Wyre Forest Facilitation Group WILDLIFE AUDIT 2019 LITTLE LAKES GOLF COURSE Name of property: Little Lakes Golf Course Location: 3kms SW of Bewdley Landowners: Little Lakes Leisure Address: Little Lakes Golf Club, Lye Head, Bewdley, Worcestershire DY12 2UZ Contact: Nick Fernihough [email protected] 01299 266400 Land designation: None Countryside Stewardship scheme: None Acreage 250 acres in total, but not all surveyed Recorder: Rosemary Winnall, with help from Janet and Clive Prince, and Mike Averill Dates of visits: 4th, 6th and 17th June 2019 AERIAL VIEW of golf course showing sites surveyed N Google Geology The eastern half of the audit area is made up of rocks from the Devonian St Maughans formation, sedimentary clays and sandstones with bands of conglomerate. The western half is made up of younger rocks from the Carboniferous Etruria formation with sandstones, mudstones and conglomerates. Drainage The Gladder Brook runs across the site from NW to SE in a wooded Dingle. There is a small man-made spring-fed pond on one of the greens. Links to wider The steeply sloping wooded Gladder Brook valley acts as an important landscape wildlife corridor linking the ancient semi-natural woodlands Arley Wood (SSSI) Ribbesford Wood and Rock Coppice (SSSI) to the main Wyre Forest (2kms to the north), and to the River Severn valley (3km to the east). Archaeology None known. Current use and The golf course is mowed on a regular basis and some of the grass is management collected. The rough grassland/scrub is left uncut, and there is some rabbit grazing. There is a reed bed system in place for the clubhouse and chalets which drains down into Gladder Brook. The whole area is managed with nature conservation in mind. Site 1 This bank slopes steeply down to the NW to one of the greens. The steepest section near the bottom of the rough has the largest diversity of plants thanks to rabbit grazing which has restricted the growth of some of the coarser grasses. Dyer’s Greenweed, Betony, Bird’s-foot- trefoil and Meadow Cranesbill are present (C. Vincent). Rough (R) Several other areas of rough grassland/scrub were surveyed. Although the majority of these had many course grasses, small parts showed more plant diversity. The long grass had good populations of grass pyralid moths, mirid bugs, spiders, grasshoppers and crickets – the latter still immature. The flowering brambles and thistles in the scrub provide good nectaring for insects. Dingle (D) The Dingle was checked at four spots (D on the aerial view) although access was not easy with the steep slopes. There was very little water in the brook and not many aquatic invertebrates recorded. Flatworms, leeches, freshwater shrimps and some caddis larvae were found. The woodland was rich in Bluebells, Ramsons, Wood Anemones, Dog’s Mercury, Yellow Archangel in the shaded parts, indicating it is old woodland. In places there is invasive Himalayan Balsam. Pond This is an interesting pond with an open sunny aspect and good marginal vegetation. It was rich in water beetles, water boatmen, Backswimmers, dragonfly and mayfly larvae, and small snails. Moorhen was present with young, and Azure Damselflies were egg-laying amongst the Water Plantain. Habitats and features Site 1 had the best plant diversity on the steeper ground. The pond was of note rich in aquatic invertebrates. The rough grassland/scrub ecotomes were good for insects. Species of note The Worm Slug (first recorded in Britain in 1972) was found under some logs near the Clubhouse. We have very few records of Pisids – very small bivalve freshwater molluscs, and these will have to be identified by an expert. It was good to see the Red-girdled Mining Bee nectaring on Germander Speedwell as it often does. Concerns There is some Himalayan Balsam along the more open parts of the Dingle, but it is restricted by scrub growth and mowing. Further recording The weather was uncharacteristically cold, wet and cloudy during the weeks of the survey. A summer visit on a hot sunny day would provide many more insect records across the site. HABITATS Present Native woodland/copse Yes Conifer woodland Some conifers Permanent meadow/pasture Yes Unimproved meadow Traditional or commercial orchard Purple moor grass/ rush pasture Stream Yes Pond Yes Wetland/marsh/flush Arable fallow field margins High hedges Yes Heathland Scrub Yes Rough field margins Yes GOOD HABITAT FEATURES Standing deadwood Yes Lying deadwood Wide field margins on arable fields Flower-rich meadow High hedges Yes Beetle bank (raised open bank) Veteran tree Water features (Stream, pond, lake) Yes Woody debris (trunks and branches left in Yes stream) CONCERNS Scrub invading meadow Poached ground, overgrazing Undergrazed meadow Invasive Bracken Too many docks or thistles Invasive Himalayan Balsam Yes, but under control Another invasive plant Site 1, plant-rich steep section with a north westerly aspect, 6 June 2019 One of the Roughs – NW corner, 6 June 2019 Gladder Brook in the Dingle, 6 June 2019 Crab Spider Misumena vatia female with Honey Bee prey, 6 June 2019 prey The Pond, 6 June 2019 Timothy Tortrix caterpillar, 6 June 2019 Caddis pupal cases Agapetes fuscipes, 6 June 2019 Brown China-mark just emerged, 17 June 2019 Emperor Dragonfly exuvia, 6 June 2019 Biological Records Taxon Latin name English name Area 1 ROUGH DINGLE POND Acari Eriophyes laevis mite galls in Alder leaves • Acari Eriophyes leiosoma mite gall on lime leaves • Aranaea Araniella sp. a cucumber spider • Aranaea Cheiracanthium erraticum a spider • Aranaea Mangora acalypha a spider • Aranaea Meta segmentata a spider • Aranaea Metellina mengei a spider • Aranaea Misumena vatia a crab spider • Aranaea Pardosa sp. a Wolf Spider • Aves Turdus merula Blackbird • • Aves Sylvia atricapilla Blackcap • Aves Pyrrhula pyrrhula Bullfinch • Aves Buteo buteo Buzzard • Aves Fringilla coelebs Chaffinch • • Aves Phylloscopus collybita Chiffchaff • • Aves Prunella modularis Dunnock • • Aves Carduelis carduelis Goldfinch • Aves Passer domesticus House Sparrow • Aves Pica pica Magpie • • Aves Turdus viscivorus Mistle Thrush • Aves Gallinula chloropus Moorhen and young • Aves Sitta europaea Nuthatch • Aves Phasianus colchicus Pheasant • Aves Erithacus rubecula Robin • Aves Turdus philomelos Song Thrush • • Aves Columba palumbus Woodpigeon • Aves Troglodytes troglodytes Wren • Bryophyta Plagiomnium undulatum Hart's-tongue Thyme-moss • Bryophyta Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus Springy Turf-moss • Coleoptera Cantharis livida a soldier beetle • Coleoptera Cantharis flavilabris a soldier beetle • Coleoptera Cantharis nigricans a soldier beetle • Coleoptera Grammoptera ruficornis a longhorn beetle • Coleoptera Malachius bipustulatus A Malachite Beetle • Coleoptera Oedemera lurida A Flower Beetle • Coleoptera Oedemera nobilis A Flower Beetle • • Coleoptera Subcoccinella 24-punctata 24 spot Ladybirds • Crustacea Gammerus sp. freshwater shrimp • • Diplopoda Tachypodoiulus niger White-legged Snake Millipede • Diptera Chrysogaster solstitialis a hoverfly • Diptera Didymomyia tiliacea fly gall in lime leaves • Diptera Dioctria rufipes a Robberfly • Diptera Episyrphus balteatus a hoverfly • fly galls in Germander Diptera Japiella veronicae Speedwell • Diptera Meredon equestris a hoverfly • Diptera Phytomza ilicis fly galls in holly leaves • Diptera Syrphus ribesii a hoverfly • Diptera Tabanus bromius a horsefly • Diptera Poecilobothrus nobilitatus a dolichopid fly • Flora Tilia sp. a Lime x • Flora Salix sp. a willow x x • Flora Alnus glutinosa Alder x • x • • x • Flora Fraxinus excelsior Ash x • x • x • x • Flora Potentilla sterilis Barren Strawberry x • • Flora Stachys officinalis Betony x • Flora Tamus communis Black Bryony • • Flora Prunus spinosa Blackthorn x • Flora Hyacinthoides non-scripta Bluebell x • Flora Rubus fruticosus agg. Bramble x • x • x • Flora Sparganium erectum Branched Bur-reed • Flora Helminthotheca echioides Bristly Oxtongue • Flora Dryopteris dilatata Broad Buckler-fern • Flora Rumex obtusifolius Broad-leaved Dock x • x • x Flora Potomogeton natans Broad-leaved Pondweed • Flora Ajuga reptans Bugle x • • Flora Hypochaeris radicata Cat's-ear • Flora Galium aparine Cleavers x • • • Flora Dactylis glomerata Cock’s-foot x • • Flora Lotus corniculatus Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil x • • Flora Viola riviniana Common Dog-violet x • Flora Scrophularia nodosa Common Figwort • Flora Crataegus monogyna Common Hawthorn • Flora Hedera helix Common Ivy • Flora Centaurea nigra Common Knapweed • Flora Cerastium fontanum Common Mouse-ear • • Flora Urtica dioica Common Nettle x • x • • Flora Senecio jacobaea Common Ragwort • x • x • Flora Rumex acetosa Common Sorrel x • x x Flora Vicia sativa Common Vetch x • x Flora Anthriscus sylvestris Cow Parsley x • • • Flora Primula veris Cowslip x • Flora Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup x • x • x • x Flora Potentilla reptans Creeping Cinquefoil • x Flora Holcus mollis Creeping Soft-grass • • • • Flora Cirsium arvense Creeping Thistle x • x • • Flora Geranium dissectum Cut-leaved Cranesbill • x • Flora Bellis perennis Daisy • • Flora Taraxacum officinale agg. Dandelion x • • x Flora Rosa canina Dog-rose • • Flora Mercurialis perennis Dog’s Mercury x • Flora Cornus sanguinea Dogwood x • Flora Genista tinctoria Dyer's Greenweed x Flora Sambucus nigra Elder • x • Flora Circaea lutetiana Enchanter's Nightshade • Flora Arrhenatherum elatius False Oat-grass x • • Flora Festuca sp. Fescues x • • Flora Acer campestre Field Maple x • x • • Flora Luzula campestris Field Wood-rush x • Flora Veronica chamaedrys