20230808 102638 pond record photo
 
20230711 111228 oak - sprouting

On Tuesday 12th September we will investigate the flora and fauna of the ponds in Brandy Hole Copse. We intend to look at all three of the ponds in the Copse. Of particular importance will be identifying any possible invasive alien species. We will also record species present and help build up an idea of the biodiversity and condition of the ponds in Brandy Hole Copse.

Photo above is of Willow Copse, taken at our last Working Party on 8th August 2023. I am trying to take a photo from this spot each month to compare water levels (measuring depth is tricky, so extent of water - how far it is from bank tops/path - is standing proxy).

We would love more people to help, whether as a one-off or on a regular basis - do you fancy helping find out more about our ponds? To help us know how many and who to expect, please complete the form here or reply to this email.

If you can't help in this way, could you share this email with others who may like to? We need to do all we can to engage people with the nature upon which the ecosystem of the Copse depends.

Date: Tuesday 12th September

Time: 10am – noon

Meet at: the green store at the west end of the Copse (beside the entrance from the on-road parking area)

Practicalities:
* Wellies are recommended and we ask you to please clean them thoroughly before use for biosecurity reasons.

N.B. meet location is approximately here (using What3Words).

This email is being sent to everyone on our Friends' e-mailing list as well as those on our Working Party (was Green Gym) e-mailing list as part of the Friends' efforts to promote conservation and biodiversity in Brandy Hole Copse and its immediate surroundings.

Please note that we have had to change the date for the CDC-led working party in October. This will now be Tuesday 17th October (rather than the usual second Tuesday morning of the month). It will be a physically active session where we will be cutting laurel to control this invasive species, open up the woodland floor to light and increase opportunity for biodiversity.

Apologies that I will need to send a couple more emails in quick succession. One relates to our AGM to be held at St Paul's Church Hall on the evening of Thursday 5th October, with which I really need help. The other I am struggling to write and you will see why.

With best wishes,

Paula Chatfield
Co-Opted Committee Member, Friends of Brandy Hole Copse

email fobhc@treesinchi.org (please note that this is an incoming email address only - replies will come from my personal email which is paula@parklands-chichester.org )
tel. 07788 140698
www.treesinchi.org/brandy-hole-copse
20230808 112947 common frog

Report from last time:
Photo: young common frog (Rana temporaria), one of many spotted at our last Working Party on 8th August whilst making records of trees! The woodland floor was literally hopping in this area near Cops pond - it was the movement that caught our eye.

6 people participated; we identified 26 different species of tree and expect there are still more to be found.
20230808 110143 oak canopy

We touched and sniffed and really looked at the different ways trees grow, finding that several of the taller woodland oaks such as this one are likely to be of similar age (circa 200? years old) based on girth of circa 3m. As ever when really looking, there were surprises: a green crab spider (Diaea dorsata) found on turning over a leaf; and welcome ancient woodland indicators such as enchanter's nightshade (Circaea lutetiana) which likes sun-dappled spaces.
 

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