Wickham Commons Newsletter – June 2019

June 2019

Welcome to the West Wickham Commons Newsletter covering West Wickham Common and Spring Park.

Brownies experience a bit of springtime magic

2^nd Coney Hall Brownies recently spent an evening exploring West Wickham Common with the ranger. The enthusiastic group used leaves, moss and sticks to create tiny dens for woodland creatures, discovered spiders and ladybirds on a bug hunt, and decorated tree stumps.

Possibly using a little Brownie magic, the young explorers located an enchanted fairy house at the base of an old oak tree. They reported that it had a pink door, a path made of leaves and a tiny garden pond. Sadly, the magic wore off before any photos could be taken so exactly what it looked like and where it’s located on the Common, remains a closely guarded Brownie secret…

Oak processionary moth

Visitors to Spring Park and West Wickham Common may have noticed the red posters warning of the possible presence of oak processionary moth (OPM). The non-native moth caterpillars, which were accidentally introduced to the UK on imported oak trees, shed thousands of tiny hairs which can irritate the skin and lungs of passers-by and their pets.

Through June and into July you might come across the rangers with binoculars scanning each branch of every oak tree for signs of the pest. This annual survey, which started in 2012, has so far indicated that Spring Park and West Wickham Common are free of OPM. We have our fingers firmly crossed that this remains the case in 2019; however if you come across lines of caterpillars or silken webbing nests similar to these pictures please contact us immediately.

New Information Ranger

Adding to our team of rangers, we have a new Information Ranger, Tom, who will be taking care of all manner of things related to interpretation and communication across the West Wickham and Coulsdon Commons. Tom will also be on site at West Wickham and Spring Park. He joins us from two years abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark studying for a Masters in Nature Management and previously part of the ranger team for a local Wildlife Trust. If you see him out and about on the Commons, please come over and say hello.

Volunteering

WWaSP Volunteers
Friday 28 June 2019, 10am – 2pm
Clearing vegetation in and around the pond and surveying the huge variety of aquatic plants. Meet by the Office at 10am or by the pond throughout the day.

For further information:
Tel: 01372 279083