Mid Sussex Times - May 14 1982

NEW ENGLAND WOOD

Cuckfield, has now been preserved for all time as a nature reserve by the dedicated work of the Beech Farm Preservation Society, the Cuckfield Society and other residents of the community.

One of them, Mr Stan Hallett, who visited the wood regularly throughout 1981, has produced a 54,000 word diary about it, which the Mid Sussex Times is serialising.

MAY

FERNS in the groups of Male fern, Buckler fern and Hart’s tongue fern fern are looking fresh and some developing spores, but I have not discovered any hard fern, which seems rather surprising. Gone are the wood anemone flowers, though there remain some drifts with the nut-like achenes, which contain a single seed, still looking active.

Isolated cuckoo flowers remain in the damper parts and groups of cuckoo pint may be seen in various parts of the wood. Bluebells are fading fast and their leaves are already making the woodland floor look slippery.

I visited two of the badger setts and then made my way to the beech tree, near to Taffy’s grave. Here and only here, I saw yellow Pimpernel — Lysimachia nemorum. It was in full flower. How much it resembles creeping Jenny, but the flowers are always open and they look so fresh and bright.

In this area there are some interesting liverworts and mosses, with Cladonia coniocraea amongst them and on tree stumps.

A dead hazel branch was covered with the fungus Hypoxylon fuscum. The fruit bodies are small, being only up to 4mm across and purplish brown to purplish grey. It is similar to the red wood-wart fungus — Hypoxylon fragiforme, but smaller.

I took the path which leads down to a stream and then on to the main, very muddy, north-south path on which I turned left. I crossed another small stream and was looking at some ferns when I realised that a stoat — Mustela erminea Family Mustelidae — was aware of my presence as soon as I was aware of his.

He was making his way along the stream towards me. The upper part of his body was red brown and the underparts white, tinged with yellow. The tail was the same colour as the back, with a black tip. The harmonization with the colour of the leaf litter was perfect. I was particularly pleased as they are not commonly seen.

He had a snake like appearance as he moved in a succession of low bounds, having a long, lithe body. Alertness was immediate, as with agility he turned and slipped along under the protruding roots of a tree.

Stoats are carnivores and on the end of a food chain. They are largely nocturnal and hence hunt mainly by scent, but their hearing is good. If attempted, without success, to pretend that I had not seen him, whilst I carefully prepared my camera. Maybe I shall be luckier next time.

Once stoats locate their prey, they stalk it for a short time and then attack with a swift rush killing the prey by a single bite behind the ear at the bottom of the skull.

When keeping down rodent pests they do a great service, which, of course, is not always appreciated by gamekeepers who concern themselves only with their destruction of game.

I retraced my steps towards the stile and then made a small detour northwards. Ferns are developing well in the bank by the river and the "Town Hall clock" massed at the base of the tree is now in the stage of the ovaries developing into green berries.