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At this time of year, the Commons are teeming with life Spring and Summer are the months when caterpillars are most active Oak trees for example support over 300 different species of caterpillar Each organism has its own special role to play in a healthy ecosystem Visitors of our Chalk Downland sites are currently observing the mass emergence of the Ermine Moth Caterpillars These amazing little caterpillars will strip a Spindle tree of its...
Read MoreWe are a nation of dog lovers with the Dogs Trust estimating that there are as many as 13 million dogs in the UK The Love Dogs, Love Nature Project, facilitated by Surrey Hills Natural Landscapes, has recently been set up to provide joined up education, advice and to develop constructive ideas on how to best manage the relationship between dogs and our natural environment Our staff attended their recent event on Thursday 27 March, with Dr...
Read MoreBanstead Commons Conservators launched their Professional Dog Walking Licence Scheme this month From the 1 April, all commercial dog walkers who are paid and insured animal care workers are required to be licenced if they take dogs in their care onto Banstead Commons The scheme has been introduced in response to an unprecedented increase in commercial dog walking activities on the Commons putting visitors and wildlife at risk Our...
Read MoreDear Supporter, As we approach the end of 2024, we wanted to thank you for your ongoing support to Banstead Commons It has been wonderful to see our support grow even further this year and we would like to use this opportunity to share some of the highlights that have made it so special Volunteers We now have more volunteers and work parties than ever This has enabled us to better protect and preserve our habitats that require...
Read MoreBanstead Heath has a network of nine ponds found across the site Rich in biodiversity, they support many rare species that rely on an aquatic ecosystem to survive These include many different types of invertebrates, like dragonflies and damsel flies, as well as the UK’s rarest amphibian, the Great Crested Newt In a recent ecological survey of the ponds on the Heath it was identified that all nine require - to a greater or lesser extent...
Read More10th September, 2024 Dear Volunteer, I hope this email finds you well and you are enjoying the sunshine, what a lovely treat! Whilst it may still feel like summer this week, our butterfly recording season is drawing to a close and Autumn is in the air, especially in the evenings Autumn and Winter are the seasons when we can carry out habitat improvement work on the Commons without work impacting...
Read MoreBanstead Commons Conservators are working together with Surrey Wildlife Trust to develop 10 year Site Management Plans for each of our four sites: Banstead Downs, Banstead Heath, Burgh Heath and Park Downs A Site Management Plan details how we intend to prioritise resources and organise our land management for the benefit of people and wildlife over a period of ten years Commencing on Saturday 1 June and running until Sunday 30 June we...
Read MoreA small flock of thirty sheep will be introduced to Pen 2 on Banstead Downs on Wednesday 10 January The grazing enclosure is highlighted in yellow on the map below Visitor access to the enclosure is not permitted at this time We estimate the sheep will be grazing this section of grassland for a period of no longer than ten weeks before they will be moved to Pen 3, marked in red on the map below and the final grazing pen for this...
Read MoreDear Supporter, As the year draws to a close, we'd like to write to say thank you for your support this year Volunteers 2023 has been a memorable year for Banstead Commons Conservators Earlier this year, we launched our new website and more recently introduced our volunteer task programme on the Commons A small but dedicated team of volunteers has already joined us over the last couple of months and we hope that as the...
Read MoreIt's that time again Not just mists and mellow fruitfulness but fungi of all shapes and sizes are nearly everywhere you look in the countryside at the moment Contrary to most people's perception, fungi are all around us throughout the year, not just the microscopic ones on which most other organisms depend, but also some large and attractive fruiting bodies can be found if you know where to look For example, bracket fungi grow on trees all year,...
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