After the cold winter, the Common is starting to show signs of spring. The first butterfly surveys have been completed showing small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) and peacock (Aglais io) butterflies have already started to emerge. Within the next couple of months, the Common will be covered with butterflies and surveying them starts to get more difficult!
Frogspawn can also be seen in all three ponds on the Common. Although, due to the frost that occurred, a lot has become clouded with frostbite and unlikely to survive. Hopefully the frogs will be back to spawn more! More pond dipping will hopefully be arranged when tadpoles are thriving to allow an understanding of the different life stages of the frogs.
Grass snakes have been spotted on the common, bathing in the sun already. Adders are likely to follow, so make sure if dogs are off lead you ensure they are in sight to prevent them getting bitten! Adders have been known to sunbathe on the paths, so if you see one, let us know!
With vegetation die back, it can be seen that bags of dog mess have been left on the common. Dog mess is an issue we are aware of, both in bags and being left on the paths. If you are a dog walker please can you ensure that you either use the “stick and flick” method if it is on the path, or clean it up using a bag and take it off the site to dispose of.
After a very rough winter, you may notice that we have had some trees that fell and the stone wall collapsed. When the wall collapsed, it exposed a dormouse nest, a very surprising find for us. This is the first sighting we have had of dormice on the Common. It is well known that dormice are at Kilkhampton Castle, so finding them on the Common too is great news. Once the nest was found, a hunt was on for eaten hazelnuts to locate more dormice. After an afternoon of searching hazelnuts eaten by dormice and bank voles were found. Dormice boxes will hopefully be placed throughout the common to protect the species.
We are hoping to arrange more events on the Common this year, as well as a couple of fundraising events to ensure we are able to continue managing the land for the benefit of the locals.
If you want to get involved in any events or volunteering, check for updates and upcoming events. Or get in touch, we would love to hear from you!
See you on The Common!