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Welcome
 | Welcome to this Website, which dedicated to the Friends of Shrubhill Common.
This voluntary group was set up by Dacorum Borough Council in order to promote the maintenance and enhancement of the Shrubhill Common Local Nature Reserve, which is situated on the western side of Hemel Hempstead.
The Website is intended to display the group's work to a wider audience. We hope to get more people interested and give us their views and suggestions either via this site or by attending our meetings, which are held each three months, normally at the Adventure Playground off Long Chaulden.
Date of next meeting – Wednesday 21st March 2011 at 7.30pm
Chaulden Adventure Playground
The Friends of Shrubhill are organising a litter pick on the Common on Sunday 20thh March, meeting at 10am by the entrance to the Chaulden Adventure Playground. Litter pickers, gloves and plastic sacks will be provided by Dacorum Borough Council. Please turn up and help us maintain and improve the Nature Reserve status of the Common for the environmrnt and residents.
A paper version of this invitation has been distributed locally, together with the following plea regarding dumping:
"Shrubhill Common is one of the most important wildlife sites in Hemel Hempstead and one of only two sites in the borough declared a Local Nature Reserve by Dacorum Borough Council and Natural England. Management of the site aims to keep and enhance the habitat for the special wild flowers and animals present, all of which can then be enjoyed by the local community. Disposing of garden waste around the edges and elsewhere on the site may appear to be harmless, but it is not. Every piece of waste or litter makes the site look untidy and encourages more dumping, and pests such as rats. When plant material decomposes it releases many nutrients into the Common which in turn encourages weeds, coarse vegetation and possibly non-native plants to grow, damaging the wildlife already present.
Local Nature Reserves are wild spaces for both wildlife and people and should be respected for their contribution to our local environment. Please help us achieve this by using your green waste bin provided by Dacorum Borough Council or take waste to the green waste disposal area at your local tip. Encouraging others to do the same will help to keep Shrubhill Common the special place it is today."
Please leave messages under the "Welcome" topic on the Message Board (for which you need to register first) or the Guestbook. |
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Minutes of latest meeting
FRIENDS OF SHRUBHILL COMMON
LANDSCAPE AND RECREATION
Present 6 Friends of Shrubhill Common
Martin Hicks, Herts Biological Records Centre
Claire Covington, Dacorum Borough Council
Apologies Colin Chambers, Dacorum Borough Council
Monitoring
Roger has three more weeks of monitoring to complete. This year has been a very good year for common blues. Numbers have leapt to 360 (compared with 7 - 01, 10 – 07, 61 – 09). Roger saw 5 brown argos’ this year (the best year was 8 in 04), one of the rarer butterflies on the Common and difficult to spot. The numbers of large whites crashed from a peak of 400 in 09 to 50 in 10. This often happens following an explosion. Gruff noticed blue butterflies in the main field on his jogging route. The number of large skippers, a species which prefers longer grass, was the highest since 06 when 10 were recorded. Small and Green vein whites were down to average numbers for Shrubhill. Marbled whites had a bad year (10 compared with a peak of 455 in 01). This could be due to the amount of grass cutting the previous summer, though the poor weather during the monitoring visits and other factors may also be responsible. Roger saw more white butterflies on the Common during the sunny day he spent with Hemel Hempstead Conservation Volunteers than on his monitoring visits. Generally Martin has noticed that this year has been good year for blues, not too bad for browns but that there have been few white butterflies around. The number of gatekeepers, a hedgerow species, was also poor both this year and last. The 145 meadow brown’s recorded was the lowest number since Roger started recording.
There was then a discussion as to how these results compared with Steve’s weather recording. The year had average temperatures but great variation in rainfall, with more rain in August (twice the average), than April – July put together. Plus it was an extremely cold winter. Blue butterflies winter underground, so may have been less affected by the cold winter than the white butterfly species which winter on the surface.
Roger saw a small heath butterfly early in the season before recording started. Silver washed fritillary’s have re-established in Hertfordshire and could be using Shrubhill as a flight route. Generally Shrubhill acts as a reservoir for the butterflies from the surrounding gardens.
Roger also notes the flowers he sees along the transect route. The same plants are seen most years, demonstrating that the biodiversity interest of the Common is being maintained. Each year there is an occasional appearance by a particular species, this summer he noticed Common broomrape.
Grassland
The Hemel Hempstead Conservation Volunteers cut the paths through the meadows in July to encourage the growth of birds foot trefoil, a food source of the common blue butterfly. This is the second year that HHCV have undertaken this work and Roger has recorded a threefold increase in the numbers of Common Blue on the Common. The Friends agreed which areas of the Common would be cut this autumn as follows.
G1a Very top section of (first field) adjacent to Long Chaulden
G 2b Upper triangle of middle field adjacent to Valleyside
G2a Footpath through centre of middle field (one pass)
G2a Bottom of middle field, adjacent to Green Lane (not woodland end)
G3a field rear of adventure playground plus access towards car park
The section of the Common adjacent to Long Chaulden was identified as requiring attention. The bramble has spread down from the hedgerow about 15 m into the Common, plus there appears to be a lot of thistle there. There are also ash saplings along the edges which were cut down 2/3 years ago and are now 2-3m high.
Wildlife
Roger doesn’t record birds, but thought that the sparrow hawk bred. He also saw nutcrackers and found a great spotted woodpecker nest. Red kites breeding in the surrounding area have been seen flying over the Common. Magpies and crows are present in high numbers. Hedgerow birds may have been affected by the cold winter, for example wrens haven’t been seen this year. Roger H said that the population of species which feed on insects can fall by 95% during a cold winter. The foxes are doing well, and muntjac deer have been around.
Woodland
Works took place winter 9/10 to cut the bottom section (field side) of the Green Lane, and the section of the middle hedge between the Green Lane and the group of hornbeam. Janet thanked Colin for this work. Colin, though unable to attend, had asked the group to consider what woodland works should be the focus for this winter. This could include coppicing ash along Valleyside or by the hornbeam hedge. The previous woodland management plan also suggested glade maintenance. The Friends were concerned at the weight of the ivy on the trees along Valleyside, plus wanted to focus works along the middle hedge to protect that feature. They didn’t think glade works would be of much benefit, as many large trees would need to be taken out, and then there would need to be regular works to ensure the feature wasn’t lost through regrowth.
Following the meeting Colin identified and ordered the following works, to take place in March.
· South end of Valleyside by flats, clear woodland sign, fell small ash. Reduce ash 7 m from lamp post 8, and de ivy thorn.
· Reduce 2 ash by lamp post 9, reduce ash by number 8. Widen path down slope at end of block.
· Vegetation along middle field. By steps widen gap through to top field, inc. fell field maple. Mid way down field between gap and group of hornbeam, coppice all material (mostly hazel).
Litter
The next litter pick will take place on 20th March, and is likely to again concentrate on the area to the rear of Lucks Hill. The Friends offered to report when rubbish/garden waste appears to the rear of gardens. Janet and Ann offered to deliver fliers again if required.
Other
Steve reported that the damaged fencing along Long Chaulden has been replaced. The noticeboard on the corner of the Common by Long Chaulden/Varney Road is damaged and needs replacing, ideally in a position where it would be more visible.
Date of next meeting – Wednesday 21st March at 7.30pm
Chaulden Adventure Playground |  |
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Happy Christmas 2009
| Snow such as this in the 2009 pre-Christmas period makes the Common particularly attractive. |  |
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