Two Pines Fen, Frilford Heath Golf Course

Blog and photos by Sally

11 volunteers, including ecologist, Dr Judy Webb, returned to Frilford Heath Golf Course on Tuesday, 17 March in order to complete the cut and rake of the main area of Two Pines Fen, which is where a number of orchid species and other alkaline fen specialists plants thrive and to remove invasive scrub, which threatens to dry out the fen. St Patrick must have been smiling on us as it was a glorious spring day. With the variety of tasks on offer, we all had our hands full making our way to the fen from the Green Keepers Compound with the various tools needed. We can only work on this Fen midweek when there are fewer golfers and maintenance work is being undertaken by the team.

The Green Course was closed for maintenance, so Simon made his way to that side of the fen to tackle willow, using the tree popper and mattock to extricate them from the ground. The hollows will form shall pools for insects to breed in and also for plants that prefer to be in wet conditions. Judy and Eleanor used shears to cut the tall vegetation from two growing mounds of different types of moss and from around some black bog rush, which had been marked out with canes, whilst the others took up their scythes and cut the tall vegetation, which was a mix of reed, sedge and rush. This would allow light to emerging orchids and other lovely fen plants, which would otherwise be out-competed. It was important for the dug out willow scrub and cut material to be raked up and we either put this in heaps around the fen edge or into the stream, which is acting like a drain and drying out the fen. By heaping in the cut material carefully, we are gradually building up the base of the stream.

Judy showed us a couple of dipwells which had been installed by the Environment Agency a few days before. They had also take a core sample of the substrate and will be analysing this - it included some greensand, which was unexpected.

We found another lot of golf balls which we put to the side for passing golfers to collect. It was lovely to get some "thank yous" from them for our efforts, as well.

It was not long before the arisings were starting to build up, and became a bit of a balancing act to try to cut the important area of fen whilst ensuring that we had enough manpower to complete the rake, which is critical to allow light and also prevent nutrient build up, as the plants that favour the alkaline conditions do not enjoy nitrogen and potassium rich soils. Raking also disturbs the seedbank and allows light for seeds to germinate.

We enjoyed some delicious homemade cake, which Rich brought us (a chocolate and ginger sponge!) at breaktime.

We found lots of signs of field voles and a harvest mouse nest, as well as some marsh lousewort emerging. The latter is semi-parasitic on reed and sedges, by sucking out the sugars from the roots of these plants, which then suppresses their growth. An ecosystem engineer! We also spotted a common lizard which had ventured into the sunshine (but then escaped down a hole before we could take a photo of it!), and an emerging common spotted orchid, so signs that our hard work is paying off.

Judy was pleased that the special moss patches have grown in size and were the biggest that she had ever seen them and also that the common cotton grass area in front of the fen had extended. The common cotton grass spreads via rhizomes, so we gave it a light raking through to remove thatch and we hope that the golfers will enjoy a breathtaking display of their cotton wool fluffy seed heads later in the year. We did not manage to complete the cut and rake of the grass area next to it, but it will mean that the voles etc will have some cover. Everyone has worked so hard on this precious gem of a calcareous fen and we hope we have done enough to ensure that the orchids and other fen lovelies will have a successful year. And we couldn't think of a finer way in which to celebrate St Patrick's Day dressed in our Green Gym tops and working all day in the green.

Before the cut. In between the two yellow "flags" lies one of the precious moss patches

Before the cut. The orange tagged canes mark out the baby tussocks being formed by black bog rush. This has very fine hairlike stems. Its flower and seed heads are black in colour, which gives it its common name.

Simon was determined to dig up the willow on the Green Course side

The main area of Fen before the cut and rake

Work commences, with Susan scything in the foreground

Simon tree popping, whilst Mike and Barbara continue scything

One of the heaps of cut vegetation left on the fairway for the Greenkeepers to collect

Where once there was a willow after Simon's ministrations! This hollow will form good habitat for other fen flora and fauna

The rosette of a common spotted orchid

Marsh lousewort emerging. This plant has quite a wide variation in colours as some can be pinky purple or a darker green when they emerge. It is semi parasitic on common reed (in a similar way that yellow rattle is on rye grass).