Last week I looked at the ways bats use veteran trees and now I’m going to be exploring the other mammals that rely on ancient trees.
Many small mammals other than bats utilise our veteran trees in much the same way as other animals. Nooks and crannies are used for shelter and nests while dead wood is used for cover as a highway when these vulnerable little creatures go out into the world. Shrews in particular are carnivorous feast on the millions of insects that live on and in the dead wood associated with veterans amongst others creepy crawlies.
Pine Martens are a very exciting predator that many parts of the UK have lost. Much of the loss is due to historic hunting however their failure to return is often down to a lack of habitat, specifically mature woodland with – you guessed it – lots of big old mature and over mature trees. Pine martens make dens in tree cavities and in hollow trunks where they can shelter during the day and protect their young. They also like to use fallen branches and deadwood to make paths along the woodland floor keeping them out of cover so they make less noise and maintain clear lines of sight when hunting. There is potential for Pine Martens to make a recovery into England from their Scottish and Welsh populations in the future but if this is ever going to be successful there has to be favourable habitat. This means we have to start looking after our veteran trees now.
Hedgehogs can also utilise crevices and holes around the base of trees as safe places to hibernate during winter, waiting for next spring when things warm up and they go hunting the slugs and worms that begin feeding on the new growth.
Yet again we can see how the holes, crevices and general decay surrounding veteran trees supports other wildlife in surprising ways.
Next week I’ll be looking at some creature much more easy to spot than most of our mammals – the birds and how they utilise our veteran trees.
Tree Trivia: The phrase “barking up the wrong tree” comes from the practice of hunting with dogs where the pack would bark up a tree with no quarry in it – so this phrase actually has nothing to do with tree bark.