Jul 2009 - Survey carried out by Jean Williamson, Jennifer Gilbert, Carol Smith, Paula Shipway, Sophia Vader, Michael Pearson.
Site Name: Maple Lodge Nature Reserve Site Ref.: 88/015 Site size (ha): 15.88ha District: Three Rivers Grid Ref.: TQ036923 Date of survey: 30/07/2009
Site Description: Maple Lodge is a well maintained nature reserve with birds a priority. There is plantation woodland to the south with many standard oak, ash, alder and some cherry, hazel and black poplar. The understorey is mainly elder and the ground flora mainly nettles. There is a more open area to the south west which has red campion, ground ivy, field forget-me-not, speedwells, and various grasses e.g. wood meadow grass. The wet areas to the west have clumps of yellow flag iris, water mint, purple loosestrife, some common reed, reed Canary grass and bulrush. There is also a meadow area fenced off which contained a large area of common and greater knapweed, some nettles, perforate St. Johns wort, creeping thistle, meadow cranesbill and grasses including creeping and common bent, cocksfoot, false oat, and Yorkshire fog. There were well-defined paths throughout the site either open to woodland or bordered by trees and shrubs. There were also several areas of new planting with shrubs and trees (not all of them native).
NB: To protect moulting ducks we were not able to access the water margins in front of the hides so some plants may have been missed. Also the area along the western boundary of the site was closed off to the public (no entry sign by the end hide) and looked very inaccessible so was also not surveyed.
Species (English Name Latin Name)
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Habitat type (Wood Fen Calc Acid Neut Wet)
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DAFOR
Agrimony, Hemp Eupatorium cannabinum Fen LO Alder Alnus glutinosa A Apple Malus domestica agg. F Ash Fraxinus excelsior F Balsam, Himalayan Impatiens glandulifera R Balsam, Orange Impatiens capensis R Beech Fagus sylvatica R Bent, Creeping Agrostis stolonifera R Bindweed, Hedge Calystegia sepium R Bitter-cress, Wavy Cardamine flexuosa Wood LO Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara R Blackthorn Prunus spinosa LF Bramble Rubus fruticosus F Bryony, White Bryonia dioica O Buckthorn, Alder Frangula alnus Wood R Bugle Ajuga reptans WoodNeut R Bulrush Typha latifolia LO Burdock, Lesser Arctium minus LF Buttercup, Creeping Ranunculus repens A Butterfly Bush Buddleja davidii O Campion, Red Silene dioica F Canary-grass, Reed Phalaris arundinacea Fen LF Carrot, Wild Daucus carota R Centaury, Common Centaurium erythraea Neut R Cherry, Wild Prunus avium Wood O Chickweed Stellaria media R Chickweed, Water Myosoton aquaticum R Cinquefoil, Creeping Potentilla reptans O Cleavers Galium aparine O Clover, White Trifolium repens O Cocksfoot Dactylis glomerata F Cowslip Primula veris CalcNeut R Cranesbill, Dove’s-foot Geranium molle R Cranesbill, Meadow Geranium pratense R Daisy Bellis perennis R Dandelion family Taraxacum officinale agg R Dead Nettle, White Lamium album R Dock, Broad-leaved Rumex obtusifolius O Dog’s Mercury Mercurialis perennis Wood R Dogwood Cornus sanguinea O Duckweed, Common Lemna minor LF Elder Sambucus nigra F Fern, Broad Buckler Dryopteris dilatata Wood R Fern, Male Dryopteris filix-mas R Figwort, Water Scrophularia auriculata R Forget-me-not, Field Myosotis arvensis LA Forget-me-not, Water Myosotis scorpioides R Gipsywort Lycopus europaeus O Ground Ivy Glechoma hederacea LA Guelder-rose Viburnum opulus Wood O Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna O Hazel Corylus avellana Wood O Hemp-nettle, Bifid Galeopsis bifida LO Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium O Holly Ilex aquifolium Wood R Hornbeam Carpinus betulus Wood R Iris, Yellow Iris pseudacorus LF Ivy Hedera helix R Knapweed, Black / Common Centaurea nigra CalcNeut LF Knapweed, Greater Centaurea scabiosa Calc LF Laurel, Cherry Prunus laurocerasus R Loosestrife, Purple Lythrum salicaria Fen F Lords-and-Ladies Arum maculatum O Mallow, Musk Malva moschata R Meadow-grass, Annual Poa annua O Mint, Water Mentha aquatica LA Mouse-ear, Common Cerastium fontanum LO Mugwort Artemisia vulgaris R Mullein, sp. Verbascum sp. R Mustard, Garlic Alliaria petiolata O Nettle, Stinging Urtica dioica A Nipplewort Lapsana communis R Oak, Pedunculate Quercus robur F Oat-grass, False Arrhenatherum elatius LF Pimpernel, Scarlet Anagallis arvensis R Pine sp. Pinus sp. R Plantain, Greater Plantago major O Plantain, Ribwort Plantago lanceolata O Poplar, Black (planted) Populus sp.?? O Poplar, Grey Populus canescens R Privet, Wild Ligustrum vulgare R Ragwort, Common Senecio jacobaea O Redshank Persicaria maculosa R Reed, Common Phragmites australis Fen LF Rose, Sweet Briar Rosa rubiginosa R Sedge, Cyperus Carex pseudocyperus R Selfheal Prunella vulgaris LF Soft-grass, Creeping Holcus mollis Acid R Sow-thistle, Prickly Sonchus asper R Speedwell, Blue Water Veronica anagallis-aquatica R Speedwell, Common Field Veronica persica R Speedwell, Germander Veronica chamaedrys CalcNeut LF Speedwell, Thyme-leaved Veronica serpyllifolia O Speedwell, Wall Veronica arvensis O Spindle Euonymus europaeus O St John’s-wort, Perforate Hypericum perforatum R Stitchwort, Lesser Stellaria graminea AcidNeut R Teasel Dipsacus fullonum R Thistle, Creeping Cirsium arvense R Thistle, Marsh Cirsium palustre FenWet LO Thistle, Spear Cirsium vulgare O Thistle, Welted Carduus crispus R Violet, Dame’s Hesperis matronalis R Water-plantain Alisma plantago-aquatica R Willow, Goat Salix caprea O Willow, White Salix alba R Willowherb, Great Epilobium hirsutum LF Willowherb, Hoary Epilobium parviflorum R Woundwort, Hedge Stachys sylvatica R Yorkshire Fog Holcus lanatus O
Total number of indicators (Wood Fen Calc Acid Neut Wet) 10 5 4 2 6 1
Other fauna: Evidence of moles, common frog, rabbit, moorhen, tufted duck, coot, little grebe, heron, mallard, common blue damselfly, blue-tailed damselfly.
Butterflies seen: Speckled wood (2), red admiral (2), small white, large white, green-veined white (all 3 whites locally frequent), peacock (4), painted lady (4), comma (2), common blue (2), meadow brown (6).
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The DAFOR Scale – indicates the frequency of occurrence of each species found.
D Dominant A Abundant F Frequent O Occasional R Rare L Locally
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Habitats are divided into 6 types: Ancient woodland, fen and swamp, calcareous grassland, acid grassland, neutral grassland and wet grassland.
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Species threshold shows how many indicator species are needed per habitat type for a site to be meet Wildlife Site criteria.
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Minimum size of site shows how large a site needs to be (for each habitat type) to meet Wildlife Site criteria.
E.g. A site over 1ha in size and with over 10 ancient woodland indicators meets Ancient Woodland Wildlife Site criteria.
Sep 2007 - Survey carried out by Janet Lowndes for Plantlife.
Area 1 The Plantation: Nettles, red campion, cleavers, garlic mustard, buttercup, ground ivy, speedwell, Area 2 Site beyond the seat (the pudding stone one): Red campion, greater willow herb, nettles, cleavers, lesser celandine, cowslips, white dead nettle, garlic mustard, buttercup, bramble, hogweed, thistle, speedwell. Area 3 The Paddock: Nettles, meadow cranesbill, rosebay willow herb, cleavers, red campion, speedwell, buttercup, white dead nettle, slender thistle, stitchwort, bindweed cinquefoil.
Status: logged off
