{"id":7315,"date":"2025-01-04T15:59:15","date_gmt":"2025-01-04T15:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rdnhs.org.uk\/blog\/?p=7315"},"modified":"2025-10-09T16:05:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T15:05:35","slug":"clayfield-copse-4th-january-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rdnhs.org.uk\/blog\/clayfield-copse-4th-january-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Clayfield Copse – 4th January 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Marcus Wheeler led a walk round Blackhouse Wood and Clayfield Copse, a local nature reserve on the northern edge of Caversham, on the morning of Saturday 4 January 2025. It was a cold but reasonably bright morning. Members gathered in the car park of the adjoining recreation ground before setting out across the first of several small fields. Old oaks in the hedgerow had long limbs which dipped down towards the ground. Marcus explained that historically, curved branches were valued for ship-building. He estimated that the trees were about 200 years old. A hybrid elm, with resistance to Dutch Elm Disease, had been planted to help the local population of White-letter Hairstreak butterflies. A fallen tree which had been carved into the shape of a crocodile was one of the items of a sculpture trail which runs through the woods. The first of several calling Nuthatches was heard here. The next field had formerly been farmland, but was being allowed to regenerate to woodland naturally. Many Ash trees had sprouted, but these had been badly affected by Ash Die-back. Marcus pointed out the layout of the black Ash buds, in opposite pairs, and the trident shapes of the top branches of the trees. The fungus Yellow Brain Tremella mesenterica <\/em>was found nearby, growing on a dead Ash sapling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The walk continued through Blackhouse Wood. A delicate greyish-green lichen growing on a Rowan was identified as Ramalina fastigiata<\/em>. Nearby was a Holm Oak Quercus ilex <\/em>in the unusual columnar or \u2018fastigiate\u2019 form. The bark of a Hornbeam next to the path had bad squirrel damage. The Hornbeam\u2019s leaves and bark resemble those of the Beech, but the edges of its leaves are serrated, while those of the Beech are smooth. The next track led to an area of Beech woodland. Approximately every third year is a \u2018mast year\u2019 with a bountiful crop of Beech nuts, but 2024 had not been one of them. The dense canopy of the Beech trees makes them a cool and shady place to shelter in hot weather. Some of the Beech trees here had exposed roots. As can be seen from the root plates of fallen trees, the roots can spread out more widely than the canopy below ground, but they cannot extend very far downwards. Next specimen was a Wild Service-tree, distinguished by the distinctive shape of its fallen leaves. A larger tree can be seen along Kiln Road. Before the introduction of Hops to this country, the berries of the Wild Service-tree were used to flavour beer.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Hawthorn beside the path prompted a discussion as to whether it was a tree or a shrub. Marcus posed the question \u2018What is a tree?\u2019 His favourite definition was the high court ruling which said \u2018A tree is anything that anyone would ordinarily call a tree\u2019. Trees had to be defined in law when Tree Preservation Orders were introduced in the Town and Country Planning Act of 1947.  Current Gov.uk guidance is as follows:  ‘To be considered a tree, the plant must have at least one woody stem and be expected to achieve a height of at least 5 metres.’ Source: https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/definition-of-trees-and-woodland\/definition-of-trees-and-woodland).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coarsely toothed fallen leaves and spiky nut cases aided in the identification of a Sweet Chestnut. Nearby, a spiral pattern had been cut into the bark of a small Birch tree. This might have been made by constricting Honeysuckle. The next specimen which the group inspected was a hybrid Lime, with dense epicormic growth round its base. According to the pollen record, Limes were early colonisers of woodland after the last Ice Age. \u00a0The track led to a cross-roads where the group turned right into Clayfield Copse. A pear, possibly a Wild Pear, had been planted here. Wild Pears have thorns and round fruit, while domestic pears have pear-shaped fruit but no thorns. There are genuine Wild Pears elsewhere in Oxfordshire, but according to the botanists in the group, specimens of the Clayfield Copse fruit which had been sent to the BSBI Recorder for VC23 Oxfordshire had been declared to be non-native.\u00a0 The path, which was rather muddy here, led past a single Yew tree and then a Cedar of Lebanon. A patch of orange fungi was identified as Velvet Shank Flammulina velutipes<\/em>. The walk continued past a fallen tree, where the horizontal and vertical extent of the root plate could be inspected. The route then turned left into an area of woodland where Hazel had been coppiced two years ago. The coppiced stools had been protected from deer damage by a woven basket of cuttings. Marcus told the group about the Jefferson Pine. This was an American White Pine which fell last year and was lying across the path. It was planted by Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the USA, while he was on a visit to Caversham Park in the 1700s, as part of a tour of English gardens. The track ran parallel to Kiln Road. Brooklime was growing in a wet patch near a fallen tree. Further sightings were three Cedars of Lebanon, a smaller Wild Service-tree, a Spurge-laurel and a Wild Cherry.\u00a0 The path emerged on a football field where a Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming. Another woodpecker then started drumming in competition, at a slightly different pitch. The final sighting was a Turkey Oak Quercus cerris, <\/em>with long, narrow multi-lobed leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attended by 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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Lichen (Ramalina fastiigata) – Sue White<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Root plate of fallen tree – Sue White<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Yellow Brain fungus (Tremella mesenterica<\/em>) – Sue White<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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