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Ash Common Local Nature Reserve
Autumn & Winter
Ash Priors Common is located approximately 6
miles north west of Taunton. It lies just off the A358
near Bishops Lydeard just beyond the West
Somerset Railway.
The trail starts at the main car park (Grid
Reference 155 288). It is circular, and best
attempted in a clockwise direction. It should take
about 1 - 11/2 hours to complete (2.3km). Stout
footwear is advisable as the ground may be uneven
and muddy in sections.
Please keep dogs under control.
Mini Beast Hunt
Lots of small animals live amongst the leaf litter and
dead wood. Some hunt other animals; others eat
the leaves, wood and fungi. Look under logs, bark
and amongst the leaves.
Springtails like dark damp places.
They have a forked spring which hits
the ground and makes the springtail leap.
The False Scorpion hunts for smaller
insects. It is a harmless animal and
cannot sting.
When Autumn comes nature’s activity starts to
slow down. Plants die and lose their leaves, but
there is still life going on, you just have to look
more closely to find it. Fungi grow on wood on the
ground. Fallen leaves are home to mini-beasts.
Spiders are
common hunters,
hiding under logs, bark and
leaves.
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Ash Common Local Nature Reserve in the Autumn and Winter
Bristletails are wingless insects with
segmented bodies and two long tails.
The eat decaying plants.
Others are quite small with a wavy
edge and are much softer;some are
banded like Many-Zoned Polypore.
Woodlice and Snails eat the
plant material. Woodlice also eat fungi
and dead wood.You will find them in
damp areas, such as under bark.
Beetle larva like the
Stag Beetle Larva live in and
eat dead wood.
Crust Fungus is quite hard to spot. It
grows along twigs and branches of
living trees and is skin like.The most
easy to spot s purple in colour.
Yellow Sulphur Tuft grows in clumps
on dead wood.
Look out for a yellow like jelly fungus Yellow Brain Fungus, found on dead
fallen branches.
The Devils Coach Horse Larvae hunt for
spiders and smaller beetles, as well as dead
animals.The adult beetle hunts at night,
hiding under leaves and logs in the day.
Wood Fungi
The parts of fungi you can see are the fruit bodies.
Hidden below the ground and bark are thin white
threads - the mycelium.These are the parts of the
fungi that attack wood and break it down. If you
look under the bark and leaf litter you might find
some of the threads. Fungi are decomposers,
turning wood and other things such as leaves and
dung into a dark brown soil (humus).
Blackening Russula turns black
when old.They are found in large
numbers around trees.
On the ground in ditches amongst leaf
litter, you might be lucky to spot
the Grey Coral Fungus.
Candle Snuff Fungus is very small
and hard to find which grows on
dead wood.
Grassland Fungi
It is not just woods that have fungi.The
grassy open areas also have their own kinds.
Look out for the Parrot Toadstool - bluegreen in colour and covered in green
slime.
Milk Drop Mycena is
brown and has a long, thin stem. It
grows in dead leaves.
Scarlet Hood is bright red in colour.
Snowy Meadow Cap is white in
colour and grows in groups.
Look closely at mossy tree trunks
and you might find a tiny white
fungus - Mycena Corticola.
Also look out for a bright yellow toadstool
which is slimy - Hygrocybe Chlorophana.
Fungi comes in all shapes and sizes,
not just in mushroom/toadstool
shapes.
Look out for Puffballs. When the fruit
body is ripe the spores come out of
a split in the top. If pushed, a cloud of
pores is often released.
Bracket Fungi grow along dead tree tree
trunks or on logs. Some are hard and
leathery but have a sponge like
look.
There are many more kinds...
How many can you spot?
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Ash Common Local Nature Reserve in the Autumn and Winter
Tree Identification
Decay and Decomposition
All things decay and are recycled to help new life
grow.
Trees lose
their leaves
As well as leaves found on the ground, bark and
twigs can also be used to identify trees.
Silver Birch - It has silver colour bark that peels in
thin paper-like strips. It’s twigs are purple and rough
with small knobbles.
Oak - Oak has a very rough, cracked bark.
Hazel - It has a brown smooth bark which can peel,
and hairy twigs. It has lots of thin branches that
often come from near the ground.
Leaves litter
the ground
Soil feeds
the growing
plants
Ash - Ash has a pale grey bark. It’s twigs have black
buds.
Dark
brown soil
Hawthorn - A small tree/shrub with a dark grey
bark and brown, thorny twigs.
Dead wood
attacked by
fungi
Mini-beasts
chew the
leaves
Blackthorn - A small thee/shrub with rough, blackbrown bark and spiny twigs.
The common is currently managed by Taunton Deane Borough Council on behalf of the owners and
commoners. During the Summer months the Common is vulnerable to fire damage, so please take care.
Strictly no barbecues or fires are allowed. Adders may also be found on the Common.
You and your dog may be at risk from Lyme disease when walking through bracken, grass and rough
vegetation between April and October. Lyme disease is an infection which can affect the skin and
occasionally cause serious illness of the nervous system, joints or the heart. It is caused by a bacterium,
transmitted by the bite of an infected tick.To minimise the risk, keep skin covered and where possible
avoid brushing against vegetation. After walking always check yourself and your dog for ticks and remove
them as soon as possible.
If You Require Further Information
Please Contact:
01823 356562
Deane Design & Print sgir/9073/10/07
[email protected]
The Heritage and Landscape Team,
Taunton Deane Borough Council,
The Deane House, Belvedere Road,
Taunton,TA1 1HE
Tel: 01823 356562 Fax: 01823 356595
Email: [email protected]
www.tauntondeane.gov.uk
If you would like this document translated into
other languages or in Braille, large print, audio
tape, or CD please telephone us on 01823
356493 or email us at:
[email protected]
01823 356562
[email protected]
01823 356562
[email protected]
01823 356562
[email protected]
01823 356562
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