Tom Thorn wrote this update about a month ago. Behind the scenes we were still deciding on what to do about the next issue of the newsletter, so we’re a little late publishing it here – apologies!
The Wood is breathing a sigh of relief, having survived the long hot summer relatively unscathed. The plants in the hedgerow planted in the winter were nursed through mainly with success.
In the Spring the path bordering the wood took on a ghostly appearance with all the spindle trees in the hedges stripped of leaves and covered in a mass of cob webs. This was the work of the Spindle Ermine moth.
The caterpillars hatch in large numbers and live in the safety of the web. As they mature they gather into dense balls and hang from the spindle trees, catching out the unsuspecting walker – definitely not a good time to have your mouth open. The spindle trees quickly recover once this onslaught has moved on.
Recent work the group has carried out has been mostly on holly cutting. Holly spreads very effectively through Layering. This is where branches touch the ground and send down roots. The result is a rapidly expanding mass of holly at the expense of everything else. So it does need to be reined in.
A management plan for the next 10 years had been prepared by Idverdi (Bromley’s parks and countryside contractor). So in the coming years (when budgets allow) will allow even more positive and beneficial management of the wood.
Idverdi have repaired the Chestnut fencing round the Car Park. The materials used are much chunkier and should put up more resistance to poor reversing.
Volunteering at Well Wood
The Friends of Well Wood meet on the third Saturday of each month to carry out tasks which benefit and enhance the wood for wildlife and visitors. Over two to three hours they tackle everything from litter picking to tree planting, cutting back paths and improving the habitat for the native plants and animals that live there. They meet at 10am at the Layhams Road Car Park – if you’d like to join you’d be more than welcome.
