Cabin progress after weeks of rain

The felling of 45 (at the final count) large Scots Pine,   and dragging them by tractor to the cabin site, was a lengthy job. The ground was saturated and the tractor chewed up the ride quite a bit, but on the plus side, for the first time Old Copse looked like a proper working wood. We thought that the actual cabin build wouldn't start for a couple of months, but Kris and his team of 3 were raring to go. The rain had stopped, the sun came out, so why not?

Piotr had the job of hand stripping the bark from the logs with a 'spud', while Henry and Krys cut saddle notches at either end of the logs and then used a manual hoist to lift them into place.Tremendously  hard work, and a bit scary to watch. But these chaps are true expert craftsmen from Southern Poland where log structure building is traditional. It is so exciting seeing the cabin take shape - the door and window are both cut out, and only the floor and roof to finish . Not to forget installing the log burner that Kris will bring back from Poland.

The ride was in a right state once the felling and moving vehicles had departed, but we quickly got to work stamping down the edges of the largest ruts,  and patching up the worst trenches so that our little van could get down the Ride without toppling into a hole. (Shall we buy a 4 wheel drive ? - we're trying to resist. ) We remember the mess caused a few years ago when  a previous  vehicle was allowed onto the Ride, trampling and tearing it up, but we encouraged its fast repair by filling in the worst of the holes.  One thing we have learned is that the wood quickly recovers from 'damage', and that  there is no need to be overly precious about it.

Now most of the Ride is dry, and as we walked up it in the sunshine the other day we saw that the brimstone and peacock butterflies were back . Brambles are springing up all over the place, as a result of the clearing we've done - a result that we will need to monitor. I recall seeing in Australia many acres of land smothered in inpenetrable brambles;  do we want that in Old Copse - I don't think so. Though I expect the deer population will help to keep them down.

Spring is late but here

Spring has finally and belatedly arrived in the wood. The cuckoo has been heard calling from further north in St Leonards Forest - from almost exactly the same spot as it called last year. Brimstone butterflies have appeared on the ride. Tawny owls have been calling very early - possibly as a result of the long winter they need to start feeding early as food is scarce. On Friday 3rd two tawny owls were spotted in a large beech in the middle of Old Copse Two, sitting side by side on a branch. This is evidently a favourite tree as shown by the droppings beneath it. Would be wonderful if these were a breeding pair.

The clearing work to create the new glade in Old Copse 1 is settling down, although the remaining piles of brash still need to be removed, or scattered or burned. Blurred phone photos show Dan and Cav working to create the new space back in January.

 Felling the new glade

 logs to be  towed and stacked

Butterflies

Warmer weather has led to the appearance of early flying butterflies  along the ride on sunny days.
 The speckled wood is seen basking in sunlight, sucking nectar from woodland flowers or patrolling close to the ground. It lays its eggs on a variety of grasses favouring cocksfoot and yorkshire fog.

Quite a few brimstone, the orginal 'butter' fly. The bright yellow male is highly conspicuous as it wanders up and down the ride and through more open areas of the wood. The female is much paler and from a distance easily confused with a Large White. They may lay their eggs on alder buckthorn present in the wood. They rarely settle and when they do are very difficult to spot, resembling a small leaf in colour and shape.

Another frequent visitor is the orange tip,  the female lacks the distinctive orange wing markings of the male. The green mottled underwing shows when at rest. Eggs are laid on cuckooflower and garlic mustard. Not many in the wood, but a few are present around the edges.

There has been a single sighting of the comma butterfly with its ragged wing edges. This lays its eggs on the common nettle and there are several patches around the ride entrance and near the spring.

Another nettle laying species is the peacock, with its lovely bright eyes and a fondness for sunbathing on logs or patches of bare earth. In spring, the willow is a favoured source of nectar.