Lym Nats met in the Matley Wood car park on a sunny morning just a few days after the drought had broken. There were immediate signs of the effect of the recent downpours, with patterned tracks in the woodland debris as the rainwater had run down the paths.
We made our way through part of the campsite and down the path heading north through this old woodland, hearing various common birds: Robin, Chaffinch, Great Tit. A Redstart and a Raven were heard by some. A large oak near the path had an active wasp nest in a cavity, happily at high level, so we could safely view their activity and the beautifully patterned nest.
Wasp nest © Chris Robinson
The wood contains a good variety of deciduous trees, although the oldest (according to the woodland trust veteran tree map) are off the paths, hidden in the Bracken. There was a notable large Common Lime tree along with the usual oak, Beech, Sweet Chestnut, Holly and Ash. Several fine specimens of the bright orange Chicken-of-the-Woods fungus were seen, some of which had grown in just over a week (since the walk recce).
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| Chicken-of-the-Woods © Richard Smith |
Once we emerged from the wood onto Matley Heath we headed northeast, passing two raised areas covered in Bracken which are Bronze Age burial mounds. A Buzzard could be heard calling and we eventually spotted two perched not far off in the trees. A deeply cut path then leads down to a small stream, a tributary of the Beaulieu River. There were many nest holes of solitary bees and wasps in the sandy sides of the path, but only a few small unidentified bees seen. The banks had examples of all 3 heather species as well as Dwarf Gorse.
Common Carder Bee on Dwarf Gorse © Richard Smith
We stopped for a rest underneath a larger mound where a very young calf could be seen hiding in the bracken. This circular bank and ditch have been been identified as Neolithic and apparently the oldest settlement in the New Forest. An interesting short video account of the dig there in 2019 is at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2490654740998924
After our rest stop, where a few birds were seen (Great Spotted Woodpecker, Meadow Pipit and Goldfinch but sadly not the family of Woodlarks seen here on the recce visit) we followed the stream west along the river to a bridge where we headed south back towards Matley wood. Devil’s-bit Scabious and Creeping Willow were amongst the plants noticed. Many grasshoppers and spiders were seen living in the heather. A few butterflies were around, notably a Grayling with its fantastic camouflaged underwings. In the tall Gorse area near the wood’s edge there were Stonechats and we saw a small carved wooden figure of a Madonna which has apparently been fixed to an oak tree for more than 20 years (according to a regular visitor to the campsite).
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| Mottled Grasshopper (Myrmeleotettix maculatus) © Chris Robinson |
Grayling © Chris Robinson
As we made our way back up the hill to the
campsite and the car park, a lucky few at the front of the group had a very
close encounter with an Adder which was lying right on the path. I estimated it
to be 50cm or more, with very striking dark zig-zag markings. It only stayed in
view long enough for this photo of its rear half! JD
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| Adder © Chris Robinson |
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Our route
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