What has happened over winter?

Over winter, our volunteers and contractors have done an amazing job at clearing Blackthorn and Brambles. This has opened up the grassland area to make more space for flowers to grow and insects to shelter. We want to protect nationally rare species, like Forester moths and Glow worms, that have made Newdigate Brickworks their home.

As the Blackthorn grows back, the young trees are perfect for Brown hairstreak butterflies to lay their eggs on, and thick growth is great cover for Nightingales.

Our volunteers were hard at work in the snow, cutting and clearing blackthorn. We were warmed by the fire and with hot drinks!

What will we do in the Spring season?

But now, spring is here! Plants are starting to grow, insects are coming out of hibernation, and birds are looking for nesting sites. We have stopped clearing Blackthorn so we don’t disturb plants and animals while they grow and breed. Over the next few months, our work at Newdigate will be focused on:

• Keeping the paths clear
• Mending the fence around the grassland
• Repairing signs and pathways

If you would like to help us, look out for signs about our next volunteer party or sign up at: https://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/support-us/volunteer

Things to see and hear at Newdigate in the next few months:

• The gathering dawn chorus (April-May, if you can get up early!)
• Flowers in the scrub: Blackthorn now, Hawthorn in late April.
• Flowers in the wood: Primroses now; Celandines, Ramsons, Bluebells later.
• Song in the scrub: Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and other warblers; Robins, Goldfinches, Dunnocks and Linnets; Blackbirds and Song Thrushes; a Nightingale if we’re lucky.
• Other spring and summer arrivals: Swifts, Swallows and House Martins; perhaps a Cuckoo calling.
• Juvenile Great-crested grebes, riding on the parents’ backs; ducklings and cygnets.
• Butterflies: Brimstones and other Whites; Holly Blues; Tortoiseshells, Commas and Peacocks; Speckled Woods; the rare Grizzled Skipper.
• The trees in full leaf, vibrant green in late May and early June.