) and is also part of Blean Woods National Nature Reserve. Blean Woods I know very little about Butterflies other than what I learnt as an infant, which was to know 4 types of Butterfly, namely "a Cabbage White", "a Red Admiral", "a Peacock" and " it's another type of Butterfly". One of the rarest butterflies, a heath fritillary, which is down 16% on the previous summer. food plant, and it helps the butterfly move through the woods. Even more remarkable was a swarm of butterflies in Blean Woods, near Canterbury, at the end of June. Ben Tindale from Blean, Kent glides . The National Nature Reserve contains five quiet paths that wind through the coppice woodland. WALK 11 / BLEAN AND VICTORY WOODS, DARGATE. The reserve is ancient semi-natural woodland situated on poorly drained London clay, with a . Lying on a low ridge between Canterbury and the sea, East Blean Wood is one of the richest of all Kent's woodland habitats. Special Area of Conservation, National Nature Reserve, Site of Special Scientific Interest. No need to register, buy now! Blean Woods NNR location (Source: Ordnance Survey, 2019, annotated in Digimap) Figure 5 Blean Woods NNR location and the wider Blean Woodland Complex (Source: Wheatley, 2018) Latitude\Longitude: 51.29484 , 1.03848. Historically, the butterfly has been referred to as the . The Blean Wood National Nature Reserve is one of . Having already ticked off Swallowtail and Mountain Ringlet , next on the list was Heath Fritillary. Distance and difficulty: . The Blean Wood National Nature Reserve is teeming with flora and fauna and dog walkers are asked to keep to the designated 'dog walking route' so as not to disturb the wildlife. There is a car park on the reserve. The Heath Fritillary is one of the UK's rarest and most threatened butterflies and is restricted to just four locations in the UK - Exmoor on the Devon and Somerset border, the Tamar Valley on the Devon and Cornwall border, the Blean Woods in Kent and the South Essex Woodlands. This is a work in progress :) Harbury Spoilbank South, Warwickshire (SP385598) Butterflies: Grizzled Skipper, Dingy Skipper, Green Hairstreak, Holly Blue, Orange Tip, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Brimstone Heath Fritillary butterflies which are rare to the UK, have returned in large numbers to Blean Woods, near Canterbury in Kent. Last week I made a brief visit to East Blean Woods and failed to see a single butterfly species. The Heath fritillary butterfly was once almost extinct, but their numbers are . It is bounded to the north by Greater London and the Thames Estuary, to the west by Sussex and Surrey, and to the south and east by the English channel and the North Sea.The county town is Maidstone. Professor Byron Morgan and former student Dr Emily Dennis have spearheaded the research, with the former joining the KMTV crew in Blean Woods, near Canterbury, to film the beautiful butterflies. See some of the rarest butterflies in Britain. Event description. Suggested sites to spot woodland butterflies: RSPB Tudeley Woods near Tonbridge. I learned about it when I got a call from Nigel Bourn, one of the Butterfly . The project will promote stronger habitats by restoring natural processes that are able to withstand the current environmental crisis and species decline, and in the long run, reverse it. Blean Woods is broken up into different habitats, with spots of heathland, birch and sweet chestnut coppice which provide vital nesting opportunities for nightingales and enough light when cut to support common cow wheat, the food plant of the endangered heath fritillary butterfly. Yesterday I spent most of the day at Dunge but there were few birds of interest. Blean Woods National Nature Reserve near Canterbury. In summer, look out for damselflies, dragonflies and butterflies, including the rare heath fritillary butterfly. It was a miserable overcast morning and well sheltered from the fresh westerly breeze . Their only larval food-plant at Blean Woods is common cow-wheat Melampyrum pratense (an annual, ant-dispersed herb, mostly . A short walk from the car park and you will discover open, sunny glades and wide rides abundant with wildflowers including cowwheat, the food plant for the rare heath fritillary butterfly. RSPB Blean Woods is a designated National Nature Reserve and covers 509 hectares (1,257 acres) of woods and heath. It is governed by Kent County Council, with twelve district councils, Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Gravesham . A bumper season for heath fritillary in June and a good number of red admirals in people's gardens in August and September was enough to convince most observers that it had been a good butterfly year. Butterfly species and site information also included. In the summer, look out for damselflies, dragonflies and butterflies, including the rare heath fritillary butterfly. On the Big Blean Walk the best chances of seeing the heath fritillary are on BB north in East Blean Wood, on New Road in West Blean and Thornden Woods and BB south in Church Wood (RSPB), although ongoing management could result in the butterfly being more widespread in the future. The nearest train stations are Whitstable (6 kilometres to the north), Canterbury East and Canterbury . During that time there have been many changes and this continues today. The male of this species was once called the Wood Blue or Azure Blue, while the female, which early entomologists thought was a different species, was known by the very apt and descriptive name "Blue Speckt Butterfly with . About the reserve. I then drove back and called in at East Blean Woods where along with a few other butterfly enthusiasts I managed to see c40 Heath Fritillary gliding about in the coppiced areas making for some more butterfly shots. Roddy was an excellent guide, getting over the important conservation messages and information about bison, highlighting the benefits and the challenges . Size: 520.35 ha (1,285.79 acres) Grid reference: TR102600. Blean Woods in Kent, a reserve of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which is managed for all forms of wildlife, is the only place east of Devon to see them. The foodplant is Common Cow-wheat (Melampyrum pratense), which requires acid soils and is far from common, though Foxglove and Ribwort Plantain can be used. Blean Woods RSPB Reserve Warden Sam Richardson said: "2019 was a great season and truly felt like one of the best nature spectacles I have ever seen when the sun hit the woodland floor and the butterflies rose in their hundreds. 748 different species of birds have been recorded in this area of the Blean woods, including 50 rare and 13 nationally-scarce woodland birds. The Blean Wood National Nature Reserve is full of flora and fauna and a beautiful place to come find oneself. The Blean is a highly distinctive and unique wooded landscape in Swale. A lovely little reserve and well worth the trip. The house was demolished in 1938. Canterbury. This lovely ancient semi-natural woodland is part of South Bishops Den Wood, which is part of the renowned Blean woods. Targeted management as a result of continued monitoring work have helped Heath Fritillary numbers in the Blean Woodland Complex recover to pre-1980 levels. A comprehensive list of the main butterfly sites across the country ive been to and that i highly recommend visiting. Figure 2. The Blean is also one of the few places in Britain where the heath fritillary butterfly can be Northing: 159463. Before Kent Wildlife Trust bought the wood, it was managed commercially for timber production, which is why almost half of the wood is covered in plantations of non-native conifer trees. The combination of perfect weather conditions and plenty of suitable habitat all contributed to the success." In the summer, look out for damselflies, dragonflies and butterflies, including the rare heath fritillary butterfly. The stands have traditionally been managed as coppice, and are one of the British strongholds for the heath fritillary butterfly Mellicta athalea. Blean Butterflies & Downland Orchids 11th June 2018. It is part of one of the most extensive semi- natural Managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust along with other organisations, management of the woodland, including removal . View Map View Map. Look to the skies for canopy-dwelling butterflies like purple emperor and purple hairstreak, scanning the treetops for the chance to spot them in flight. Blean Woods is broken up into different habitats, with spots of heathland, birch and sweet chestnut coppice which provide vital nesting opportunities for nightingales and enough light when cut to support common cow wheat, the food plant of the endangered heath fritillary butterfly. Kent is a county in the south-eastern corner of England. Blean Woods NNR. This is illustrated really well by the story of the heath fritillary in Blean Woods over a 7-year period, where the butterfly's occupancy of the wood tracked the management that was done. Join a guided walk through RSPB Blean Woods as we look out for different butterfly species, including the . This week - HEATH FRITTILARY BUTTERFLIES We take you behind the scenes in Blean Woods in Kent and show you what we've been up to for the Wilder Blean proj. Its value for wildlife is recognised at a national level with over half of the Blean being designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Heath Fritillary is one of Britain's most threatened butterfly species, having undergone population declines of 73% between 1984 and 2004. Find the perfect blean woods stock photo. The unseasonable weather may have put a dent in the numbers of Blean Woods' rarest resident, but now is the time to go see them. Common cow-wheat Melampyrum pratense (Source: Harris, 2018) Figure 4. An area of 122 hectares (300 acres) is managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust.. Eventbrite - Butterfly Conservation presents Blean Woods Woodland Walk - Friday, 25 June 2021 at RSPB Blean woodlands, Canterbury, England. CT2 9DD. Dog walkers are kindly asked to keep to the designated 'dog walking route' so as not to disturb the wildlife, so watch out for signs. By car, access to Blean Woods is via tracks from the A290. A Monday off after a long weekend at work but I persuaded myself that it should not be wasted and arranged to meet up with Jason down at RSPB Blean Woods near Canterbury to have a look for Heath Fritillaries before heading off with some quality orchid hunting. The wood comprises hornbeam Credit: WTML. A colony of heath fritillary at Blean Woods National Nature Reserve near Canterbury in Kent has grown from six in 2006 to 1,300 this year. 33: Blean Woods West (all). butterfly in the UK. The heath fritillary is a striking butterfly whose numbers are slowly recovering in this country and The Blean is one of the best places to see them, choose a warm, if not sunny day in the next two weeks - the butterflies fly along the open rides and glades. East Blean Woods is a 151.4-hectare (374-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Herne Bay in Kent. Aim and vision: Wilder Blean is a rewilding project taking place in the Blean Woods situated near Herne Bay, Whitstable, and Canterbury. The longest, an eight mile trail, runs deep into the dense trees which attract many nesting birds, particularly nightingales. Yesterday I visited East Blean Wood near Canterbury to see the Heath Fritillary which emerged a week ago. Site location details and google satellite image for Blean Woods RSPB. butterflies such as the heath fritillary. A rare butterfly, only found in four places in Britain, has made its new home at the 140 hectare Victory Wood in Kent. The West Blean, due to the careful coppice management now supports a variety of species including the rare heath fritillary and white admiral butterflies, bluebells, wood anemones, long-eared owls, the yellow necked wood mouse and the dormouse. These sites form the largest blocks of ancient woodland habitat in the Borough 2013), but are grazed patches of cowwheat suitable for the fritillary - I don't know. The foodplant is Common Cow-wheat (Melampyrum pratense), which requires acid soils and is far from common, though Foxglove and Ribwort Plantain can be used. In the heat of summer, woodland rides are perfect places to watch for some of Kent's beautiful butterflies. If: n,1, nb= estimated total number of individuals in population a and b, respectively, during the marking period; V1h = number of individuals initially marked in colony a and subsequently recaptured in colony b; M1, Mb= total number of individuals United Kingdom. Topics included wild flowers, butterflies, hop growing, military history and tile making. Far from it: certainly, in Blean Woods, it was undoubtedly one of the worst ever, with a dearth of whites, few spring brimstones Bramble patches are good spots for passing white admirals who are partial to the blossoms, and are a favourite for the . There is something about being surrounded by green and nature that really just soothes my soul. Butterflies that bring glamour to the Norfolk Broads Driving hundreds of miles to see Britain's largest butterfly, the exotically coloured swallowtail, is a price worth paying for Michael McCarthy Grid Reference: TR1159. With the bird activity dropping off I decided to take advantage of "A Heath Fritillary Walk" arranged . Almost all the woodland . In fact, at the annual count of adult butterflies at their peak in mid-June just over 500 were recorded in Blean Woods, making 2018 a record year. East Blean Wood. Rough Common Road. This nature reserve forms part of the Blean, one of England's largest and most important areas of ancient woodland. Almost half of the wood has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). As I parked I could see a photographer at work next to the fence. Please click on the map icon below to load Blean Woods RSPB in your preferred map. They are well known at Blean Woods in Kent which is their stronghold, there is a couple of sites on Exmoor and luckily closer my mums home at Belfairs Wood in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. I observed six tumbling in an aerial group, mating pairs and half a . More open conditions will benefit cowwheat and its seeds can be dispersed by cattle (Chlumsk et al. The project will promote stronger habitats by restoring natural processes that are able to withstand the current environmental crisis and species decline, and in the long run, reverse it. The Six-spot Burnet moths were common along by the power station wall and a Common Seal was eating a flatfish at the patch. regularly marking and recapturing butterflies in three colonies in the Blean Woods complex, Kent. Almost half of the wood On Tuesday, the latest ever sighting of the extremely rare and endangered heath fritillary was recorded in Blean Woods in Kent - three butterflies were seen that were part of an unprecedented . It is also a National Nature Reserve a Special Area of Conservation and a Nature Conservation Review site. West Blean woods is an essential habitat for the heath fritillary, one of Britain's rarest butterflies. Almost all the woodland comprising the Blean complex is classified as ancient woodland. Forestry Commission/Woodland Trust's Orlestone Forest Nature Reserve near Ashford. The Blean Woodland complex in Kent is now a major stronghold for the species and contains . Habitat. As you explore the numerous paths and trails you will see a mosaic of landscapes including traditional coppice woodland, high forest, glades and heath. The Heath Fritillary, which is found in only four locations in the UK, produced a stunning spectacle in Kent's Blean Woods, north of Canterbury. Heath Fritillary butterfly Larva caterpillar Mellicta uthalia in the RSPB owned nature reserve at Blean Woods near Canterbury in Kent England Brown ferns in the foreground and behind them tree branches with yellow and green leaves during autumn, fall, in Blean Woods, near Canterbury. Of particular note are the RSPB red-listed nightjar, tree pipit and nightingale. The heath fritillary, one of our most graceful woodland butterflies, came near extinction in . Blean Woodlands is largely a wood where sweet chestnut coppicing has been the norm for several years and there is even some today. Find event and ticket information. Woodland butterflies. The clearing next to the car park was teeming with more fritillaries than I have seen in one place before. Learn to identify some of the butterfly species that we have in the Blean, as well as an introduction to butterfly surveying. Even more remarkable was a swarm of butterflies in Blean Woods, near Canterbury, at the end of June. I've always loved walking around forests and woods. Butterfly Conservation, brilliantly led by Martin warren, has been the one conservation charity that has never lost sight of the need to bring more woods into management and some of the results have been fantastic: saving the Heath Fritillary in the Blean for example, alongside a great partnership of woodland managers including RSPB and the . One key management objective at Blean Woods, an ancient woodland nature reserve in southeast England, is to maintain a healthy population of the fritillary. Show location on Google Maps.
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