The humble bramble patch is the most useful of all wild plants. A well established bramble thicket forms a perfect habitat for invertebrates, small mammals and birds and it provides food and shelter almost all the year round.
In the spring the dunnock and jenny wren will build their nests in it, and then the male bird will advertise the fact by singing at the top of the bush.
In the summer the flowers are very prolific producers of nectar and attract almost all butterflies, bees, wasps and some moths.
In the late summer the flowers give way to clusters of fruit, green and hard at first, but turning red and finally black when fully ripe, which are relished by many birds and mammals. If they are left to rot they will attract late butterflies like the comma and red admiral and the seeds that have fallen on the ground will be eaten by voles and shrews.
In the winter the bramble bush provides an invaluable retreat for voles, mice and rabbits. Even if it snows, the tangle of branches provides enough support to leave a clear sheltered area beneath the snow. The leaves are eaten by deer and rabbits. On the watercress beds the water rail also lives under the bramble on the water's edge and the grass snake tends to hibernate underground beneath the brambles.
It has been the warmest winter on records. Terry Allsop had blackbirds nesting in his garden on the 25th February. Gemma Benoliel had early frog spawn and Keith Johnson had newts much earlier than usual. Mr & Mrs Burbidge saw the first water vole in their pond 22nd March.
Avril saw a holly blue butterfly at the bottom of the beds on 10th April.
In April, Jan & Patrick Gosset were thrilled to discover that a Red Kite had started to build a nest in a tree in their garden but after about two weeks moved on.
Desmond Dix, Chiltern Society Site Warden, Watercress Beds