Naturally renegerated woodland

[bearbait]

I have an area of new planting (6 years ago) local-provenance broadleaf on what was organically-managed extensively- (as opposed to intensively-) grazed pasture adjacent to some ancient woodland: coppiced hazel, oak, ash, alder, with bluebells, wood anemones, cowslips, orchids, wild garlic, dead nettle, yellow archangel, etc., all the good stuff. It's interesting to see how far out into the new planting the odd bluebell or two is starting to appear...without any help from me. But nice for you to help things along anyway. Also several mounds of earth - ants' nests - have been created by the ants where no mounds existed before. The moles have gone beserk in the rides and "clearings" - but not the planted areas, I guess that's meaning there are loads of earthworms there for them, and it's easier to tunnel in the rides where there are no tree roots. In the newly-planted area are lots of vole runs. My trailcam has given hare, badger, fox, bunny, and corvids and raptors when I've baited an open area, and foxy again soon after which the bait mysteriously disappeared.

It's great to watch an new environment slowly construct itself, with and without help from us.

Good luck with your woodland and enjoy it...

 

[spandit]

Plenty of moles around here too but frankly, if they're helping to aerate the soil then I've no inclination to remove them - I tend to use the hills for planting new stuff anyway as the soil mulches the grass immediately surrounding it. They're also a good source of soil for potting. I expect they'll move into the wooded areas in places now that I've changed the drainage but will be interesting to see what happens in winter - last year it was so boggy in most of it that they disappeared for quite a while.

I've had a trailcam out in various areas (need to put it out again, as it happens) and have found rabbits, fox, roe deer, badger, squirrel, woodpeckers, jays, rats, mice, voles, barn owl (breeding pair, we hope). I've also seen grass snakes and plenty of other raptors (buzzards I think but not sure - must invest in some decent binos)