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Into the green

Wood spurge by Dominique Cragg

Dom delves into the green of the wood and takes a closer look at three very special insects...

The grey and brown cloak of winter has been rolled back at Monkwood to reveal magnificent greenery; lime greens, emerald greens, olive greens and dark, forest greens. Green is a colour that I take for granted through the rest of the year. But not in May. May brings such a visceral surge of energy through just one colour, reminding us that the world’s still turning and propelling us into wonderful spring.

Even so, my job doesn’t allow me the luxury of wallowing in this glory whenever I fancy! I need a reason to visit the nature reserves I manage and, recently, that was to survey areas of Monkwood that we’ve coppiced to see how they’re responding. Anna, one of our conservation trainees, joined me for the day to see Monkwood at it’s best.

May brings such a visceral surge of energy through just one colour, reminding us that the world’s still turning and propelling us into wonderful spring.

Doing habitat surveys like this also gives us an opportunity to assess the general health of the woodland and record all sorts of species at the same time. Monkwood is particularly special for invertebrates and star species at this time of year include wood white butterflies, drab looper moths and aspen leaf-rolling weevils. All three rely on active woodland management to survive, which is why they’re doing really well at Monkwood. Without coppicing and occasional tree felling to create lots of grassy, flowery areas within the wood, these species would soon be lost.

As well as needing sun to warm up, these insects also need flowering plants for nectar, specific plants for caterpillars to chew and young scrub for shelter, basking and - in the case of some of our weevils - making a home for their larvae to develop in. That’s a lot of requirements just for three species, let alone the thousands of others at Monkwood! Fortunately, nature knows what to do so all that’s needed from us is to coppice regularly and rotationally and to trust that everything else will follow. In a natural system, large mammals such as bison, wild horse and even woolly mammoths would’ve done a version of coppicing by breaking hazel stems, crushing young aspen and nibbling on young tree shoots to provide open space. Now, though, we rely on our brilliant volunteers, their bowsaws and a bit of elbow grease!

Wood white butterfly with wings closed (grey dusting to underneath of wings) on a greater stitchwort (white, open flower)

Wood white butterfly on greater stitchwort by Bob Tunstall

With the warm sunny weather we’ve had in early May, Monkwood is now awash with wood whites. The adult butterflies visit the purple spikes of bugle, delicate pink herb Robert and the daisy-like greater stitchwort for nectar. Warmed up and energised, the females then search for the right plants to lay their eggs on. Wood white caterpillars are very particular and can only eat a couple of different plants - meadow vetchling and greater bird’s-foot trefoil – so it’s these that the female is looking for.

Drab looper moth - metallic-beige in colour - sitting on a bright green wood spurge flower

Drab looper by Dave Grundy DG Countryside

Drab looper moths are a delicate cappuccino colour and flit busily around their caterpillar’s chosen plant of wood spurge. This acid green plant is in flower throughout Monkwood in spring and seems particularly prolific this year. Perhaps it’s enjoyed the wet, mild winter we’ve just had. Drab loopers are really rare in the UK now and are restricted to just a few parts of the central and south regions. It’s wonderful to see them in large numbers again this year and spread right across the wood.

Aspen leaf-rolling weevil (metallic red insect with a long 'nose') sitting on a green leaf in the sunshine

Aspen leaf-rolling weevil by Julia Saunders

We’re just at the start of the season for aspen leaf-rolling weevils so I wasn’t sure if we’d find any but after a bit of searching, we spotted a gorgeous cherry-red individual on a young aspen sapling. This was my first of the year, and Anna’s first ever, so we stayed with it as it soaked up the sunshine. On other aspens nearby, there was already evidence of weevils at work. Lots of the trembling leaves had been rolled up into thin tubes, some still green, others dark from lack of sunlight and ready to fall to the ground. Each of these tubes is carrying the next generation of glossy weevils, as the female lays several eggs into the leaf roll, which protects the eggs until they hatch into larvae. Worcestershire may now be the national stronghold for these very rare weevils, with at least four woodlands known to have good populations.

To be able to point out three really rare species in the space of an hour, to the deafening chorus of warblers that Monkwood is also known for (blackcap, chiffchaff, willow warbler and newly arrived garden warbler) is very special. I feel the responsibility of managing the wood correctly, not just for these species but for everything else that thrives here. Sometimes this responsibility can feel a bit overwhelming but at this time of year, I’m reassured that nature is very much in control and all we need to do is give her a helping hand.

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