Last Updated 29th September 2008
LOOKING FOR "GO APE" THE ADVENTURE TREETOP CLIMBING EXPERIENCE AT ALICE HOLT VISITOR CENTRE? >> CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS OF GO APE
ACTIVITIES & EVENTS AT ALICE HOLT VISITOR CENTRE IS UPDATED FOR OCTOBER HALF TERM>>CLICK HERE
LOOKING FOR SOMEWHERE TO EAT AND DRINK WITH THE FAMILY?>>Click here for our NEW PUB GUIDE
See other attractions near Alice Holt Forest>>Click here for our guide to PLACES TO VISIT NEAR ALICE HOLT
Note this is an INDEPENDENT website, run to benefit all those who are interested in this unique part of our heritage.
We are not connected to the Forrestry Commission or to any of the franchisees who operate in Alice Holt
We started this site in Feb '07 in a desperate attempt to update people about a campsite planning application that was threatening the Forest at the time. We decided to keep thesite going. Partly as a noticeboard to inform the public about other future threats to the Forest but also to act as a general site for everyone who knows and loves this unique place.
We've now received over 27,000 visitors from as far away as Argentina, Botswana and even the Caribbean islands of St Kitts and Nevis! Thanks to all our visitors and e-mail correspondents.
We are building up a collection of interesting articles about the Forest, it's history, ecology, wildlife and points of interest. We would like to receive any contributions you may have. No matter how long or short;serious or lighthearted. Nature sightings, recollections of the Forest in past times, interesting facts, events and notices, pictures, poems,scholarly treatises or kids' stuff...please use the contact us link or put it in the "Snail mail". Go to Contact us details
HIGHLIGHTS IN BRIEF
PLANS FOR OLD ARBORETUM >>Click here
Read the account of a fascinating guided walk around the old Arboretum with tree expert Dr Richard Jinks and the exciting plans to restore this important site to its former glory
CYCLING FOR ALL IN ALICE HOLT FOREST
You can enjoy miles of traffic free cycling in the Forest. Find out about access, cycle hire and the new CTC scheme ...including specialised cycles for those with physical difficulties.
NEW FEATURE! BIRDWATCHING IN ALICE HOLT FOREST
There are always birds to look out for in the woods. See our guide to all the most distinctive, unusual and beautiful of our forest feathered friends.
>> The Forest News page has been updated to cover topics such as all the felling work now going on and the status of the Kennels Pond weed problem. There's an update too about the Western Weald / South Downs Park Campaign
>> Click here for more photos in the Photo Gallery including this one: a foxglove close up.
LOCAL GUIDE TO THE ALICE HOLT AREA
Fancy a pint and a bit of nosh after your visit to the Forest?
>>Click here for our guide to the best pubs around Alice Holt. (all tested personally by your's truly! Ed) We've also included local B&B accommodation for those looking to stay in the Alice Holt Forest area.
The Best of Farnham: guide to local business and attractions
To find out what's what in this area>>Click here for Best of Farnham Online Guide
Springfields Nursery: A family-run garden centre with great prices
For many years Barry Plummer, owner of Springfields Nursery at Oakhanger has sponsored the Binsted Flower Show. Springfields is a traditional nursery-garden centre offering everything you need in the way of plants, tools, sundries, fencing, petcare etc all at very reasonable prices.
>>Click Here to find out more about Springfields Nursery
Autumn's here: Fruits, fungi and leaves changing colour
To see what wildlife to look out for in the Forest now, take a look at the nature notes section further down this home page
CONTENTS
Go Ape Still Open for 2008 Season. Click to get directions
NEW! Community Features (just below this contents section: scroll down)
Brian and Sandra Grainger's trip to Alice Holt
Binsted's 100th Flower Show
NEW! Cycling in Alice Holt Forest, including cycle hire
NEW! Birdwatching in Alice Holt: Top 10 plus complete species list
Guide to the best local pubs . Great places to take the family for lunch. Or enjoy a pint of real ale. Also includes where to find local accommodation
Dog Walking in Alice Holt, Sponsored Husky Sledding and Dog Photo Winners
What's going on in the Lodge Inclosure? Report on felling and thinning work
Old Arboretum to be revived. Read about the public meeting on site
Latest status of Kennels Pond & the Swampweed problem
South Downs National Park/Western Weald Campaign update
Photo Gallery: More New Photos
Alice Holt in the Roman Period: the Alice Holt & Farnham Potteries
Want to Contribute to this Site?
Feature of the Month : Fruit and Fungi to look out for as the Forest enters Autumn
Twitchers' Corner (Rarity List)
UPDATED FOR SUMMER HOLIDAYS! Forest Activities & Diary of Events:
Includes directions and details of the Visitor Centre, together with all the events happening there
COMMUNITY
TREK PERU CHALLENGE
St Luke's Cancer Fund is based at the Royal County Hosital ,Guildford and it at the forefront of treating and caring for people with cancer in Surrey, Hampshire & Sussex. Kate Fordham will be taking part in the Trek Peru Challenge , walking the ancient Inca way in October, hoping to raise £3000 for St.Lukes. Kate will be joining her mum ,who's was treated by St Luke's for breast cancer. Kate's held an Auction of Promises on 7th June.
One of the "promises" auctioned was a guided walk of Alice Holt Forest, which Brian and Sandra Grainger secured with a winning bid of £65. They joined aliceholt.org editor for a summer walk through the Butterfly Meadow and Forest, photographing wildlife and seeing the old Roman kilns, followed by a pub supper kindly donated by Jeff and Georgia Watts of The Jolly Farmer.
"It was a most enjoyable and informative experience, and Brian is dead chuffed witth his shards of Roman pottery!" said Sandra, seen here with husband Brian (left) and aliceholt.org editor Patrick Butler setting off from Bentley Station
Kate has now raised more than £2300 but she still has some way to go to hit the target sum. So why not visit Kate's Justgiving.com site Or contact Kate directly on 07855 358971 or Kate's email
BINSTED'S 100th FLOWER SHOW
Back in 1892 Binsted held its first Flower Show, which has continued, (with the odd break for World Wars) ever since. In 1928 the Flower Show and the Fete joined forces. Back then entrance was 6d (plus a shilling to park a motorcar or 2d for a bike). You might win a hundredweight of "best coal" or try your hand on the "Cokernut (sic) Shy" but the Flower Show itself was not so far away from today's event. The social divides of pre-War rural England were subtly in evidence. Pretty much anyone who was anyone was on the Commitee with no less than 13 Vice-Presidents, and there were classes for "Cottagers" separate from those for "Amateurs" (those with paid gardeners).
The Fete & Flower Show has had it's ups and downs. In 2004 the Committee was reduced to a "rump" of die-hards and sadly the whole thing had to be cancelled. Later that year at a packed public meeting people decided this was the thin end of the wedge, new members came forward to join the Committee and in 2005 it was back with a bang.
Melissa Salisbury's magnificent celebratory cake
So for those who've worked tirelessly to keep the whole event running, the final arrival of the 100th Show was a source of huge pride and satisfaction. They included Sam Barrow who received a gift of Champagne and Wine in recognition of her 15 years of organising the Childrens section. Many celebrated in style by donning period costumes and the whole event was packed..
The Flower Show itself attracted a huge 391 individual exhibits . There were many new faces including Richard Holland who walked off with "Best in Show" for Domestic Produce. But it was also a great day for long-standing competitors such as Susannah Adlington who finally won the Hampden Cup for perennials after some 40 years of trying!
If there were an Olympic event for Flower Show entries, Britain would surely be represented by the Salisbury Family: After hours spent baking bread, icing cakes, washing potatoes, making scarecrows and arranging flowers, plus a break while Ian helped set up the show in the marquee, Ian and Melissa entered no less than 58 classes securing 13 first prizes, with young Aspen & Matthew each bagging a pound in prize money in the kid's section too.
There was a wonderful photographic exhibition, run by Tony and Gill Radnor and the Dog Show was as popular as ever, run by Ron and Sue Sergeant (see Dog Walking section)
Dozens of Fete stalls ranged from a grand raffle with a baloon trip as the top prize, can shy, "Brain of Binsted" and a tug o'war in which teams from Bentley and Binsted took on the reigning European Champions from Sandhurst. Fete goers were refreshed by beer and burgers courtesy of the Cedars and teas and cakes served up as always by the tireless Trish Cardy. And in the evening over 120 people enjoyed a rip-roaring barn dance in which everyone, young and old got to dance with everyone else and much beer and hog roast was consumed. Those who were up to it attended a simple church service in the Fete marqueee the next morning.
The money raised goes to various good causes in the Parish, and will be distributed by the Commitee after the AGM.
Let's leave the last word to an (anonymous) resident of Binsted ."I'm seventy five years old and I've been living here since I was three. This is definitely the best Fete and Flower show I can remember"
SEE MORE PICTURES OF THE BIG DAY
Alice Holt Forest in Old County
Maps of Hampshire
See how Alice Holt mysteriously disappeared off the county maps of Hampshire between 1575 and 1759
Alice Holt Forest in Roman Times
the History of the Alice Holt & Farnham Potteries
See how Alice Holt was, for four hundred years a thriving industrial centre, manufacturing pottery on a vast scale for the citizens of Roman Britannia
| WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS SITE? Got a photo you want posted? Know any favourite Forest walks you'd like to tell people about? Any interesting wildlife you've seen recently? Any news or events you'd like to publicise? Any issues you'd like to get onto the soapbox about? How about your kids? Any drawings or poems they're especially proud of you'd like to see online? We positively welcome any and every contribution to this website. Never mind if you're writing skills are not those of a professional ...you may have noticed my spelling's not too hot either! Just send an e-mail
to which you can attach any of the commonly used types of files
like word, powerpoint, jpegs etc . Send it to info@aliceholt.org.
|
NATURE NEWS
The acorn of our familiar lowland Oak tree the COMMON, ENGLISH or PEDUNCULATE OAK (Quercus robur) which is the main species to be found in Alice Holt Forest
Bitter, tannin filled acorns, formerly an essential fallback foodstuff in hard times are once again providing a meal for man and beast. LEFT Acorn Bread from an American Recipe. RIGHT Commoners' pigs at "pannage" in the New Forest,. By eating the green acorns which are poisonous to deer and horses, the pigs performed a service to the King who was otherwise inclined to preserve the Forest mercilessly against the rights of the peasants!
One of the reasons the Acorn crop is poor this year may be the extremely lush growth of the foliage this year, as evidenced in this picture (LEFT) of one of this year's leaves against last year's equivalent from the same tree. The good growth may mean the Oaks were not inclined to set a lot of seed ,but triggered to one of their periodic "Starve years". Not needing particularly to have successful acorns every year, they cut right back; thereby preventing the populations of acorn-eaters such as this JAY (CENTRE Garrulus glandarus) from growing unchecked. A single Jay can eat or store 3000 or more acorns in a month, although some will be lost and left buried in the ground to sprout next year. Another problem for those who feed on acorns is that someone got there first: these KNOPPER GALLS (RIGHT (c) A Dale bugsandweeds.co.uk) are caused by the grubs of a tiny midge which secretes chemicals into the acorn causing a mass of abnormal, woody growth.
These two acorn eaters have different strategies: The GREY SQUIRREL (Sciurus carolinensis) buries them in the ground or stashes them in hollow trees, while the WOODPIGEON (Columba palumbus) simply eats as many as it can to fatten up for the winter. It can hold as many as sixty in its "crop" or throat pouch, waiting until there's room in the muscular "gizzard" where they are ground up en route to the stomach proper
Each kind of fruit seems to have a creature which particularly specialises in eating it. Here's a few examples:-
BLACKBERRIES (Rubus fruiticosus) will soon be over, but while they remain the FOX (Vulpes vulpes) will eat them readily
HAWTHORN (Crataegus monogyna) provides a vast bulk of fruit for the Forest's wildlife, and the berries are long lived, allowing birds to feed on them throughout the Winter. BLACKBIRDS (Turdus merula) have started already
LEFT The YEW (Taxus baccata) has berries which are edible on the outside (the red part) but intensely poisonous on the inside (the green part) The MISTLE THRUSH (Turdus viscivorus) is the largest of our resident thrushes and is already to be found guarding fruiting Yew trees aggressively against other birds.
CENTRE The remaining ELDERBERRIES (Sambucus nigra) are favoured by BLACKCAPS (Sylvia atricapilla) who issue a constant series of sharp "Tack-tack" calls from the elder bushes.
RIGHT GREENFINCHES (Carduelis chloris) love ROSEHIPS (These are from garden Damask Roses (c) Barry Boswell)
SQUIRRELS love to chew pine cones to get at the oil-rich pine nuts, leving the debris and chewed cores all over the ground. This is the remains of a CORSICAN PINE (Pinus nigra var caramanica) cone (Centre). They don't tackle the huge and beautiful cones of the CEDAR OF LEBANON (Cedrus libani-Right) taken from the tree outside the Alice Holt Research Station
COMMON WASPS (Vespulis vulgaris) are very active at the moment. The nests start off as delicate little paper lanterns you may find suspended from the ceiling of the shed. Then as the queen hatches more workers, they build row upon row of paper combs, often creating a vast structure. HORNETS (Vespa crabo) are much bigger than wasps and more nocturnal. The "action shot" on the right shows two buzzing around my security light at night.
Autumn is only just arriving, but already some of the plants look forward to Spring. The HAZEL (Corylus avellana) has ripe nuts now, which get rapidly eaten by rodents. LEFT These cleanly split shells are the work of the Squirrel (Mice tend to leave the shell whole with a hole gnawed in one end) while on the RIGHT the tightly furled new male catkins are already visible, ready to shed their pollen come the Spring.
HERE'S JUST A FEW OF THE FUNGI YOU CAN FIND IN THE FOREST NOW:
TOP ROW (L to R)the BLUSHER (Amanita rubescens) a relative of the red and white spotted Fly Agaric. This is poisonous raw, but safe if cooked; A rather shabby GRISETTE (A.vaginata) Not dangerous but closely related to several deadly species including the Death Cap; Lycoperdon perlatum, a lovely member of the EARTH BALL group with a wonderful textured skin
MIDDLE ROW (L to R) SPINDLE SHANK (Collybia fusipes) so called for it's tough, distorted stem; Cyanthus olla, a tiny fungus related to the Earth Stars found growing in moss. Note the miniscule "eggs" inside the trumpet like cone.; SULPHER TUFT (Hupholoma fasciculare) large spectacular clumps of this inedible toadstool are very common on treestumps in Alice Holt
BOTTOM ROW (L to R) FALSE DEATH CAP (Amanita citrina var alba) Like the rest of its group it grows from a bulb-like "volva" and bears a collar or ring around the stem. Not actually poisonous but it would be foolhardy to eat it due to the high risk of confusion with the true Death Cap, one of the most fearsome and deadly toadstools;EARTH BALL (Scleroderma areolatum) caught by flash in a dark corner of the undergrowth; FLEECY MILK CAP (Lactarius velereus) A large, robust toadstool growing in groups on the damp forest floor. Most milk caps exude droplets of white liquid from the "gills" on the underside, and most are inedible or actually poisonous
The yellow of BIRCH (Betula pubescens) and the red of WILD CHERRY or GEAN (Prunus avium) are two of the earlier leaves to turn : yellow due to carotene and red due to anthocyanins.
Fruit and Fungi are much in evidence as the
Forest enters Autumn
"Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."
- John Muir, 1838-1914 Scottish-American Naturalist
So is it the end of Summer of the beginning of Autumn? As I write we've had magical, misty mornings and glorious mellow September sunshine. Many people have quipped that the weather's the best it's been all Summer. But there's an unmistakeably Autumnal feel. There are heavy dews with a distinct nip in the night time air and the first golds, browns and reds are showing in the leaves of the Forest.
There's a restlessness too in the Forest as birds and beasts forage in earnest for the fruits and seeds that will keep them going in the colder months to come.There's plenty to look for.
From little Acorns....
The Oak is the most bountiful tree for many creatures, producing acorns which, in the past fed the peasants' swine hereabouts and, in hard years the peasants themselves.
English acorns are less edible than some American kinds which were a staple dietry item for native Indians. They are, however edible provided they're properly treated to remove the tannins which are poisonous, as well as bitter. After gently drying them in a very slow oven, they are shelled and soaked in water, changed twice-daily until the bitterness is gone. This may take up to two weeks. They're then ground up in a blender or meat mincer, and oven dried before grinding again in a blender or coffee grinder to make a flour which can be used as a stodgy substitute for wheat flour.
Roasted to a dark brown ,and with a little of the tannin left in they were also used as a coffee substitute during the Second World War.
Some creatures share mankind's intolerance of the tannin in acorns. Deer and horses don't do terribly well on them, especially while green (hence the keenness for otherwise miserly medieval Kings to allow the peasants to let their pigs come into the Forest for "pannage" or acorn-rooting) However they are one of the most important foods for many birds and mammals.
One of the great things about acorns is their storage capabilities. The tannins preserve them from rotting much more effectively than hazelnuts for example. So many creatures gather them and store them in hollow trees or in the ground. Grey squirrels and Jays both bury acorns. A jay may collect over 3000 acorns in a month at this time of year. Naturally some get forgotten about and end up as oak trees.
Jays are quite numerous now, although less so than last year when a large number migrated temporarily into Britain from the Continent to take advantage of our good crop. Their characteristic screeches can be heard echoing around the woods (hence the name Garrulus - "talkative")
Wood Pigeons don't store their's in the ground: they stuff as many inside themselves as they can. A Pigeon's crop (the expandable pouch above the true stomach) can hold 60 acorns and the Pigeons put on a lot of weight at this time of year.
Oak is well known for supporting more invertebrates than any other tree in Britain and the acorns themselves are no exception. Many trees this year are infested with the grubs of the tiny midge Andricus quercuscalicis which secretes growth-stimulating chemicals, causing the acorns to swell up into knobbly, sticky protuberances known as "Knopper Galls". These are only one of the many galls found on oaks ,but this year they've taken a big toll on an already rather meagre crop.
Why should some years, like 2008 see such a light crop of acorns compared with other years (like 2006)? There is a theory that oaks have evolved to have "starve years" every 3 years or so in order to limit the population of acorn-feeding species. After all, skipping producing much seed for one year is not going to impact the survival of oaks in the long run. Let's see if the hordes of Grey Squirrels and Wood Mice, who've boomed due to successive good crops and mild winters are affected. Personally I think it will take a very hard winter before Britain's burgeoning rodent population is checked.
"Youth is like spring, an over praised season more remarkable for biting winds than genial breezes. Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits." Samuel Butler, Novelist, 1835-1902
It's interesting to muse on the fact that while we think of Spring as the season when we turn to gardening and start buying packets of seeds to sow, Nature does most of her sowing in the Autumn.
Surely it makes no sense to sow seeds just as the weather's getting worse? Why not set seed in spring when you could get away with making simpler, ready to go seeds and produce smaller quantities due to the better germination conditions?
I guess that it's not an option: The plant needs to conserve it's strength over the winter and loses a lot of the energy it's stored when the leaves fall, so it has no spare resources to turn into seed. Even if the plant was able to save it's goodness over the winter it wouldn't help much as there would not be time to turn it into seed ready to catch the good germination conditions when they arrive in the Spring. Also once the warm weather comes the priority for the adult plant is to put on its own growth, before competitors crowd it out in the frenzied rush to gather sunlight, moisture and nutrients.
So there it is, most adult plants need to spend the latter half of the summer investing resources in creating seeds and then dump the seeds in Autumn, not spring. That means they generally need to invest a great deal of their energy into three things: seed durability (in the form of tough shells or preservative chemicals such as tanninns) so that the seeds last the winter , huge quantities of seed to allow for the tremendous percentages that never make it through, and a heavy investment in bright and tasty flesh to encourage animals and birds to eat the fruits and thereby disperse the seeds.
That adds up to a bonanza for us and for the birds and animals. The Blackberries have done quite well and are still producing new fruit on some of the bushes. They are one of the fruits which birds and animals instantly gorge on. Foxes especially rely on blackberries for a large part of their diet at this time of year.
Hawthorn berries are perhaps now the most abundant fruit in the Forest. There must be hundreds of tons of them. They seem to crop well pretty much year in year out. I've noticed the Blackbirds are already helping themselves, although they are not especially palatable and birds only feed really voraciously on them in the cold weather.
The Yew trees have ripe berries here and there. Mistle Thrushes: (the bigger, bolder and paler coloured cousin of our familiar Song Thrush) have already taken up position and are defending their chosen Yew trees against other birds, uttering the characteristically harsh clacking cry. The red flesh is the tasty part, while the green seed within is highly toxic and the Thrushes spit that out, kindly dispersing the seeds.
A gentle "tack-tack" call from many overgrown corners and thickets often reveals that there's an Elder bush with some fruit remaining. The call is that of the Blackcap which, although a Warbler, has quite catholic tastes and enjoys these fruits quite as much as the more usual insects and spiders.
Shiny Rosehips form a beautiful sight: those of the Dog Rose are larger and more oval than those of the Field Rose. Once the shiny hard case has ripened and softened a bit the Greenfinches will strip them open in order to get at the hard seeds inside.
And of course there are things that don't come to mind immediately as "fruits". The cones are now ripening on the various conifers. There are so many shapes and sizes from the tiny Larch cones to the large and stately green cones of the Cedar of Lebanon. I should really learn all about them and make a guide for this website. That'll have to wait for another day! Look out now for the chewed cores of the cones left on treestumps or on the ground by the squirrels, keen to get the little pine nuts within.
"Wasps in a golden dream hum a strange music..." Asher Ghaffar, (Canadian-Asian Poet)
All, this ripe, sugary fruit is of course beloved of the wasps, who are very active now. I found a wierd "Waspwatch" site where they monitor the incidence of wasp stings: about 40,000 reported in August if my memory serves me correctly. Make that 40,005...four for me and one that got poor old Oscar the Jack Russell right on the nose!
We have no less than four big nests in our garden: that's not including several tiny delicate nests which were suspended from the shed roof and failed (ie were not allowed!) to develop into fully-blown multi-layered nests.
There are several very similar species of social paper wasps in Britain such as the Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris and the German Wasp Vespula germanica. The large sleepy queen emerges from hibernation in the spring, ready equipped with a store of sperm from mating with the males the previous year. She can build a little walnut sized nest all on her own and hatch out a few sterile female workers who'll then go on to help her build the colony: chewing wood and spitting it out to make rows of papery, hexagonal cells for the queen to lay eggs in, feeding and cooling the grubs, and defending the nest. The colony therefore gets bigger and bigger. Free-standing ones hanging from branches or rafters rarely get huge as they're very delicate and attractive to hungry animals such as mice and badgers. Occasionally however one sees a beautifully symmetrical big paper nest hanging in the air in a tree or hedge. But the really big nests are generally in holes in the ground or hollow trees . Recently (20th Sept) I say a huge number of workers buzzing in an out of an old woodpecker's hole in the Forest.
Here in the Forest we also have a healthy population of Hornets, the largest member of the Wasp tribe. We have a large colony in a hole in our garage, previously occupied by a family of Bluetits. They're huge by comparison with wasps, with noisy buzzing wings and more carnivorous tendencies.They're much more active at night than wasps, buzzing round the security lights. Wasp and bee stings can be very serious, deadly even in some cases and certainly painful. The Hornet carries around 50mg of venom in it's sac and like the wasp can sting repeatedly with it's smooth sting. However many people have an unreasonable fear of being stung and would do well to note that pheromones are released when venom is spilled by stinging or a wasp being squashed .This makes the other workers more aggressive: hence their tendency to attack en masse, especially if one or two workers have been swatted. So staying calm and not squashing a wasp will help keep all it's angry friends away!
An anonymous sage once said "Autumn is a season followed immediately by looking forward to Spring." No plant illustrates that more than the Hazel. Barely have the nuts ripened than the little green male catkins are forming, ready once the spring comes to turn into those beautiful "lamb's tails" that will waft pollen onto the female flowers and start the cycle all over again.
"Life is too short to stuff a mushroom" Shirley Conran, (1932- ) Author of Superwoman
Alice Holt is a pretty good for fungus hunting...whether with a camera or a basket.
I would discourage the modern frenzy of mushroom hunting for the table. One only has to visit areas such as the Perigord of France to see how incessant tramping in search of ceps or truffles degrades many woodlands. Let's face it there's quite a limited range of fungi that truly fulfil the three criterea of being genuinely worth collecting. These are:
...firstly, they taste really nice (as distinct from tolerable);
...secondly they grow in large quantities in one place (rather than the sort where you come home in triumph with some pitiful little thing that you'll then spend half an hour elaborately preparing only for it to be gone in one gulp)
...and thirdly they're pleasant to prepare (rather than full of gritty dirt, slugs and little maggots tunelling inside).
The Parasol, the Cep, the Chicken-of-the-Woods all come to mind as examples that are really worth gathering to enjoy as proper food , rather than to prove you "can" eat them.
Then there are the really dodgy ones.
These fall into three categories.
a) Truly deadly ones such as the Death Cap and Destroying Angel are relatively few and far between but they are very common, really catastrophically poisonous and can be confused with other species so the danger must be stressed
b) Ones such as the Sickener and the Yellow Stainer where the symptoms may be unpleasant and even alarming but death or long term harm are unlikely.
c) Then there are those where the symptoms are of the "magic mushroom" variety. Some people search these out but they frequently get more than they bargained. As well as a "high" there may be highly unpredictable results and sometimes dangerous side effects such as psychotic symptoms or flashbacks that may go on for years. The familiar red-spotted Fly Agaric is one which can have the most alarming consequences. Various indigenous tribes of the far North of Europe take it to induce an ecstatic shamanistic state..but the side effects in terms of violent vomiting, uncontrollable muscle spasms and a death-like comatose state can be really alarming!
So mushrooms may be great to eat, deadly, sick-making or unpredictably hallucinogenic.
But the majority actually fall into two much bigger categories: harmless but inedible ...or... edible but "not worth the bother". It's the insistence of a certain sector of the (mainly urban) middle classes with gathering and cooking all the latter category that amuses me. And yes I've been there and done that but I soon realised "edible" and "tasty" are not the same thing.
Enjoy their myriad beautiful forms without feeling the compulsion to take them home to eat.
"Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower". Albert Camus (1913-1960) French Philosopher, Novelist and Playwright
Why do leaves change colour in autumn?
Most people know that the green colour of most leaves is due to the presence of chlorophyll which is necessary to the process of photosynthesis (Literally "Putting together with light") whereby the energy of sunlight is used to convert the the carbon dioxide of the air into the carbon-based sugars and starches necessary for plants to grow.The reason the leaves change from green to red, brown or yellow is that chlorophyll is not a very stable compound, so once the tree stops producing it (which it does in response to the falling temperatures and shortening day length) it quickly breaks down and suddenly you get to see the colour of other chemicals in the leaves, no longer masked by the green chlorophyll.
The yellows you start to see from now on in trees like Birch or our little wild Field Maple are carotene (As you might guess from the name, the same substance that makes carrots orange) which is present all along in the leaves, becoming visible only when the chlorophyll fades away.
The reds of trees like Alice Holt's wild cherry (Or "Gean"), many maples and american oaks is due to the presence of anthocyanins produced by the high concentration of sugars in the tree's sap, which is stimulated by lowering levels of sunlight and by falling temperatures, so long as it remains above freezing.
Trees with less carotene or anthocyanins such as oak tend to go rapidly brown ,rather than remain yellow or red for long.
The Equinox has now passed, the nights are getting longer and distinctly chillier. Soon the leaves will be turning in earnest. Autumn in the Forest is a wonderful time. Enjoy it!
"Twitchers' Corner" Bird List ( PLEASE CONTRIBUTE ANYTHING SPECIAL YOU'VE SEEN!)
March 07: Red kite
April 07: Golden pheasant
May 07: Little egret
June 07: Little egret
December 07: Little Egrets again in River Wey
April 08: Treecreeper near Bentley Station
July 08: Long-Eared Owl calling near Home Hanger
August 08: Spotted Flycatcher.Alice Holt Lodge
Do drop us an e-mail if you've spotted any rarities
TO SEE OUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO
BIRD WATCHING IN ALICE HOLT
FOREST >>Click here
Alice Holt Forest lies between Farham in West Surrey and Alton in North East Hampshire.Today's Forest probably originated as trees gradually colonised this part of southern Britain after the last Ice Age (around 7000 years ago) Oak eventually emerged as the main tree species. Man has dwelt in the forest precincts from Lower Palaeolithic ("Old Stone age") times. The Romans used the local clay for large scale production of pottery in kilns fired by the abundant wood, but this sloping ground with wet clay below and stony gravels on the higher tops has never been attractive for farming, helping to keep the site largely wooded . During the Anglo-Saxon and Medieval periods the area was preserved for hunting by, among others the Bishops of Winchester, later passing to the King and becoming a Royal Forest. The woods have been managed by man for centuries and in the 18th Century provided oak for the Navy. The Forest was "enclosed" in 1812, taking away many of the rights of the local "commoners". Conifers were introduced to the Forest in the latter part of the 19th Century and there are many fine mature specimens. Alice Holt Forest was acquired by the Forestry Commission in 1924, and a Research Station set up there in 1946. In common with so many ancient Forests under the Forestry Commission's management, more and more became given over to conifers in the post-War drive for State-subsidised timber production. The Commission and their commercial arm Forest Enterprise have however maintained a good mix of conifers and broadleaved trees within which blocks are periodically felled and replanted. Pressure to find alternative income and to exploit the recreational potential of the woods has led to an increasing provision of organised family leisure facilities (Including soon-to-open restaurant and "Go Ape" adventure) at the Visitor Centre near Dockenfield . However the rest of Forest retains much of its peace and charm. It is accessible to visitors on foot, cycle and horseback and is a haven for a huge variety of wildlife including important rarities and nationally threatened species such as dormice, hobbies, nightjars and purple emperor butterflies. It is designated as a Site of Interest for Nature Conservation (SINC), close to the planned South Downs National Park (Into which many people hoped it could be incorporated) and adjacent to the Bentley Station Meadow, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
As this short history of Alice Holt Forest shows, the woodland is not just any woodland but a historic 'Ancient Woodland'. If you're thinking "..but how is a Forestry Commission pine plantation 'Ancient' woodland?"....well Ancient Woodlands is defined as
"... land continuously wooded since 1600AD..... that is able to support more threatened species than any other UK habitat. The unique species interactions that occur within ancient woodlands have developed over hundreds of years ..... These eco-systems cannot be re-created and with only just over 2% of the land area in Great Britain remaining preserving the remaining areas is vital." (Source: Woodland Trust)
.....was formed to fight a the threat some years ago that a "Center Parcs"-style holiday camp might be built in the Forest. The Group continues to be the most active and authoritative group monitoring planning proposals that affect the Forest. This website is independent from AHAG but we fully support their aims.
Contact Chairman, Colin Hall at CHall3422@AOL.com
Other oganisations concerned with conserving ancient woodlands such as Alice Holt
The Woodland Trust is the UK's foremost
charity devoted to the conservation of native and broadleaved woodland.
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is the County wildlife trust owning and managing many important sites and campaigning folr protection for important and threatened habitats such as Langstone Harbour.
>>Visit HIOW Wildlife Trust's website
Other Useful Links
Official Forestry Commission Site (Main Home Page)
Official Forestry Commission Site (Alice Holt Section)
Bentley & Binsted's shared parish website
Hampshire & IOW Butterfly Conservation
has a good website with in-depth feature on the Bentley Station Meadow nature reserve
This link goes straight to the Bentley Station Meadow Page
Farnham & District Ramblers Association
interesting site run by Woolmer Forest Heritage Society full of historical info about Alice Holt's "near neighbour" Royal Forest
Download site for Walks in Hampshire
Excellent site about the River Wey, it's history, wildlife, places of interest etc
Stubbs Farm , tranquil local accommodation
Dragon Lodge , self catering iaccommodation at the distinctive Dragon House, Frensham
Mike Young's New Site More brilliant photos from local wildlife photographer
Sharon Young's Website featuring the work of this local artist
Oldknobbley.com Useful? Well that's not always the point. But fun, definitely. A website devoted not to a Forest but to just one tree
Wildaboutbritain.co.uk great site full of interesting photos, news ,links, forums etc about every aspect of the outdoors for those who are truly "wild" about Britain
CONTACTING US
By Email: info@aliceholt.org
We would be DELIGHTED to get more comments, opinions, feedback and so on about our website! We'll do our best to answer if you ask for as response, and to pass on your e-mails to other people where relevant. But please bear with us as we're normal people with jobs and families too!
IMPORTANT: If your communication is of a sensitive nature, please make plain if YOU WANT COMMENTS TO BE TREATED IN STRICT CONFIDENCE or if you WANT YOUR COMMENTS TO BE PUBLICISED ANONYMOUSLY. We will of course respect that.
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issues directly related to Alice Holt Forest.
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Contacting us by Post
www.aliceholt.org,
1 Blacknest Cottages,
Blacknest Road,
Blacknest,
Alton,
Hampshire. GU34 4PZ
