“All day and night, save winter, every weather, …..
The aspens at the cross-roads talk together”
Edward Thomas 

Tucked away amidst our dominant Holly, Silver Birches, and Sweet Chestnuts, it is easy to miss the delicate European Aspens (Populus tremula) growing at the foot of Fox Hill. True to their Latin name – commonly known as the trembling aspen – even in the slightest breeze, their distinctive round leaves are set fluttering. 

The leaf stalks are flattened and flexible near the leaf blade, which is why the leaves flutter in the breeze so easily. Young leaves are a coppery colour and often turn a vibrant yellow or sometimes red before falling in autumn.

If you manage to find an adult tree look at the bark which is grey and often pitted with diamond-shaped pores, called lenticels.
Aspen wood is white, soft, lightweight but fairly strong and was traditionally used for making oars and paddles. Its low flammability means it is a good choice for matches and paper, while the shredded wood is often seen available for animal bedding.

In the area of rhododendron we have  most recently removed at the edge of the Fox Hill clearing we are seeing new aspen saplings eagerly emerging into the lighter spaces vacated by the invasive shrub.
Aspens spread aggressively via underground root systems—a process called suckering— it is highly likely that just a few parent trees are responsible for this entire new generation of shoots!

Aspen  is an important tree for biodiversity, supporting several species of moth and butterfly larvae, gall midges and the rare aspen hover fly.

Unfortunately it is also a favourite food for deer and a lot of the new saplings are being kept short by their browsing.
To give our new aspen grove a fighting chance to mature and fill out into the newly opened clearing, the Friends of Fox Hill volunteers are going to build some deadwood fences around an area of aspen saplings. Hopefully this natural barrier will act as a deterrent to the deer, allowing us to see if it helps the trees get closer to their mature height of 20 metres.

Did you know…?

A crown made of aspen leaves was said to give its wearer the power to visit and return safely from the underworld. 

An infrequent series introducing some of the bird-life you will find in our woodland.

If you’re wandering through the woods and hear a rhythmic “chiff-chaff-chiff-chaff,” you’ve just heard one of our summer residents! The Common Chiffchaff is a tiny, 10cm bird that is heard far more frequently than seen. They are one of the UK’s most abundant warblers and you shouldn’t have to wait long to hear one in Fox Hill.

Traditionally, these birds are summer migrants, arriving from Africa or the Mediterranean in March and staying until October. However, because our winters are getting milder, some are choosing to stay all year round. We even get “winter tourists” visiting us from Scandinavia, so keep your eyes peeled and your ears open in the colder months, too!

Their Latin name, Phylloscopus collybita, basically means “leaf-explorer,” which is the perfect description. They spend their days hunting down minibeasts hidden deep in amongst the leaves, sometimes even snapping them right out of the air.

Unlike many birds that head for the mid to upper canopy, Chiffchaffs like to stay low. They build domed nests right on or near the ground, tucked away in thick grass, brambles or bracken.

The female usually lays six eggs and handles the 13-day incubation alone. Once the chicks hatch, the female does the heavy lifting with feeding, while the male takes on the role of “security guard,” fiercely defending their territory until the young are ready to fly (usually after about 14 days).

The next time you are out walking in Fox Hill listen out for the cheery metronome call of the little leaf exploring Chiffchaff.

Fun Fact!

Chiffchaff’s look so similar to their cousin, the Willow Warbler that experts didn’t even realize they were two different species until 1817!

The Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna) is currently flowering in the woodland.
Look out for it as you enter Fox Hill from Dorset Way on the right of the pathway close to our information
board.This is a native British wild flower that favours damp and shady areas.

It is one of the earliest spring flowers which can be spotted anytime between January and April. Because of this It is an important source of nectar and pollen for emerging queen bumble bees and other pollinators coming out of hibernation.
The Lesser Celandine is part of the Buttercup family and spreads quickly making it unpopular with some gardeners.

It was once thought that you could use Lesser Celandine to predict the weather as they close their petals before raindrops. The leaves are high in vitamin C and have been used to prevent scurvy. Another common name for the plant is Pilewort from its use as a treatment for haemorrhoids!

On Sunday 8th March 1^st Woosehill Scouts, in conjunction with Friends of Fox Hill and Wokingham Borough Council Countryside Services team, returned to Fox Hill Woods for a day of tree planting.  

Over 20 Scouts, siblings and parents turned out to plant around 75 saplings of under-storey trees which were provided by the Woodland Trust as part of their community planting programme.

The species planted by the scouts were:

• Hazel
• Blackthorn  
• Rowan
• Elder

This year the trees have been planted in small groups of a similar species in areas where we have finished clearing the rhododendron. Each sapling was given a guard to prevent deer and other animals from feeding on the tender shoots.

As previously the roots of each sapling were given a dose of a mycorrhizal dip. This beneficial fungal treatment should help re-establish the “wood-wide-web” which has been disrupted by the rhododendron. 

As expected some of the saplings planted last year have not survived. We hope that repeated topping up and extension of the under storey vegetation will in time create a more diverse, lush native woodland in amongst the birch and sweet chestnut.

What two plants capture the spirit of winter better than the classic pairing of Holly and Ivy?
They seem to be everywhere at this time of year—on cards, wreaths and in our carols — but these two heroes of the woods are far more than just winter decoration. They provide huge value to our woodland wildlife all year round!

The deep green prickly tangled foliage of Holly (Ilex aquifolium) and the dense twining creeping Common Ivy (Hedera helix) define the winter woodland landscape. You don’t need to travel very far to find these two in Fox Hill woods. They both provide shelter and protection to small birds, mammals and insects all year round. The Ivy flowers later in the summer into autumn, providing end of season nectar for bees,wasps and butterflies before they hibernate.
Alongside the Holly’s familiar red berries, Ivy’s black berries can normally be hard to spot, but together they provide important winter sustenance for birds when other plants are shut down and bare. This year there is a very impressive ivy bush absolutely loaded with black berries just at the start of the path up from Dorset Way opposite Heron Park.

“When they are both full grown…”

But did you know that these two plants share a remarkable, biological trait: they are both heterophyllous, meaning they change their leaf form and structure as they age or in response to their environment. 

Look closely on a mature holly bush and you may well find two different sorts of leaf:

• Prickly Leaves: These spiky, defensive leaves are grown on the lower branches and on young plants to deter browsing herbivores like deer. This energy-intensive defense is critical where the plant is vulnerable.
• Smoother Leaves: On the upper canopy of mature trees, where the leaves are safely out of reach, holly produces smooth-edged, spineless foliage. By switching to this less-defensive, simpler structure, the plant conserves the energy needed for reproduction.

On established ivy growing up a tree or wall you will also see two sorts of leaves: 

• Lobed Leaves: On the younger climbing shoots you will see the familiar deeply lobed leaves.  In this phase, ivy focuses solely on climbing towards the light and does not flower or fruit.
• Smooth almost diamond shaped-leaves: Once the plant reaches sufficient light, it transforms. It develops stiff, shrubby branches, and its leaves become smooth and unlobed. Only this adult form can produce the critical late-season flowers and fruit.

So, this December, as you admire the festive decorations, take a moment to appreciate the true ecological gift these plants are to our woods. The ecological strategies of holly and ivy with their leaf adaptations, late flowers and following late fruit make them indispensable to the health and survival of the woodland ecosystem. Perhaps we should change the last line of the carol…

“Of all the trees that are in the wood the Holly and Ivy share the crown!”