 Following a cool and wet May and June there has been much talk about the absence of bees and butterflies in the 4Bs area. But almost on cue the sun started to shine in July and we began to see more flying insects. The annual Big Butterfly Count- one of the worlds largest citizen science projects – has begun, and we are encouraged to go outside, observe and record nature in real time. The aggregation of all the counts across the UK provides an indication of the abundance and diversity of our butterflies. The method is simple – go outside on a warm sunny day, find a spot with some flowers or shrubs that might attract butterflies and spend 15 mins counting the different species of butterfly using a simple id chart, then upload the results to an interactive map. We are encouraging members of our 4Bs WhatsApp Nature Group to participate in the survey we currently have around 40 counts on the interactive map.  Last weekend two members of the Nature WhatsApp Group did some butterfly counts
in the area around the Lime Kilns in Betchworth Hills. The chalk grasslands are full of wild flowers and flowering shrubs at the moment – a paradise for nectar loving insects. This area had been highly disturbed as a result of recent fence building around the Quarry site and we were amazed at how nature had reclaimed the chalk spoil tips. Our two butterfly counts in different parts of the site over 15mins recorded a total of 27 butterflies and 6 species – meadow brown, marbled white, gatekeeper, 6 spot burnet, skipper, small white. This is a healthy average of 13.5 butterflies per count but we must see this as a biodiversity and abundance hot spot. The average of my counts is more like 4 or 5 this year which is significantly lower than the all time low of 9 butterflies per count in 2022 (see below). So far we have about 40 butterfly counts in the 4Bs area: our goal is to generate at least 80 counts so we can develop a significant baseline for future surveys and get a sense of the diversity and relative abundance of species in our area. With 9 days to go until the Big Butterfly Count finishes on August 4th we are pessimistic that we will reach anything like the average counts of previous years. After an all-time low in 2022 of just nine individual butterflies spotted per Count, 2023 saw an increase to 12 butterflies recorded on average per Count. So far the average count in the 4Bs is significantly lowere than this figure. If you can find the time to contribute to the Big Butterfly Count citizen science project please follow the link. https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/ where you will find an identification chart and a link to an interactive map where you can upload your results. There is also an App you can use to record your observation. If you cant upload your results please send the to [email protected] with the location at which the observation was made and we will upload them. Simon & Norman
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 There are some 50 species of wild orchid in the UK. Many are incredibly rare and can often only be found on nature reserves. The chalky soils found on parts of the North Downs in Surrey provide ideal habitat for a number of species. In the 4Bs area, the North Downs run east-west from Box Hill in the west to the hills north of Buckland in the east. This landscape contains woodlands and chalk grasslands that are home to several nature reserves and SSSI’s containing wild orchids. Below the chalk, the soils on the Greensand and Gault Clay are also rich in calcium as a result of rainwater percolating through the soils from the hills creating good soil conditions for orchids. In June several members of the 4Bs Nature WhatsApp group undertook a survey of orchids and we have created a map from the results and a short movie using some of the photos that were taken. Not surprisingly, the greatest diversity of species is found in the chalk grasslands in the Fraser Down and Betchworth Quarry (Brockham) nature reserves but there are also abundant orchids on the southern slopes of the hills. The commonest orchids are the pyramid and spotted orchids but bee and man orchids are also fairly common in the hills north of Betchworth. Isolated occurances of orchid can be found as far south as Gadbrook.  There is much emphasis in nature-related policy on the idea of Nature Recovery, Sometimes this means doing stuff - like sowing seeds, planting plants and trees or creating new habitats. But there is also a strong rationale for just doing nothing and letting nature decide what to do. Im sure we all have stories about how nature has surprised us if we leave her alone. In 2023 Brockham-based Sorbus Learning undertook a biodiversity project, funded by the Orchid Environmental Trust Fund, aimed at creating a Brockham Nature Reserve. A key aspect of the project was persuading the Parish Council to stop mowing the banks and ditches around the Big Field, which they agreed to do and as an outcome the ditchies and banks are full of plants. Paul Ritchie, who led the project, recorded 61 species of wildflower growing in the unmown areas and a survey this year added another 7 species. This is a good example of how we can increase biodiversity by NOT doing something, whilst saving money too! Some of the wildflowers are shown below. 
Dragonfly Week is an annual celebration of Dragonflies and Damselflies. This year it was held between Saturday 6 July to Sunday 14 July. Dragonflies are in better shape than many other insect groups according to a report published in 2021. More than 40% of resident and regular migrant dragonflies and damselflies have increased in number since 1970 with just 11% declining, according to a study of 1.4m dragonfly records. Furthermore, six new species of dragonfly have colonised Britain in the last 25 years as dragonflies and damselflies boom in a warming and wetter climate. The restoration of wetlands and increasing number of wildlife garden ponds is also contributing to their prosperity. Dragonflies belong to the insect order known as Odonata, and are among the most beautiful and captivating creatures of the insect world. They have esisted for over 300 million years, pre-dating dinosaurs and among the first winged insects to develop. There are 57 species of Odonata in the UK: 36 dragonflies (Anisoptera) and 21 damselflies (Zygoptera).The British Dragonfly Society has a useful Identification Chart. https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/odonata/species-and-identification/ A survey in one garden with two ponds in Betchworth in 2023 identified three species of Dragonfly - Southern Hawker, Emperor and Broad-bodied chaser, and five species of Damselfly - Azure damselfly, Banded demoiselle, Beautiful demoiselle, Small red damselfly, Common blue damselfly. The movie below celebrates the beauty and mystery of these amazing insects. It was made in the garden where the survey was undertaken – it shows a Southern Hawker Dragonfly – laying eggs under water, emerging from the water after the nymph stage and transforming into a Dragonfly and flights over the pond feeding on insects. We are grateful to have the opportunity to present our idea for a Community Biodiversity Park at the recent Brockham Summer Fair, Our third wildflower wander, to celebrate National Meadows Day, was undertaken on a cool showery day. Fortunately, the rain held off for most of the walk and our small but enthusiastic group of nature lovers enjoyed their tour of two gardens in N Betchworth, where wildflowers were being encouraged to grow. In the first garden, a 2 acre self-seeded area was covered in withering oxeye daisies and numerous purple pyramid orchids together with yellow birds-foot trefoil, black medic and purple self-heal. An adjacent field had been sown with wildflower seed in 2024 and had a healthy growth of oxeye daisies, thistles, knapweed, teazel, bristly oxtongue, yellow birds-foot trefoil, black medic, ragwort, pink mallow and purple self-heal. The second garden has a magnificent view of the Betchworth Hills. The large garden was sown with wildflower seed 9 years ago and now has the most beautiful display of oxeye daisies (now past their best), abundant knapweed with yellow birds-foot trefoil, rough hawkbit, pink mallow and many more species. Wandering through the close-cut grass paths that meander through the wildflower garden we were struck by the scarcity of foraging insects. Admittedly it was cool, cloudy and at times breezy but given it was early July hardly any butterflies and no bees were observed. It raised the scarry spectre of an insect free world in spite of our efforts to create better conditions for their prosperity. One of the best things we can do to enhance biodiversity in our garden is to create a pond for wildlife. By doing this we create a new habitat into which life can migrate or we can introduce life to an environment where it can flourish. Earlier this spring, my wife and I saw a flyer for a ‘Gardening for Biodiversity’ talk by local nature enthusiast Paul Ritchie. We were inspired by the idea of contributing to an area in which humans and nature thrive together. We attended the talk in Brockham village hall in early May, and learned how to increase biodiversity in our own garden. We signed up to receive a ‘gardening for biodiversity encouragement pack’ of essential items for building a wildlife pond, provided by the 4B’s Community Biodiversity Park initiative. We also visited Paul Ritchie's well established wildlife garden, in Brockham for more inspiration and came away with a huge tub to house our pond, bricks to produce levels within it and advice including a video link demonstrating how to build a barrel pond. Back in our garden we moved a potted tree and replaced it with our tub – we had taken the first step in making our pond! We were informed by email that a pond liner and starter pack of pond plants were on the way and they arrived soon after. We weren’t sure if the pond liner needed protecting inside the tub and decided it was better to be safe than sorry, laying an old sheet inside the tub before the liner. We used a bungee cord to hold the liner in place while we filled it with rain water from our water butt. The plants arrived with instructions including what to do with the oxygenator; “throw it into your pond”. It wasn’t difficult. The collection of plants in the British Pond Plants starter pack required potting immediately with aquatic compost. A friend provided the compost and we bought a bag of 14mm gravel to hold the compost inside the pots. We grabbed empty pots from the shed, drilled loads of holes in them and potted our 10 plants. We cut away surplus liner and handed the pond over to nature to do the rest. Within a day or two, we were visited by a damselfly and acquired a resident diving beetle. We were keen to give nature a helping hand so we collected water from an established pond, along with two snails caught in the process, and added them to our pond. Our final act will be to place new plants around the outside of the tub to improve aesthetics. Making our pond gave us a lot of pleasure and we are now watching eagerly to see how the new habitat we created becomes home to whatever wildlife wants to move in! The slideshow below gives a flavour of the journey we took to making our pond. Simon and Anne Fellows |
BlogThis blog is maintained by the 4Bs Biodiversity Initiative Team. Its purpose is to provide brief updates of activities and interactions as the project unfolds. We also welcome posts from members of the 4Bs WhatsApp Nature Group and wider community. PagesArchives
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