Tuesday 15 May 2018

Denge Wood, Canterbury

Whitebeam, Sorbus aria flowers
Denge Wood is a large complex of broadleaf and conifer plantations and the remnants of  native broadleaf woodland situated on dip slope of the North Downs. The underlying geology is Clay with Flints, over chalk bedrock rising to a maximum altitude of 140m.

A couple of dry valleys hold the remnants of native woodland, mainly comprising of Beech, Ash and Oak with an understory of Hazel and scarce trees such as Whitebeam Sorbus aria, whilst most of the plateau has been converted to Sweet Chestnut coppice and areas of conifer plantation.


One of the cleared areas within Denge Woods, perfect for the rare orchids,
such as these Lady Orchids, Orchis purpurea and butterflies

 Lady Orchid, Orchis purpurea flowers

The reason for the visit was for both its floral and lepidoptera interest, it is particularly notable for the range of orchid species which can be found at the site. It was little early in the year for some of the present species and late for Early Purple Orchids although one was still in fine flower. In total four species were seen in flower and one species was found in bud.



Of the orchids on show the most impressive was the Lady Orchid Orchis purpurea; a real speciality of Kent with the majority of the UK's population found on the chalky slopes of the North Downs.


Although slightly obvious it gets it common name due to the distinctive shaped flowers which look like ladies in petticoats and bonnets. It can grow to quite an impressive size with some plants growing to 70cm in height and can in preferential conditions reach a meter in height.



Common Twayblade, Neottia ovata






The other species of orchid which was putting on a show was the Common Twayblade Neottia ovata, a very different and much plainer looking species. It is one of Britain's commonest orchids  and can be found in a diverse range of habitats. Its common name is derived from Old English and means 'Two-Leaves', referring to its pair of basal leaves.











Crosswort, Cruciata laevipes







It wasn't just orchids which were in flower, Crosswort Cruciata laevipes is a plant of calcareous waysides and could be found alongside the tracks.














The real reason we visited the site though was to see the Duke Of Burgundy Hamearis lucina, the only member of the 'metalmark' family to be found in Britain. These delicate butterflies only live for around five days and the adults are rarely seen feeding.

A fresh Duke Of Burgundy, Hamearis lucina


A mating pair of Dingy Skipper, Erynnis tages.
Traditionally it was a species of coppiced woodlands, which provide the best conditions for its foodplant, Primrose needs to thrive. Due to the decline in woodland management it has undergone a 52% decline and can no only be found in 20 sites throughout the UK. If suitable conditions occur, such as recently cut rides and newly coppiced areas the Duke has good dispersal capabilities with females flying up to five kilometres to lay eggs.

A few other species were also on the wing, good numbers of Brimstones were seen flitting along the rides. A single pair of Dingy Skippers Erynnis tages were also seen mating within an area specially cleared for the Dukes.