Help us record the species that live here in 2023

Coming up this September:

Please note: booking is required to help us manage numbers. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

PLUS Bats and Moths with Blencowe, Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd September 2023 At the beginning of September 2023 local naturalist, writer and wildlife guide Michael Blencowe also shared his knowledge and expertise with us at two workshops. These involved setting up moth traps on the Friday evening, then arriving early next morning to investigate, identify and release them. During the evening workshop he also showed us how to detect and identify bats and explained the intricate relationship that has evolved between bats and moths. Over 50 species of moths were recorded, including 3 not seen before by Michael and that is saying something! The details were recorded on the national database irecord and he has listed them all for us here

Here’s what Michael wrote about his evening and (very early) morning with us: 

There were some strange goings-on at Plot 22 on the night of 1 September. A group of people slowly walked around the allotment, one arm raised to the stars. Meanwhile, Plot 22 itself was lit up like Saturday night in Las Vegas. Extremely powerful mercury light bulbs bathed the plot in enough white light to distract overhead planes on the Gatwick flight path. But there was nothing sinister occurring - we were just looking for bats and moths. 

A group of us walked around the plots, bat detectors held high hoping to tune into the otherwise inaudible echolocation calls of passing bats. We found one - a Common Pipistrelle - hunting for mosquitoes. And we also found an extremely noisy bush - the detectors picked up the rattling calls of a Great Green Bush Cricket lurking inside and stridulating at a frequency above human hearing.

I was back at 05:30 (alone, unsurprisingly) the next morning to prepare the moth traps for opening. A small crowd joined me for some breakfast at 8 and we lifted the lid on the light traps. I've been moth trapping for 15 years and so I was excited that the first moths out of the trap were all new to me - the Large Thorn, Golden Twin-spot and Marbled Yellow Pearl. Overall we found 50 species - with the colourful Garden Tiger, Blood-vein, Canary-shouldered Thorn and Burnished Brass all posing for photos, before being released.

Thanks for inviting me to survey the wonderful wildlife of Plot 22 and to everyone who came along and supported this event. 

Michael Blencowe 

Hopefully, if our funds allow, we will be able to invite Michael back next year, perhaps to share his vast knowledge about butterflies. Watch this space…

Previous Bioblitz survey’s at the plot….

We’re taking part in British Science Week and planning a BioBlitz to survey as many living creatures living here as we can over the course of 24 hours.

We need your help!

Allotment sites can be a great haven for wildlife in urban areas. The BioBlitz will give us a good understanding of the level of biodiversity supported by PLOT 22 and the Weald Allotments plus any actions we can take to improve it. So we need your help to survey birds, pond life, small mammals, reptiles, invertebrates, soil sampling, nocturnal insects and mammals.

How?

We'll use motion sensitive cameras and nocturnal traps to humanely capture nocturnal creatures. Help us check these at 8am Friday morning or join us during the day until 6pm for pond dipping, bird identification and surveying, invertebrate hunting and identification, moth identification and soil sampling. 

Timetable of activities:  
5pm - Thursday 12th March: Help set up overnight equipment for recording and trapping nocturnal wildlife.

8am - Friday 13th March: Help check the traps and do the first bird count of the day (before it all gets busy and noisy). 

Friday - all day drop in until 6pm to take part in other types of surveying. 

We will have wildlife experts on hand to help us identify and survey scientifically. And PLOT 22 volunteers will be there to guide you through the various activities. 

Citizen Science

Together we will be recording what we find and entering our information into national databases.  Whatever we find, we’re sure it will reveal that PLOT 22 is home to even more wonderful creatures than we realise! 

Let us know you're coming by contacting Jennie on 07954 601 650 to book your FREE place. It helps us to know what time you’ll be arriving so we can make sure there is someone to welcome you at the gate.