The New Year has come in with a wet, cold and grey start for the

A grey January day

South. Many mammals have hibernated or moved indoors to keep out of the cold. Mammals and birds that venture out during this cold period are helped by the farmers and other hedge owners have left their hedgerows to be cut back towards the end of this month when most berries have already disappeared. Although the days will slowly become lighter from now on until mid-summer the sun at this time is mostly low in the sky and so will only allow some areas to thaw out and this can cause problems not only for wildlife but for the farmers too. They have to ensure that the livestock in the fields have enough water and nutrients. So farmers have to go out in all weathers to break ice in water troughs and provide food and saltlicks.

This is a good month to sort out those gaps in the hedge and fix the fencing. It is good to leave the odd old tree along the fence line because they make wonderful niches for many species of insect and animal. Also, to improve the health of the hedge it is good policy to only cut the hedge every second year where possible.

Common Reedmace (Typha latifolia)

Underground at this time of year Badger cubs are being born. I have seen numerous birds like the Robin, Wren, Blackbird and Pheasant singing and foraging for food. At this time of year many birds will be taking advantage of the seed heads from the Common Reedmace (Typha latifolia). This plant has become more commonly known as the "Bulrush" because of the Victorian artist, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema who painted it in his famous painting entitled "Moses in the Bulrushes" when in fact he had painted "Moses in the Reedmace". The name has stuck with the general public no matter what a botanist says. The plant had some interesting uses, in the past the fluffy seeds were used for stuffing mattresses. The leaves were used for baskets and woven chairs and also, because the leaves are waterproofs, they were used for making reed boats too!

Common Reed (Phragmites australis)

Another plant that is a good source of food for birds is the Common Reed (Phragmites australis). This is our largest native grass and can end up dominating deep wet habitats. In the summer reed beds can make excellent nesting areas for many species of bird. This grass has tough, stiff stems and in other parts of the country is traditionally cut between Christmas and April for thatching houses. Another family in the plant world, which is commonly overlooked through most of the year but is easy to see now, is the lichen. Today there are still many hundreds to be found but in the past when the air was less polluted there would have been thousands of robust specimen lichens all over Sussex.

Cudbear/ Crab's Eye Lichen (Ochrolecia parella)

Some of the earliest records of lichen refer to Cudbear/ Crab's Eye Lichen (Ochrolecia parella). It is commonly found growing on limestone tombs in graveyards today. It is white in colour and in Cornwall can be found covering large rocks and these white rocks were often used as boundary features in defining land ownership. This lichen and other species of Ochrolechia were also used for making red coloured dyes. It helped prevent a large French Invasion from succeeding during the Napoleonic wars. In 1797 1500 French troops were about to attack Fishguard, in Wales. By a remarkable stroke of luck the French troops mistook the welsh women dressed in their red clothes (dyed with Ochrolechia) to be British Red coat troops. Thinking they were out numbered they soon surrendered to a small group of troops under the command of Lord Cawdor .

Llichen (Xanthoria parietina)

However closer to home, one of the first real references to lichen in the Country was in Sussex. This reference comes from an Anglo-Saxon chronicle in 1066 leading up to the "Battle of Senlac" or the "Battle of Hastings" as it is more commonly known. King Harold instructed his noble men to meet him at Caldbec Hill by the "Har apple tree". Har referred to a hoary grey shaggy tree covered in lichen, most probably an Usnea lichen. Many Anglo-Saxon records refer to these Har trees as landmarks. There are a number of species of Usnea or Beard moss Lichen and today "Usnic acid" is made from them and is used in anti dandruff shampoos, foot powders and mild antiseptics.

Llichen (Xanthoria parietina)

Another common lichen that covers many trees, roofs and rocks and was used as a boundary marker is the bright orange lichen, (Xanthoria parietina). In the past it was also used for making yellow and orange shades of dye.

Another lichen found on heathland is known as Cladonia portentosa this and other similar looking lichens, have been used by birds in nest building and we use them in model making because of their resemblance to small trees and bushes when dyed green.

Next month, February, I will tell you about some other plants, birds and mammals to look out for.