Hover over each location on the map to learn more...

The Pond
This area was created in the mid 80s to collect the overflow of surface water from the industrial estate. The pond quickly attracted wildlife. Frogs, Newts, Dragonflies, Damselflies and Mallard have taken up residence. Note the wide variety of plants that have colonised. The plastic tree guards protect 400 native trees that were planted by the Tottington Woodlanders in Autumn 1992.

Reedmace in the shallows	Coltsfoot on the mound

Cleared Area
This site was coppiced in the Winter of 1992/3 and regrowth can be seen from the base of the coppiced stools. Bat-boxes have been put up. Pipistrelle, Noctule and Brown Long-Eared Bats have been detected in the clearing. A work site is being established to teach old woodland skills such as pole-lathing and hurdle making.

	Bat-Boxes are positioned on the North, South-East and South-West aspects of a tree trunk to provide a range of micro-environments throughout the year.
	Structures in the clearing.

Crab-Apple
Ancient woodlands are rich in plant species; this wood has over 100. Some plants are characteristic of ancient woodlands and are useful indicators of this threatened habitat type. Such plants take a long time to establish themselves and spread. Crab-Apple is one example. Others include Wood Anemone, Bluebell, Early Purple Orchid, Wild Strawberry and Dog Violet. Over 20 other indicator species are also found in this wood.

An easy way to spot Crab-Apple trees in ancient woods is to find the apples all over the ground beneath them, and this method works even at the end of some winters. After a frost or two, blackbirds, redwings, doves and fieldfare will eat them.

The Rides
Rides give access to the wood, allowing timber to be removed. Different light and climatic conditions on the sides of the rides suit different plants to those found within the sheltered interior of the wood where the tree canopy is denser.

Using the tractor to transport coppice product from the woodland to the charcoal kiln.

Dead Wood
Dead wood and leaf litter are vital to the life of a woodland. Both provide habitats for small animals and insects. Mosses and Lichens cover old stumps and logs. Decomposition by Insects and Fungi return nutrients to the soil.

	Unlike other fungi which disperse their spores by air, the stinkhorn produces a sticky sporemass which is carried away by flies attracted to its foul odour.
	Longhorn beetles are found only in woodland environments as their larvae depend on dead wood to feed and develop.

Boundaries
Often boundaries were marked by a bank and ditch which helped to keep animals out of the wood.

Early Purple Orchids grow on neutral or calcareous soils, flourishing in broadleaved woodland and coppices. They flower in late April and May. Buff-tailed Bumblebees and Cuckoo Bees are frequent visitors.	Moschatel also called Townhall Clock or Five-faced Bishop due to its flowerhead. It is an unusual species in a genus all of its own. Flowering from April to May, it is a plant of non-acidic woodland and shady places.

The Field
From maps it is known that this field was here in the mid 18th Century. The wood on the other side of the field has characteristics similar to Tottington Wood. It is believed that at some time in the past the field was carved out of the same, originally larger wood.

The distribution of woodland around Small Dole. Tottington Wood is circled in red.

Ivy
Ivy does little to harm its host tree and provides important food and shelter for a variety of birds and insects. Often removed from garden trees, ivy should be left in woodland to fill an important role in its ecology.

	Late-flying and hibernating insects such as Wasps, Hornets, Hoverflies, Bumblebees, Red Admirals, Small Tortoiseshells and Peacock Butterflies depend upon ivy flowers to fill up on nectar before hibernating. Holly blue caterpillars feed on the flower buds.
	Ivy berries ripen in winter, when most other berries have already been eaten. They are therefore a vital food source for resident Thrushes and Blackbirds and winter migrant birds such as Fieldfares.

Left to Nature
Certain parts of the wood will be left to develop naturally. These can act as refuges for animals and plants which can then recolonise coppiced areas.

White Admiral caterpillars feed solely on Honeysuckle.

Both standing and fallen dead wood is allowed to rot in situ.

Greater Stitchwort
In May and June this patch is covered with tiny white star-like flowers of Greater Stitchwort.

A common wildflower throughout most of Britain appearing in woodland and hedgerows in springtime. Its name originates from its ancient herbal use of alleviating a "stitch" in the side.

Rabbits
Here you will find a rabbit warren in amongst the roots of trees. Rabbits prefer open environments where predators like foxes and birds of prey are easily spotted.

Litters of 3 - 7 young are produced, at five-week intervals, from January through to late summer. Myxomatosis is still present in rabbits today, particularly in crowded populations, but it is much weaker and more rabbits are immune. Less than 60% of infected animals die, and their rapid breeding makes up for any losses within a short period of time.

Spindle Tree
As its name suggests, its hard white wood was used to make spindles. A spinster would hold raw wool in one hand and rotate it onto the spindle with the other. Spindle is also known as Skwewerwood and Pegwood.

	The characteristic bright pink fruits containing the orange seeds mature in September and October.
	The Spindle Tree can grow to 6m, but is normally found as a small bush in scrubland on calcareous soils. The stems have grey/green bark. Leaves are oval, pointed and bright green.

Holly
There are a number of mature Holly trees which may have been part of an old boundary hedge. There was once a superstition that it was unlucky to cut down a Holly tree and this may be why they have survived. For pre-Christian pagan Romans, Holly was considered the plant of the God Saturn, celebrated at the Feast of Sol Invictus on December 25th. As a result, European Holly has always traditionally had a strong association with Christmas.

Although mature in late autumn, holly berries are very bitter so are rarely touched by birds until late winter after frost has made them softer and more palatable. They are poisonous for people. Holly is a principal food plant for the Holly Blue butterfly and also produces a hard white ornamental wood.

The Great Oak
This magnificent tree may have been a boundary marker. By measuring its girth 5ft (1.5m) above ground level and allowing an average of half an inch (12mm) for every year of growth, we can be sure that this mighty specimen is over 300 years old. The Tottington Woodlanders have adopted this oak as their logo and symbol of the wood.

A mature oak tree is virtually an entire ecosystem on its own; supporting many lichens, mammals, birds such as Owls, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Woodpeckers and huge numbers of invertebrates.

The Stream
The red colouration of the water here is natural and is caused by iron in the soil. In the past, local farmers used to wash their cattle in the stream as it was thought that the iron in the water was beneficial to health.

The stream divides the wood from the gardens of properties on Sands Lane.

The Gully
The gully that comes in from the wood carries overflow water from the pond to the stream. Its banks are covered in a wide variety of Mosses, Lichens and Liverworts (collectively known as Bryophytes) all of which prefer shaded, damp locations.

Water from the gully joins a stream that forms the northern boundary of Tottington Wood which then flows west into the Adur.

1991/92 Coppice
This area was the first to be coppiced since the recent cycle of woodland management was resumed by the Tottington Woodlanders. After only a short time, you can see how quickly and vigorously the trees have started to regrow.

	The traditional way of managing this wood is to coppice the Hazel and Ash. The Oak is allowed to grow into timber trees known as standards.
	Every 5-7 years the Hazel and Ash are cut off at the base (coppiced) and then left to regrow as several stems (poles).