News Autumn 2024
Don't forget to check our latest Wildflower Diary before you go off on an Autumn ramble!
We've been out wildflower spotting again - take a look at the Autumn 2024 edition of our Wildflower Diary to see what we found. It's always worth checking out previous years' diaries too, to see what you might find before you go out for a nature walk!
Lichens on a fallen branch
Autumn cyclamen by the Littleford Lane car park on Blackheath
Toad Patrol results 2024
Toads and newts rescued in one of the toad fence buckets
We now have some really interesting graphs to show you with the results of this year's toad patrol efforts - click here to see the data and graphs.
This year has been the best for the Woodhill crossing since we started trending the data in 2019.
Both the road rescues and the toad fence rescues have done exceptionally well. This is partly due to there having been more newts, especially in the toad fence. But there have also been more toads compared to the previous years.
When you look at the gender distribution then you can see that the increase is mainly due to male toads. The number of female toads this year is similar to last year's and it is significantly lower than in 2019 and in 2020.
The male toads reach maturity faster than the females so let's hope that there will be many more juvenile females waiting in the wings!
SGEG tree monitoring in Shamley Green
The SGEG Autumn Tree Walks took place on 3rd and 18th October, just as the leaves on our red maples on Malt House Green were starting to come into glorious autumn colour. There are over 150 trees to check, take photos of any issues, and discuss any recommendations we should make to Wonersh Parish Council, so although it looks like we are just strolling around enjoying the autumn colours, it's actually quite hard work, especially when one of us has to climb a tree to replace a missing tag!
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We are now using a new mapping system for trees, which you will see on our Trees page on this website: you can click on the symbol for each individual tree to see what information has been recorded for it. This is part of the Parish On Line site, enabling us to liase and share information with the Council for looking after all the trees on our common land. This is currently Waverley Borough Council, but Wonersh Parish Council will soon be taking them over.
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If you spot any problems with any of our trees, at the moment they should be reported to Waverley Borough Council at https://www.waverley.gov.uk/Services/Greenspaces-leisure-and-things-to-do/Greenspaces-in-Waverley/Looking-after-greenspaces/Report-a-tree-problem
Early Autumn colour from red maples on Malt House Green
Native daffodils to cheer up the entrance to the village next spring
The native wild daffodil or 'Lent Lily', Narcissus pseudonarcissus,
a delicate-looking plant with distinctive 2-tone flowers
In October the group added a modest number of bulbs - about 750 - to those planted over the last few years. Based on feedback from many Shamley Green residents we chose sites at the end of Woodhill Lane and opposite the village shop, and we used native daffodils, Narcissus pseudonarcissus.
Also known as the Lent Lily, this species was once very common as a wild plant in England and Wales and Wordsworth's 'host of golden daffodils' would have been a familiar sight, but changes to its habitat since Wordsworth's day mean that it is now much more restricted in the wild. The daffodils you see in gardens today are almost always cultivated types, of which there are literally thousands of different varieties based on non-native species.
Where possible we do prefer to plant native species, but there are only a few spring bulbs truly native to the UK - bluebells, ramsons, snakes head fritillary and wood anemone are other examples. The wild daffodil flowers much earlier than these, making it a good source of early pollen and nectar for the first insects to emerge after the winter.
We are grateful to several villagers for contributing to the cost of the bulbs this year.
UK Butterfly Emergency Declared
With results of this summer’s Big Butterfly Count showing a marked and hugely concerning decline in numbers, the Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation has declared a national ‘Butterfly Emergency’.
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Overall, participants spotted just 7 butterflies on average per 15-minute Count, a reduction of almost 50% on last year’s average of 12, and the lowest in the 14-year history of the Big Butterfly Count.
It was the worst summer in the Count’s history for Common Blue, Holly Blue, Green-veined White, Small White, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady and Scotch Argus. And the majority of species (81%) showed declines in the number seen this year compared with 2023.
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In total, just over 935,000 butterflies and day-flying moths were recorded across the UK from 12 July - 4 August, down almost 600,000, equivalent to more than a third of 2023's total, and 9,000 Counts were logged as seeing zero butterflies, the highest in the citizen science programme’s history.
2024 was the worst count in history for the Small Tortoiseshell butterfly
Dr Richard Fox, Head of Science at Butterfly Conservation, said:
“Butterflies are a key indicator species; when they are in trouble we know that the wider environment is in trouble too. Nature is sounding the alarm call. We must act now if we are to turn the tide on these rapid declines and protect species for future generations."
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Butterfly Conservation is writing an open letter to Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs calling for the Government to act now for nature by declaring a ‘Nature Emergency’ and banning butterfly-killing neonicotinoid pesticides once and for all, with no exceptions, before it’s too late.
For more information see https://butterfly-conservation.org/emergency
Next year’s Big Butterfly Count will take place from Friday 18th July – Sunday 10th August 2025.
Shamley Green's Special Places
Keep an eye on the local parish magazine for a new series of SGEG articles about the many special habitats we have in and around Shamley Green. You can also click on the following to read about the places covered so far:
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More to follow in 2025 including the Wey and Arun Canal and Christ Church Yard, and if you know of a special place in or near Shamley Green please do get in touch with suggestions, we would love to hear from you - email info@shamleygreenenvironment.co.uk
Autumn Litter Pick Saturday 19th October
Amazingly the sun shone for our Autumn Litter Pick on Saturday 19th October. It was a beautiful morning, very mild with clear blue skies after a night of rain. We were joined by both familiar and new faces for litter picking all across the village’s footpaths and roads.
We found an interesting mix of litter from drinks bottles, cans and food wrappers to vapes, and car parts. One entrepreneurial litter picker took home a Mini hubcap to explore the resale value!
During the rubbish collection many people shared their regular litter collection routes with us, sometimes done as individuals or as part of other groups. People collect rubbish on their way to the shop, out with their dogs or on their way home from work. It’s these combined efforts that keep our environment such a fabulous place for all.
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​We’ll organise our next litter pick in the Spring and do hope you can join us then with the added bonus of tea, homemade cake and good chat to follow. Keep up to date with our latest activities via this website, and sign-up to receive our seasonal newsletters: https://www.shamleygreenenvironment.co.uk/
Yes, it has rained A LOT again!
​According to the September 2024 National Hydrological Summary, and our own records, Shamley Green was up there in the places that received 3 times the average amount of rain for the September 2024. Our Rain gauge showed that 174 mm fell against a historic average for the Met Office Wisley (1991-2020) of 54 mm. This just beats the 173.6mm that fell in November 2022
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This was much needed as there was a low of 2.6mm recorded in the pond on 31st August 2024 (it has not been that low since the pond dried out and then slowly recovered in the Summer of 2022).
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Our rain gauge gave us the following results for the last 5 months :
July 77mm (49)
August 33mm (57)
September 174mm!! (54)
October 80mm (74)
November 72mm (73)
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The numbers in brackets are the average figures for Wisley for comparison - interestingly Wisley has much less rain on average than SE England & Central South
