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view from Heyshott escarpment |
Today I rejoined the work party season at Heyshott escarpment, just south of Midhurst, West Sussex. Every Winter the Murray Downland Trust organises habitat improvement on the site for the benefit of the Duke of Burgundy, one of Britain's endangered butterflies. We meet each week, weather permitting, usually on a Wednesday morning, and remove and burn the unwanted brush, shrubs and trees to allow Primroses and Cowslips, the foodplants for the butterfly, to flourish. A side benefit has been that Wood Violets have also grown well which has allowed the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, another endangered butterfly, to colonise the site in the last couple of years.
More information about our work with the Murray Downland Trust can be viewed here: http://murraydownlandtrust.blogspot.co.uk/
We welcome new volunteers to our friendly gatherings, please contact me if you are interested in joining us.
The first creatures I met were Belted Galloways, which graze the site for a period each year to keep it in good shape for the primulas.
A Spitfire flew overhead during the morning, apparently a regular feature in the area.
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Belted Galloway |
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selfie showing a wound inflicted by a vicious thorn (a pin prick which bled) |
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Spitfire |
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the fire brigade - Andy and Nick |
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Mike |
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Paul, John and Garry |
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