National Trust to create 68 orchards by 2025 to boost wildlife

Bird and insect habitats lost as number of traditional orchards more than halved since 1950

Steven Morris

Sat 27 Apr 2019 07.00 BSTLast modified on Sat 27 Apr 2019 07.21 BST

Dozens of traditional orchards are to be planted across England and Wales by the National Trust in an attempt to tackle the dramatic decline of one of Britain’s most cherished habitats.

The charity will create 68 new orchards by 2025 as part of a wider programme to boost the number of wildlife-rich areas.

Orchards are to be planted in places including the Penrose estate, in south Cornwall, and Mottisfont, in Hampshire. Gardeners will also plant apple, plum, pear and damson trees at spots including Gunby Estate, in Lincolnshire, and on the Gower peninsula, in south Wales.

The National Trust, which looks after nearly 200 orchards, said it was concerned that about 60% of small traditional orchards in England had disappeared since 1950 as a result of changes in agricultural practices, market forces, neglect and development.

David Bullock, the head of species and habitat conservation at the charity, said: “We launched a new wildlife and nature strategy in 2015, which included an ambition to create 25,000ha [62,000 acres] of priority habitat by 2025. We identified traditional orchards as being of particular importance because they provide the perfect home for a variety of birds, pollinators and insects.

“Every tree is precious because it can become a home for birds such as the lesser spotted woodpecker, bats and mistletoe moth. The amazing number of apple and other traditional fruit varieties that we can plant reflects the wonderful diversity of life.”

The trust was keen to use the programme to help preserve heritage fruit varieties, such as the cider apple variety jackets and petticoats, and the dessert apple Ashmead’s kernel.

Dr Bullock said: “Orchards are also vital for people. They provide us with delicious local and seasonal food and drink, they are places for people to enjoy and gather, have great cultural significance, and are places of beauty.”

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National Trust criticised after hiring marksman to cull wild boar

Animals to be removed from Stourhead estate after complaints from ‘intimidated’ visitors

Steven Morris

Mon 19 Nov 2018 12.00 GMTLast modified on Mon 19 Nov 2018 19.25 GMT

The National Trust has been criticised for planning to cull wild boar at its Stourhead estate in Wiltshire.

It said it had taken the “difficult decision” to remove the animals from its land following reports that members of the public were feeling intimidated by the prospect of coming face-to-face with a wild boar. The charity added it felt it needed to sanction a cull to protect its staff.

The trust said: “Following recent reports of an unlicensed reintroduction of wild boar on land adjacent to the Stourhead estate and several reports of members of the public being confronted and intimidated, we have taken the difficult decision to remove the animals from the estate.

“We only made this decision after considering the alternatives and after consulting with Natural England. Unfortunately, there are some instances where humane control is necessary – for instance where there are safety concerns for our visitors, staff or volunteers; or to protect other species or habitats. We never take this decision lightly.

“Any cull of wild boar will be carried out by an experienced and licensed marksman who conforms to National Trust standards of safety and animal welfare.”

The 2,650-acre estate is known for its lake, which reflects classical temples, grottoes and rare and exotic trees. It has attracted visitors in the autumn when the colour of the trees can be particularly striking.

Continued  

National Trust to create UK sanctuary for endangered butterfly

Heddon Valley in Devon to be haven for high brown fritillary, supported by lottery funding

Steven Morris

Wed 24 Jan 2018 00.01 GMT

A beautiful wooded valley on the Devon coast is to be the focus of a project to save the UK’s most endangered butterfly – the high brown fritillary.

Conservationists believe changes to woodland management, such as the abandonment of coppicing, and climate change have contributed to the steep decline of the large, powerful, fast-flying butterfly over the last 50 years.

The National Trust has been given £100,000 by the People’s Postcode Lottery to improve 150 acres of lowland heath and wood pasture at Heddon Valley on the north Devon coast as a habitat for the butterfly.

Other butterflies including the heath fritillary, and birds such as the nightjar and the Dartford warbler will also benefit.

Matthew Oates, a National Trust nature expert and butterfly enthusiast, said: “We’ve witnessed a catastrophic decline of many native butterfly populations in recent decades but initiatives like this can really help to turn the tide.”

Continued  

Geoffroy's bat discovered in UK for first time

A bat usually found in continental Europe has been discovered in the UK for the first time, according to the National Trust.

A male Geoffroy's bat (Myotis emarginatus) was found by an ecologist carrying out a survey on trust land in the South Downs in West Sussex.

The species, which weighs between six and nine grams, is usually found on the edge of woodland scrub and grassland.

The trust think the bat may have started to extend its habitat range.'Real surprise'

Consultant ecologist and bat expert Daniel Whitby said the find also showed the importance of the trust's surveying and monitoring work.


Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-19596320

Rain 'almost apocalyptic' for wildlife, says National Trust

The UK's recent rainy weather has been "almost apocalyptic" for some wildlife in 2012, the National Trust has said.

Cold, wet conditions have left many bees, bats, birds, butterflies and wildflowers struggling - with next year looking bleak too, it said.

But the National Trust pointed to some of wildlife's winners, including slugs and snails, which have managed to thrive in the inclement weather.

The news comes after the wettest April-June on record, and heavy rain in July.

The rain has been good for the UK's greenery, with gardeners tackling fast-growing lawns and the countryside booming with nettles, bracken and brambles, the National Trust said.

Mosses and plants such as early gentian and bee orchids, and twayblade, pyramidal and common spotted orchids have been thriving along the trackways of Whipsnade Downs in Bedfordshire.

But Matthew Oates, the trust's conservation adviser warned that the list of wet weather losers was far longer, and could lead to local extinctions of rare or isolated species, including butterflies.

Puffins drowned

The breeding season has been particularly catastrophic, with sea birds being blown off cliffs by gales and garden birds unable to find food for their young.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18849327

Big cat may prowl Gloucestershire wood, says National Trust

A big cat – or cats – could be prowling around a beautiful wooded valley in Gloucestershire run by the National Trust, the charity has revealed.

Experts are carrying out DNA tests on the remains of a roe deer found at the trust's Woodchester Park, near Stroud.

A walker came upon the carcass and thought injuries to the deer's neck and the way the body had been consumed suggested it had been killed by a big predator.

There have long been whispers of big cats at large in Gloucestershire, but the fact the National Trust is taking this discovery seriously adds to the credibility of the stories.

David Armstrong, the National Trust head ranger for the Gloucestershire countryside, said: "The deer was found close to Woodchester Park in an area where there is nice beech woodland sloping down to pastures below.

"With only one footpath, although it is popular with dog walkers, there is plenty of space for wildlife to live relatively undisturbed. There are 120 hectares of woodland nearby at Woodchester and both areas provide a good habitat for large numbers of deer, both roe and muntjac.

"There are some very occasional sightings of big cats in the Cotswolds but they have wide territories, so are rarely present in one particular spot for long. We'd be interested to hear of any more sightings at Woodchester."

Robin Allaby, associate professor at the school of life sciences at the University of Warwick, has visited the kill site to examine the evidence and take DNA samples from the wounds of the deer. The results of his tests are expected at the end of January.

Rick Minter, author of a book on the mystery of the UK's big cats, called Big Cats: Facing Britain's Wild Predators, said: "It is very helpful to have this forensic study of the deer carcass. The consistent feedback I receive from people about possible big cats is that the animals should be studied, so we can learn about the subject.

"Studying likely evidence such as this will help us become more informed. Local people who watched the carcass being examined appreciated that this was being studied in a responsible manner and that they are to be kept closely informed about the matter through their local newsletter and a forthcoming meeting.

"Although people occasionally report a possible big cat from a distance, close-up encounters with such cats are rare. Their hearing and movement are exceptional, which helps them avoid close contact with people. In the event of a close-up encounter you should stay calm and face towards the animal as you back off, but not threaten or aggravate it. The chances are it will have backed off very quickly first."

The trust says the main candidates for the larger types of big cats being reported in Britain are puma-type cats and panthers.

Woodchester Park is a tranquil wooded valley containing remains of an 18th- and 19th-century landscape park with a chain of five lakes.

Any sightings or possible evidence on National Trust land can be reported by email to nature@nationaltrust.org.uk.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/11/big-cat-gloucestershire-wood-national-trust

Mistletoe under threat of dying out

Kiss me quick before mistletoe goes

It has long been an excuse to see Christmas in with a bit of a snog but the West Country’s supply of mistletoe is still under threat of dying out, despite a new initiative to save it.


That was the warning from the National Trust and wildlife trusts in a new report looking at the continued decline of mistletoe in the region and across southern England.

With the plant traditionally growing on fruit trees, it was produced in the cider and perry orchards of Somerset, Devon, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, but as orchard habitats have declined so has the amount of mistletoe growing there.

Wildlife experts say those orchards are rapidly disappearing, along with the knowledge of mistletoe management and harvesting techniques. And environmentalists warned last night that if the slump continues, there could be a threat to species linked to orchards, such as bees, butterflies, moths and deadwood invertebrates.

According to the National Trust, traditional orchards have declined by more than 60 per cent since the 1950s, and in some parts of the region, by up to 90 per cent.

A project was launched in 2009 by the National Trust and Natural England to help reverse the loss of the habitat by restoring traditional orchards, supporting small cottage industries producing cider and juices and promoting the growth of community-run orchards.

A National Trust spokesman said: “Orchards remain a key area of work for the Trust and mistletoe is a major part of their story and history. Across England, orchards have disappeared, so mistletoe has dwindled. It’s important that we support this plant for wildlife reasons.

“It needs to be harvested or it will kill off trees, and to support local farmers who sell mistletoe and to maintain this Christmas tradition.

“People can also grow their own mistletoe. The best time is February to graft it on to fruit trees,” he added.

Mistletoe has long been associated with Christmas and mid-winter customs, believed to date back to pre-historic times as a symbol of ongoing life during the winter months.

Its disappearance is proving a concern because it helps support wildlife, providing winter food for birds such as the blackcap and mistle thrush.

It also supports six specialist insects, including the scarce mistletoe marble moth, some sap-sucking bugs and the affectionately-named “kiss me slow weevil”.

The kissing custom is a British version of those ancient traditions, while in France mistletoe is seen as a good luck symbol at New Year.

If the decline continues, the loss of oher wildlife will also be accompanied by Christmas consumers having to buy more expensive mistletoe from mainland Europe.


http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Kiss-quick-mistletoe-goes/story-14199941-detail/story.html

Mistletoe could vanish within 20 years, says National Trust

Demise of apple orchards spells danger for Christmas plant

Conservationists warn today that mistletoe, favourite plant both of pagans and stealers of Christmas kisses, could vanish from the nation's halls and doorways within 20 years.

The National Trust fears that the decline of traditional apple orchards, where mistletoe thrives, may lead to the parasitic plant disappearing – or becoming much harder to obtain.

It is leading a campaign to prompt orchard owners and gardeners to think about nurturing the plant and wants householders to make sure they buy sustainably sourced mistletoe.

The trust says that in the cider heartland – Somerset, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire – traditional orchards have declined dramatically in the past 60 years. Many that survive are not tended, hastening the death of the trees and then the plant.

Jonathan Briggs, an environmental consultant and a leading mistletoe expert, said: "Mistletoe is doing well right now. Those older orchards are probably yielding more mistletoe than they used to because it's not being controlled.

"But because the mistletoe is not being controlled, fast forward 10 or 20 years and the orchards won't be there. The mistletoe will accelerate the trees' deaths and it seems inevitable that we will have a shortage of mistletoe in 10 or 20 years."

Briggs - who keeps mistletoe in his house in Gloucestershire all year to ward off evil spirits - said mistletoe would migrate to bigger, non-orchard trees and so become harder to reach. This could turn it into a much more expensive product or prompt people to rely on cheaper foreign imports. "A Christmas kiss could become more expensive," he said.

Peter Brash, an ecologist at the National Trust, said it would be a "sad loss" if mistletoe declined or became harder to buy. "Mistletoe is part of our Christmas heritage and has a special place in a wonderful winter landscape," he said.

Brash said people should check where their mistletoe came from. "Ensuring your mistletoe comes from a sustainably managed, British source is good news all round. You will be supporting a small, homegrown industry, while helping to ensure a future for mistletoe and the creatures that are dependent upon it."

As well as brightening up the house at Christmas time, mistletoe provides winter food for birds such as the blackcap and mistle thrush. It also supports six insects, including the rare mistletoe marble moth, some sap-sucking bugs and the affectionately named "kiss-me-slow weevil" (Ixapion variegatum).

Steven Morris, The Guardian,

National Trust staff given snail handling lessons

National Trust staff at a Roman villa undergoing restoration work have been given snail-handling lessons in order to protect a rare species from being crushed under builders' boots

Operation Roman Snail has been laid on to protect the molluscs, which were introduced to the country 2,000 years ago by the occupying soldiers.

Brought across the Channel as food, some managed to escape the legionnaires' frying pans and set up isolated colonies across the south of England. One group set up home is at Chedworth Roman Villa, near Cirencester in the Cotswolds, where work has started on a £3 million project to build overhead walkways so visitors can view its stunning mosaics.

As well as teaching staff how to relocate the snails, the Trust is embedding netting in the ground to keep them off the building site and building wildlife havens to attract any specimens which make it into the at-risk area.

By Alun Rees
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8132270/National-Trust-staff-given-snail-handling-lessons.html