standing under a Beech tree!

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   i mean RIGHT UNDER. roots and all!

it looks a bit like mushroom mycelium;

view from opposite end of "tunnel" - you can just see the roots at the apex;

this is the "jackdaw" quarry/stone mine.
i got my mum to show me all the places on the south facing farm where she grew up that used to have adders. this was one of them. back then it looked a lot different. the woodland has matured. 
vivs persisted along the edges of this 60a site until the 70s - i saw them myself.
during the 1940s Italian POWs were sent in to cut down lots of trees for the war effort which probably did the herps a good turn.
an event well remembered by older villagers in nearby Thrupp.

other adder hotspots were the grassy openings where my mother and her (5!) sisters gathered wild strawberries. 

it was sad to walk where adders and vivs once thrived and are now extinct.
the only site with adders in this valley nowadays is stroud cemetery. even there the nos are very low.
they used to be easily encountered there but in recent years ive only seen 1 and member kevb says hes only seen a couple of individuals - ones he recognises.
from what ive learned on RAUK (and assuming my interpretations are correct), something needs to be done urgently.
or its inbreeding depression leading to yet another local extinction and loss of valuable genetic diversity which could potentially invigorate a larger population elsewhere.
since habitat recreation and adder reintro seems highly unlikely why not rescue them while we still can?
i hope im wrong. like to hear members thoughts.

however, my spirit was lifted when, wandering through the quarry,i disturbed a pair of barn owls which briefly alighted into a nearby tree.
i was way too slow with the camera though!

there are probably bats in the mines too but i didnt have a torch with me to look. probably best not to disturb them anyway eh?
Greater Horseshoe bats roost in other local stone mines.

wistfully retracing her youth;

all the best members!
LONG LIVE RAUK!
ben

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Liz Heard Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Location: South West Status: Offline Points: 1429	Post Options Post Reply Quote Liz Heard Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: standing under a Beech tree! Posted: 15 Apr 2011 at 4:34pm
	i mean RIGHT UNDER. roots and all! it looks a bit like mushroom mycelium; view from opposite end of "tunnel" - you can just see the roots at the apex; this is the "jackdaw" quarry/stone mine. i got my mum to show me all the places on the south facing farm where she grew up that used to have adders. this was one of them. back then it looked a lot different. the woodland has matured. vivs persisted along the edges of this 60a site until the 70s - i saw them myself. during the 1940s Italian POWs were sent in to cut down lots of trees for the war effort which probably did the herps a good turn. an event well remembered by older villagers in nearby Thrupp. other adder hotspots were the grassy openings where my mother and her (5!) sisters gathered wild strawberries. it was sad to walk where adders and vivs once thrived and are now extinct. the only site with adders in this valley nowadays is stroud cemetery. even there the nos are very low. they used to be easily encountered there but in recent years ive only seen 1 and member kevb says hes only seen a couple of individuals - ones he recognises. from what ive learned on RAUK (and assuming my interpretations are correct), something needs to be done urgently. or its inbreeding depression leading to yet another local extinction and loss of valuable genetic diversity which could potentially invigorate a larger population elsewhere. since habitat recreation and adder reintro seems highly unlikely why not rescue them while we still can? i hope im wrong. like to hear members thoughts. however, my spirit was lifted when, wandering through the quarry,i disturbed a pair of barn owls which briefly alighted into a nearby tree. i was way too slow with the camera though! there are probably bats in the mines too but i didnt have a torch with me to look. probably best not to disturb them anyway eh? Greater Horseshoe bats roost in other local stone mines. wistfully retracing her youth; all the best members! LONG LIVE RAUK! ben

Iowarth Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 Status: Offline Points: 743	Post Options Post Reply Quote Iowarth Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 15 Apr 2011 at 5:44pm
	Hi Ben Fascinating photos - a beautiful spot considering it is the remnants of man-made chaos. I had a guesstimate of where you were with the aid of OS map and Google and was fascinated to see that about 1/2 kilometre to the east (IF I was in the right place!) is a place called "Snakeshole". Further evidence, perhaps of what has been sadly lost? You are almost certainly right regarding mycelium. Recent research suggests that the extensive mycelium networks through the roots of many plants actually act almost act as some sort of plant neural network. Chris
	Chris Davis, Site Administrator Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme (RETIRED)

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 Apr 2011 at 11:10am
	Interesting but sad.

Liz Heard Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Location: South West Status: Offline Points: 1429	Post Options Post Reply Quote Liz Heard Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 29 Apr 2011 at 6:06pm
	thanks chris. yes, your detective work was accurate. youre absolutely right i think - Snakeshole got its name for good reason. further, etchings, paintings and descriptions of the valley from the 18th and 19th centuries in Humphrey Households book on the Thames and Severn canal coupled with viv populations dotted all along the valley are, i think, further evidence that this was once a haven for adder with the surrounding pasture then woodland too and far less human habitation. even i can see that Park Wood is just a remnant patch of a much bigger habitat expanse. heres a pic taken from Rodborough common on the opposing side of the valley; in my mums youth, the open, grassy glades with adders were scattered through the woodland and the Jackdaw Quarries lie in the Northeast corner. Snakeshole and Stroud Cemetery are to the West (out of pic) ben