the wonderful woodland floor
Losing the greenbelt and the mature woodland goes far deeper than just the fields and the trees, it’s what they support, the things we don’t see, the things we can’t see or even consider or indeed understand their importance. For what lies beneath the canopy and its understory sustains a multitude of life without which a whole host of creatures would not survive.
Our fields, woods and hedgerows are there to protect us from hazardous pollutants. They all absorb and store harmful carbons; they are natures precious air filters. To lose vast areas of green and open spaces and ancient woodland would have a profound effect on the animals, birds, plants, insects and any other living organisms which live, thrive and depend on all of the above for their existence.
The leaf litter on the woodland floor has three different layers, a litter layer, a formenting or horizon layer and a humus layer, collectively known as mor, modder and mull. It takes many years to build layer upon layer of leaf litter to develop and establish a rich and plentiful supply of fungi, bacteria, micro-organisms, microscopic worms, white worms and springtails, all of which are beneficial to a host of invertebrates, insects, spiders, birds, amphibians and small mammals. This group also includes the hedgehog which is on the verge of extinction and needs this protective environment and all it offers to enable its survival.
Soft bills which include white throats, blackcaps, thrushes, blackbirds, robins and wagtails rely on the woodland floor for the majority of their food. Yellow hammers and chaffinches that also frequent this area rely on grain as well as insects for their survival. All birds rely on trees and hedgerows for shelter from the weather and to roost at night.
The common snail Helix Aspersa which is a species indicator can be affected by atmospheric pollution, this along with the yellow banded snail is what the beautiful and disappearing song thrush feeds upon. These snails are indicators that something is wrong within the environment, therefore, increased pollution equals less thrushes. Bats too are an indicator species. Where there has been a healthy bat population their decline indicates that something harmful is going on in the environment that is affecting biodiversity.
The ant also has a role to play. They naturally produce toxi-chemicals (an insecticidal shampoo) and provide a free service to ground dwelling birds. When pheasants and partridges want to rid themselves of lice and mites that live on their feathers, they pay a visit to an ant’s nest, settle down on it and in a blissful trance allow the ants to remove their unwanted guests. Ants are also cross pollinators of plants which grow on the woodland floor. They spread the pollen on their legs as they dash to and fro collecting food for their ever growing nests.
Our summer visitors the Hirondines which are Swallows and Swifts fly over the fields gorging themselves on insects which have hatched in the leaf litter and are swallowed up as they rise to take off. The birds’ aerobatics are a joy to behold. They are frantically feeding now to build up their strength for the long journey back to Africa. With advancing development of greenbelt and our vital green and open spaces being lost and replaced by concrete, they will not be returning to the places they have frequented for many years, neither will the beautiful Skylark which is already in decline by 60%.
Nature has a wonderful way of providing for all. Trees support so many creatures, birds and squirrels nest in them, they roost in them at night. Owls perch and hunt from their branches. Their leaves are shelter and food for insects. Many leaves carry curious lumps, swellings and spheres. These are known as galls and there are many different types; Red pea, cherry, marble, oyster, silk button and spangle being the largest.
In harsh winters when no other food is available, small mammals such as mice, voles, shrews and water voles feast on the galls on the woodland floor, this helps them to survive through lean times until spring comes around again with her bountiful harvest. This supply of food also indirectly supports the raptors, the owls, sparrow hawks and kestrels, as a healthy mouse and vole population also ensures their survival through the winter.
On the outward fringes of the woodland, ephemeral plants thrive. Chickweed, shepherds purse, scarlet and blue pimpernel burst through the rich soil. They live, flower, set seed and die all within six to eight weeks. This is a fresh and plentiful supply of green herbage for the birds and rabbits. Birds use these wild plants to self-medicate. So good are they that many are still used in herbal creams, poultices and medicines for animals and humans alike today.
No-one shows the hidden wonders of nature that have never been better exemplified than in a diatom (a grain of soil). The more we study them the more convinced we are that nature is a wonderful artist, for she shows us in these gems of workmanship that in the wonderfully small she can be wonderfully great.
How wonderful this web of life.
