Wildlife

Whilst the primary aim of Dane Valley Woods is to plant trees on this community site, we are very keen on other wildlife too, and to record what we see and share it with others. Search through the tabs above to see what can be found.

Since the start of this year, we have been trying to accomplish a more complete audit of our wildlife, so check out our list below!

Mammals

• Woodmouse (Apodemus sylvaticus)
• Common shrew (Sorex aeaneus)
• Pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus)
• Bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus)
• Field vole (Microtus agrestis)
• Brown rat (Rattus norvegicus)
• Weasel (Mustela rivalis)
• Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
• Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)

Birds

• House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
• Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
• Greenfinch (Chloris chloris)
• Blackbird (Turdus merula)
• Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)
• Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

Reptiles and amphibians

• Viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara)
• Common frog (Rana temporaria)

Insects

• Emperor dragonfly (Anax imperator)
• Migrant hawker (Aeshna mixta)
• Common darter (Sympetrum striolatum)
• Ruddy darter (Sympetrum sanguineum)
• Blue-tailed damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
• Brown argus (Aricia agestis)
• Holly blue (Celastrina argiolus)
• Common blue (Polyommatus Icarus)
• Essex skipper (Thymelicus lineola)
• Small skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)
• Large white (Pieris brassicae)
• Speckled wood (Pararge aegeria)
• Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina)
• Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
• Marbled white (Melanargia galathea)
• Peacock (Aglais io)
• Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
• Comma (Polygonia c-album)
• Triangle plume moth (Platyptilia gonodactyla)
• Knot grass moth (Acronicta rumicis)
• Herald moth (Scoliopteryx libatrix)
• Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala)
• Oak eggar moth (Lasiocampa querus)
• Five-spot burnet (Zygaena trifolii)
• Ruby tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa)
• White ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda)
• Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)
• Red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
• Buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
• Marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
• Hoverfly (Scaeva pyrastri)
• Speckled bush-cricket (Leptophyes punctatissima)
• Field grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
• Meadow grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)
• Red soldier beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
• Rove beetle (Oxyporus rufus)
• Dock bug (Coreus marginatus)
• Seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata)
• Soldier fly (Statiomyidae sp.)
• Crane fly (Tipulidae sp.)
• Green bottle fly (Phaenicia sp.)
• European garden spider (Araneus diadematus)
• Four-spotted orb weaver (Araneus quadratus)
• Cucumber green orb spider (Araniella cucurbitina)
• Wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi)

Flowers

• Common ragwort (Senecio jacobaea)
• Alexander (Smyrnium olusatrum)
• Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)
• Cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris)
• Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)
• Bramble (Rubus fruticosa)
• Spanish bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica)
• Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius)
• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
• Wild teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)
• Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
• Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)
• Everlasting pea (Lathyrus grandiflorus)
• Evergreen bugloss (Pentaglottis sempervirens)
• Yellow vetch (Vicia lutea)

Trees have been planted on the site for several years since 2003, and although many of them are still small, they can still be found. The map at  Dane Valley Woods Trees shows the progress that the group has made so far.

Wild flowers are one of the key features of Dane Valley Woods and have been recorded by Sefton Paine. It will be interesting to see how the floral assemblage changes as the site becomes more shaded. Flowers currently recorded at the site include:

• Alexanders
• Bindweed
• Bramble
• Bristly Ox Tongue
• Fennel
• Hogweed
• Ox Eye Daisy
• Salsify
• St John’s Wort
• Stinging Nettle
• Teasel
• Yarrow

On Saturday 29 September 2012, Dane Valley Woods teamed up with Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) in an exciting new partnership, to try and identify the extent of biodiversity on the site. The results have been analysed by the university’s team (pictured below, with DVW volunteers), and are published underneath the photo – click on the species name to learn more about each one found within the woods’ boundary.

Grid Ref               Species recorded (common name in brackets)

TR365698             Acer campestre (Field maple)

TR634698             Acer psuedoplatanus (Sycamore)

TR634698             Achillea millefolium (Yarrow)

TR365700             Aeshnidae sp. (Dragonfly)

TR364698             Araneus diadematus (European garden spider or orb-weaver spider)

TR365697             Betula pendula (Silver birch)

TR366698             Brassica nigra (Black mustard)

TR365697             Buxus sempervirens (Box tree)

TR365698             Calystegia sepium (Hedge bindweed)

TR366698             Cantharidae sp. (Soldier beetle)

TR366698             Carpinus betulus (Hornbeam)

TR365697             Castanea sativa (Sweet chestnut)

TR634698             Centaurea nigra (Common knapweed)

TR365700             Chaoborus sp. (Glassworm)

TR366698             Chorthippus brunneus (Field grasshopper)

TR365698             Chorthippus parallelus (Meadow grasshopper)

TR365698             Cicadellidae sp. (Leaf hopper)

TR364698             Cirsium arvense (Creeping thistle)

TR365698             Cirsium palustre (Marsh thistle)

TR365700             Class Clitellata (Annelid worm)

TR634698             Class Diplopoda (Millipede)

TR366698             Class Gastropoda (Slug)

TR366698             Coccinella septempunctata (Ladybird)

TR365700             Coenagrionidae sp. (Damsel fly nymph)

TR634698             Conopodium majus (Pignut)

TR366698             Convolvulus arvensis (Field bindweed)

TR365697             Cornus sanguinea (Dog wood)

TR365697             Corylus avellana (Hazel)

TR366697             Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn)

TR365700             Cyperaceae sp. (Sedge)

TR365698             Dactylis glomerata (Cock’s foot)

TR634698             Dipsacus fullonum (Wild teasel)

TR366698             Episyrphus balteatus (Marmalade hoverfly)

TR366698             Fagus sylvatica (Beech)

TR365698             Festuca rubra (Red fescue)

TR366697             Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel)

TR366698             Formica rufa (Wood ant)

TR366698             Formicidae sp. (Ant)

TR366698             Galium aparine (Cleaver)

TR365700             Gerridae sp. (Water boatman)

TR365700             Haliplus sp. (Beetle)

TR634698             Hedera helix (Ivy)

TR365698             Lavatera arborea (Tree mallow)

TR364698             Leucanthemum vulgare (Oxeye daisy)

TR634698             Ligustrum sp. (Privet)

TR365698             Lolium perenne (Rye grass)

TR365700             Lymnaea stagnalis (Great pond snail)

TR364698             Malus domestica (Apple tree)

TR365700             Mentha aquatica (Water mint)

TR365698             Microtus agrestis (Vole)

TR365700             Notonecta sp. (Common backswimmer)

TR365700             Order Cladocera (Crustacean)

TR365698             Orobanche minor (Common broomrape)

TR366698             Oxyporus rufus (Rove beetle)

TR365698             Phleum pratense (Timothy-grass)

TR366698             Phylum Bryophyta (Moss)

TR366698             Pica pica (Magpie)

TR634698             Pieris brassicae (Cabbage white butterfly)

TR365700             Planorbis corneus (Great ramshorn snail)

TR634698             Plantago lanceolata (Ribwort plantain)

TR366698             Platyptilia gonodactyla (Triangle plume moth)

TR365700             Plea leachi (Pygmy backswimmer)

TR634698             Quercus sp. (Oak)

TR366698             Ranunculus acris (Meadow buttercup)

TR364698             Rosa canina (Dog rose)

TR365698             Rubus fruticosus (Blackberry or bramble)

TR365698             Smyrnium olusatrum (Alexanders)

TR364698             Sorbus aucuparia (Mountain ash or rowan)

TR365700             Stratiomyidae sp. (Soldier fly)

TR365700             Sympetrum sanguineum (Ruddy darter)

TR364698             Syringa vulgaris (Lilac)

TR366698             Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion)

TR365698             Tipulidae sp. (Crane fly)

TR366698             Trifolium pratense (Red clover)

TR365698             Trisetum flavescens (Yellow oatgrass)

TR365698             Urtica dioica (Nettle)

TR366698             Viburnum opulus (Guelder rose)

TR364697             Zootoca vivipara (Common lizard)

As a part of our 2016/17 project “An Accessible Community Wild Space” (funded by Tesco’s Bags of Help grant scheme), a bird survey was carried out by Tony Swandale on behalf of Kent Wildlife Trust.

The breeding birds at Dane Valley Woods were surveyed using a standard method known as the Common Bird Census (CBC). This particular technique was devised by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and was used to monitor populations of breeding birds in the UK between 1962 and 2000. It was superseded by the less time-consuming Breeding Bird Survey but it remains a widely used method for surveying breeding birds at a local scale. It is a means of determining the location of breeding bird territories and provides an estimate of the number of breeding pairs in a given area.

Three early morning visits were made in April and May 2017, and the location of all bird species was recorded on a map. A total of 15 species qualified as breeding, including the common linnet and the song thrush.

You can access the full survey results here. (Click on the link to open the PDF in a new window).

Our immediate neighbours at the Windmill Community Gardens have sent us a list of all the birds and butterflies seen at their site, correct as of August 2018 (click on the image for a larger version):-