Gimswood

Trees
Shrub
Bird
Plant
Dragonfly
Insect
Moths
Species Update 2009
Species Update July 2010
Plant Species Update June 2012
Amphibians Species Update February 2015
Bird and Bat Box Update February 2015

The woodland now consists of 15,000 trees and shrubs.

Mostly Oak and Ash were planted to link with the existing small Ash wood in the field next door.  They are species well suited to the heavy clay here.

 

Other tree species planted are:

Large and Small Leaved Lime

Wild Cherry and Bird Cherry

Rowan and Silver Birch on the lighter, sandy patches

Downy Birch, Wild Service Tree, Alder, Aspen, Hornbeam, Holly, Whitebeam, Field Maple, Beech, Walnut, Scots Pine, European Larch.

Crack Willow and Goat (“pussy”) Willow on the wetter areas

Crabapple and Wayfaring Tree on the woodland edges where there is more light

 

Shrub species planted close together to make thickets:

Hawthorn and Midland Hawthorn  Alder Buckthorn and Purging Buckthorn

Elder Hazel Dog Rose Honeysuckle Guelder Rose

Wild Privet Dogwood Spindle on the drier areas

 

Bird species
noted in spring 2003 by RSPB

Blackbird Blackcap Chaffinch Chiffchaff Crow: carrion Cuckoo Dunnock Jackdaw Magpie

Mallard Moorhen Pheasant Robin Rook Skylark Sparrow, tree Starling

Tit: blue, marsh and great Wagtail: yellow and pied Warbler: willow and garden Whitethroat, and Lesser Whitethroat Woodpigeon, feral pigeon Wren Yellowhammer

Plant species
Noted in summer 2004 by the County Ecologist, in the grassy areas:

Bird's Foot TrefoilBush Vetch Buttercup - Bulbous Buttercup - Creaping Buttercup - Meadow Clover - Red Clover - White Clover - ZigZag Cock's Foot Common Bent Common Mouse-ear Common Sorrel Crested Dog's-tail Curled Dock Cut-Leaved Cranesbill

False Oat Grass Good Friday Grass Hogweed Lady's Bedstraw Lesser Hop Trefoil Lesser Knapweed Meadow Barley Meadow Foxtail Meadow Vetchling Pepper Saxifrage Perennial Rye Grass Pineapple Mayweed Rat's-Tail Plantain Reed Canary Grass

Scarlet Pimpernel Silverweed Smooth Meadow Grass Soft Brome Sweet Vernal Grass Thistle - Creeping Thistle - Prickly Sow Thistle - Spear Timothy Grass Tufted Hair Grass Yellow Oat Grass Yorkshire Fog

Dragonfly species
Noted in August 2005 by the Warwickshire Dragonfly Recorder.
All ponds and the stream surveyed 3 August.

Banded Demoiselle Black-tailed Skimmer Blue-tailed Damsel Broad-bodied Chaser

Brown Hawker Common Darter Common Blue Damsel

Emerald Damsel Emperor Dragonfly Ruddy Darter

Insect Species
Insect survey, 16th August 2005
By John Robbins and his colleagues

It was found during the survey that the rich weed flora was characterized by an extraordinary dearth of associated organisms (insects, mites, fungi), something quite unexpected. Most of the sapling trees and shrubs had no associated organisms -- as one would expect -- but some are starting to appear here and there.

The species of insects found are listed below along with the plant they were found on. The “notes” are interesting as the words “rare”, “uncommon” and “scarce” appear!

	HOST	NOTES
1. Eriophyid Mites (recorded as galls: see also Note 4).
Aceria macrochelus	Acer campestre	Common on a mature boundary tree.
A. ulmicota	Ulmus sp.	Numbers of heavily galled leaves on 2 plants in hedge.
Eriophyes prunispinosae	Prunus spinosa	Very local and uncommon in boundary hedge.
Phyllocoptes goniothorax	Crataegus rnonogyna	Rare, 1 to a few galls in 3 places in boundary hedges.
- Unidentified	Chenopodium Sp.	Two small patches of erinea on 1 leaf. Note 5.
2. Aphids
- Tuberculoides borealis	Quercus robur	A modest-sized colony on an older sapling.
Brachycaudus prunicola	Prunus spinosa	Many galled leaves in the boundary hedges.
- Uroleucon sonchi	Sonchus oleraceus	A smallish colony on 1 plant only; 5th C.R..
3. Psyllids
Psyllopsis fraxini	Fraxinus excelsior	2 galls on a sapling and 3 on a hounary tree.
- Livia juncorum	Juncus articulatus	A few galls.
4.Dioptera
- Cystiphora sonchi	Sonchus oleraceus	A few dozen galls on 1 plant.
Dasineura fraxini	Fraxinus excelsior	A few galls in a mature tree. Note 6.
D plicatrix	Ruhus fruticosus	Several galled leaves at 1 spot only in boundary hedge.
Agromyza reptans	Urtica dioica	A few mines recently started.
Phytomyza cirsii	Cirsium arvense	1 + mines.
5. Lepidoptera See also Note 1
Stigmella atricapitella	Quercus robur	2 mines in a sapling.
S. lemniscella	Ulmus sp.	2 mines
S. plagicolella	Prunus spinosa	2+ first gen. mines.
Lyonetia clerkella	Betula pendula	2 mines in a sapling.
- Caloptilia alchimiella	Quercus robur	A nice recent leaf roll on a boundary tree.
C. stigmatella	Salix cinerea	4+ mines/rolls..
Callisto denticulalla	Malus domestica	1 + mines/rolls in an older sapling.
Parornix anglicella	Crataegus monogyna	A few mines/rolls in boundary hedge.
Phyllonorycter blancardella	Malus domestica	Several mines, mostly in saplings.
P. corylifoliella	Crataegus monogyna	1 fresh mine.
- Chrysoestha sexguttella	Chenopodium album	2 vacated mines. Note 7.
- Mompha epilobiella	Epilobium hirsutum	A few attacked shoots on 1 plant; larvae had left to pupate
Endothenia gentianeana	Dipsacus fullonum	Larva in head (very early date).
- Eucosma obumbratana	Sonchus oleraceus	A large larva in 1 seedhead. Note 3.
6. Sawflies Note 2.
Fenusa dohrnii	Alnus glutinosa.	Several mines on saplings.
F. pusiIla	Betula pendula	c.2 mines in saplings.
Pontania proxima	Salix fragilis	Several galls on saplings, possibly all 2nd gen.
7. Gall-Wasps
Diplolepsis nervosa	Rosa sp.	A few galls, still small, in boundary hedge.
D. rosae	Rosa sp.	3 small galls in boundary hedge. Note 8..
Andricus kollari	Quercus robur	A few to several galls on several of the larger saplings.
Neuroterus numismalis	do.	A few galls on 1 sapling
N. quercus-baccarurn	Quercus robur	A few to several galls on 3-4 saplings.
8. Coleoptera
2 spot Ladybird	Several
22-spot Ladybird		1. feeding on the oak rriildew.
- Saperda populnea	Populus nigra hybrid	1 old gall
9. Fungi.
Erysiphe aquilegiae v. ranunculi	Ranunculus repens	Well established on 1 group of plants.
Microsphaera alphitodes	Quercus robur	On at least 1 sapling.
Podosphaera clandestina	Crataegus monogyna	In a few places.
P. leucotricha	Malus domestica	On at least 3 saplings.
Sawadea bicornis	Acer campestre	On a few saplings.
Sphaerotheca epilobii	Epilobium sp.	On 1 plant.
Melampsora caprearum	Salix caprea	On a few leaves on 1 plant.
M. epitea	Salix cinerea	On several leaves on at least 2 plants.
Melampsoridium betulinum	Betula pendula	Quite well established on at least 2 saplings.
Puccinia legenophorae	Senecio vulgaris	On a few plants. 1 heavily attacked.

NOTES:
1. A small moth larva feeding in individual rose leaflets spun up could not be identified.
2. Several leaves on sapling oaks shewed the effects of former feeding by the larvae of Caliroa annulipes earlier in the summer.
3. This is the first larval record for a species that is quite rare in Warwickshire. Possibly only the 5th CR..
4. Leaves of an exotic Sorbus of the aria group shewed some upwards bulges, possibly due to a mite. This would appear to be a gall new to the British Isles. The mites - if that is what they are - will have been imported with the sapling, which was planted only last year.
5. This is the 3rd British and 2nd Warwickshire record for this rare gall.
6. These galls all appeared to he quite fresh. Some seen at Ufton Fields on 6th August had already opened up to release the midge larvae,
7. These mines were recorded in 6 sites, mostly in the Coventry area, during the 1980s, since when there has been scarcely a record.
8. These bedeguar galls were mostly very tiny; some seen 10 days ago were large. Possibly only one to a few eggs had been laid by the female wasp.


Moth Species
MOTHS recorded 1st August 2006
David Brown and Phill Robbins

Maple Pug
Cloaked Minor
Yellow Shell
Brimstone
Flame Shoulder
Common Carpet
Straw Dot
Silver Y
Dark Arches
Setacious Hebrew Character
Six Striped Rustic
Straw Underwing
Ruby Tiger
Large Yellow Underwing
Dusky Sallow
Common Wainscot

The only moth of note among these is the Maple Pug, which is recorded as “nationally local”. This means that it is nationally significant, appearing only in small localities across the country. However, if more studies were done it might prove to be more common than had originally been thought. Since it was found in Gimswood, on a mature Field Maple (Acer Campestre) in the hedge, it will spread into the new saplings in due course as they mature.

Species Update
Recorded 30th July 2009
Keith Warmington, Mike Slater and Terry Southgate

Butterflies
Small Skipper	17
Large White	10
Small White	5
Green-veined White	3
Brown Argus	1
Common Blue	5 (4m+1f)
Painted Lady	10
Small Tortoiseshell	10+ Larvae
Gatekeeper	18
Meadow Brown	42
Grasshoppers & Crickets
Lesser Marsh Grasshopper	1
Roesel's Bush Cricket	12
Long-winged Conehead	2
Dragonflies
Common Darter	7
Southern Hawker	2
Birds
Buzzard	1
Great Spotted Woodpecker	1
Stock Dove	1
Yellowhammer	2
Butterflies (Seen, but not tallied)
Essex Skipper Large Skipper Brimstone Orange-tip Small Copper Red Admiral Peacock Comma Speckled Wood Ringlet

Species Update
Recorded 9th July 2010

Maple Pug Brown Scallop Drinker Ruby Tiger Common Footman Smoky Wainscot V Pug Clouded Silver Snout Small Fanfoot Yellow-tail Scarce Footman Brimstone Moth Scalloped Oak Swallowtailed Common Carpet Common Emerald Blood Vein Single Dotted Wave Barred Yellow Willow Beauty Brown line Bright eye Riband Wave Common Rustic Plain Golden Y Dunbar Dingy Shears Light Emerald Lesser Yellow Underwing July Highflyer Double Square Spot Common Wave Dusky Brocade

Double Dart Dark Umber Ghost Moth Dingy Footman Buff Footman Dark Arches Flame Shoulder Small Dotted Buff Common Pug Lilac Beauty Beautiful Hook-tip Early Thorn Green Pug Buff Arches Large Yellow Underwing Flame Heart and Dart Tawny Marbled Minor Poplar Grey The Uncertain Bright line Brown eye Pale Prominent White Satin Lunar Spotted Pinion Light Arches Large Nutmeg Yellow Shell Little Emerald Clouded Border Poplar Hawkmoth Setaceous Hebrew Character Buff-tip Shoulder Striped Wainscot

Best moth was without doubt Double Dart...a species that has recently become very rare in Warks and is also plummeting Nationally.

Plant Species Update
Recorded by J and M Walton June 2012

Alliaria petiolata Garlic Mustard Alopecurus pratensis Meadow Foxtail Anthoxanthum odoratum Sweet Vernal Grass Anthriscus sylvestris Cow-parsley Apium nodiflorum Fool's Watercress Arctium minus Lesser burdock Arrhenatherum elatius False Oat Grass Bellis perennis Daisy Bromus hordeaceus Soft brome Capsella bursa-pastoris Shepherd's Purse Carex hirta Hairy sedge Centaurea nigra Black Knapweed Cerastium fontanum Common mouse-ear Conium maculatum Hemlock Convolvulus arvensis Field Bindweed Crataegus monogyna Hawthorn Cynosurus cristatus Crested Dogstail Dactylis glomerata Cocksfoot Deschampsia caespitosa Tufted Hair-grass Dipsacus fullonum Teasel Epilobium hirsutum Great hairy Willowherb Festuca rubra Red fescue Filipendula ulmaria Meadowsweet Galeopsis tetrahit Common Hemp-nettle Galium aparine Cleavers Galium verum Lady's bedstraw Geranium dissectum Cut-leaved Cranesbill Geum urbanum Wood Avens Glechoma hederacea Ground-ivy Heracleum sphondylium Hogweed Holcus lanatus Yorkshire Fog Hordeum secalinum Meadow Barley Lamium album White Deadnettle Lapsana communis Nipplewort Lathyrus pratensis Meadow Vetchling

Lolium perenne Perennial Rye-grass Lotus corniculatus Birdsfoot Trefoil Luzula campestris Field Woodrush Malva moschata Musk Mallow Myosotis arvensis Field Forget-me-not Persicaria maculosa Redshank Poa pratensis Smooth Meadow-grass Poa trivialis Rough Meadow-grass Potentilla anserina Silverweed Potentilla reptans Creeping Cinquefoil Prunella vulgaris Self-heal Prunus spinosa Blackthorn Ranunculus acris Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus bulbosus Bulbous Buttercup Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup Rhinanthus minor Yellow rattle Rosa canina Dog Rose Rubus fruticosus Bramble Rumex acetosa Common Sorrel Rumex crispus Curled dock Rumex obtusifolius Broad-leaved Dock Salix fragilis var. fragilis Crack Willow Silaum silaus Pepper saxifrage Silene dioica Red Campion Silene flos-cuculi Ragged Robin Sonchus asper Prickly Sowthistle Sparganium erectum Branched bur-reed Taraxacum officinale agg. Dandelion Trifolium dubium Lesser trefoil Trifolium pratense Red Clover Trifolium repens White Clover Trisetum flavescens Yellow Oat-grass Ulmus procera English elm Urtica dioica Common Nettle Vicia sativa ssp. segetalis Common Vetch

Species Update - Amphibians
Recorded 16 February 2015 by Claire Bullen BSc (Biol) MSc (Natural Conservation)

Since the creation of Gimswood in 2002 regular monitoring of wildlife has taken place.

There have been no sightings of newts or of adult frogs and toads at Gimswood. However, frog spawn and toad spawn, tadpoles, and first-season juveniles have been observed in abundance at wet "scrapes" and ponds dug since Gimswood started. The species are believed to be common frog and common toad. At the commencement of the Gimswood project 5 ponds and many scrapes were dug. Each scrape was typically about 2 -3 m diameter and 50 cm deep. They were dug as an experiment to see what happened in respect of development of natural flora and fauna. Some filled with water and remained wet except in a dry summer; others remained always dry and with some non-grass flora. The locations where there is an annual sighting of tadpoles (subject to water availability) are arrowed in the photograph below. The two pre-existing ponds (marked "A"), used to supply water for livestock, contain turbid water: regular inspections have taken place but there have been no sightings of amphibians in them.



The location of frog and toad tadpoles in the scrapes and ponds depends on the weather and ground conditions each spring. Although none of the locations are affected by floodwater, all are at the lower, wetter end of the site. After a wet winter all the arrowed locations will contain water and be expected to reveal many tadpoles; after a dry winter or spring the scrapes, but not the ponds, are likely to be empty throughout the breeding season. The original source of amphibians at Gimswood is unknown.

Species Update - Bird and Bat Boxes
Recorded 16 February 2015 by Claire Bullen BSc (Biol) MSc (Natural Conservation)

Natural England have sponsored 20 bird boxes and 5 bat boxes. They were installed in January 2014. At the end of the summer season the bird boxes were checked for occupancy.

The primary objective of the provision of bird boxes was to support the indigenous population of tree sparrows. In the event, a survey at the end of the 2014 nesting season revealed that almost all of the boxes had been used successfully for nest building but the great majority, where identification was possible, had been occupied by great tits and blue tits.

The bat boxes were installed adjacent to rides along which bats (species not identified) had been seen foraging in the summer evenings. The locations are in the southwest field where the woodland and insect life development is most mature and there is mature woodland nearby. Unfortunately, although the bat boxes had been obtained from an approved supplier, they were not sufficiently robust. The timber warped and split and the "brass" fittings turned out to be of steel. All of the bat boxes require repair/replacement. There was, however, evidence of droppings either within fallen boxes or below the access apertures, suggesting that bat boxes had been used at least for roosting. The boxes that were damaged will be repaired and it is intended to extend the bat box coverage in 2015.