tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845017013185018177.post8973982510492844056..comments2024-03-04T05:43:50.515-08:00Comments on Peplers In Rye: 2009 moth surveyMike Peplerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14243842323024552383noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845017013185018177.post-89417664766296373612010-11-02T09:39:17.275-07:002010-11-02T09:39:17.275-07:00Hi Katie,
Sadly we didn't get to do one this ...Hi Katie,<br /><br />Sadly we didn't get to do one this year, as the butterfly conservation guy in our area changed jobs. And we moved house too!<br /><br />However, we hope to get a survey done in summer 2011...<br /><br />And yes, managing the wood is a big job, but it's fun, and it's nice not to be using fossil fuels for heating at home!<br /><br />MikeMike Peplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14243842323024552383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845017013185018177.post-45839201569395470102010-11-02T07:34:41.646-07:002010-11-02T07:34:41.646-07:00I just noticed the date of this post. Did you do ...I just noticed the date of this post. Did you do a moth survey this year?<br /><br />Thanks for the information about coppicing. Yep, I did look up Wikipedia, but I like what you wrote. <br /><br />Oh, how I'd love to have my own parcel of woods. It sound like you and your wife have quite the job, though.Katie (Nature ID)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17730655720390625839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845017013185018177.post-91595380813706933042010-11-01T09:15:30.111-07:002010-11-01T09:15:30.111-07:00Hi Katie,
Yes, I was very pleased with that photo...Hi Katie,<br /><br />Yes, I was very pleased with that photo, I had no idea it would come out looking like that!<br /><br />The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppicing" rel="nofollow">wikipedia page on coppicing</a> is OK as a background. It's basically a method of woodland management used for thousands of years - probably because it keeps the trees at a size that can be managed without big machinery, which obviously didn't exist until the last 50-100 years!<br /><br />It involves cutting the wood in blocks (approx 0.25 to 5 acres), so each block is cut every 3 to 40 years, the interval depending on the tree species and the size of timber desired. The trees then regrow rapidly, as they have an existing mature root system. While they're regrowing, a lot more light reaches the ground for a few years, promoting all kinds of plants, flowers and the wildlife that depends on them, and because it's been done for so long, the wildlife actually needs you to keep coppicing the wood in order to survive.<br /><br />In our wood we coppice about 0.5 acre a year, to heat our home and sell the surplus, and we're in our fourth year of doing this now. As a result, there will soon always be a part of the wood at any given stage of regrowth, so the different wildlife should always be able to find a bit of woodland that suits it.<br /><br />MikeMike Peplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14243842323024552383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845017013185018177.post-7649101325785889532010-11-01T08:47:38.779-07:002010-11-01T08:47:38.779-07:00Very cool, Mike! I love the eyes of the black arc...Very cool, Mike! I love the eyes of the black arches. I thought it looked like a prettier version of the gypsy moth and sure enough they're in the same genus Limantria. Will have to look into this coppicing bit as I'm unfamiliar with the term.Katie (Nature ID)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17730655720390625839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845017013185018177.post-39733753597642935392009-08-08T11:02:45.750-07:002009-08-08T11:02:45.750-07:00Thank you both, an amazing set of photo's and ...Thank you both, an amazing set of photo's and as for your wood in the 'at night' images, very atmospheric.<br /><br />The Yellow Tail looked almost cuddley!Rev. Peter Doodeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15095282505667909048noreply@blogger.com