Dorset Flora Group: Yellow Bird’s Nest Survey at Melbury Wood.

Saturday 26th July.

Joint meeting with National Trust Ecology Volunteers. A walkover survey of NT Melbury Woods looking for Yellow Birds Nest Monotropa hypopitys alongside the National Trust’s North Dorset Ecology Volunteer Group.

When: 10am – 3.pm.
Leader: Adam Woolcott, NT Ranger.
Meeting point: Melbury Wood, near Compton Abbas airfield. Grid ref.: ST9157519798; What 3 words /// carry.mermaids.subjects; Nearest postcode: SP5 5AP. There is a layby near the entrance to the wood with parking available (for about 8-10 cars). Alternative parking available at NT Win Green 3mins up the road and we can shuttle people to site if needed.
No booking required: However, it is always useful to know numbers, so feel free to let Adam know you’ll be attending via adam.woolcott@nationaltrust.org.uk; 07811009014.

Melbury Wood is the only site in Dorset where this epiparasitc plant grows, being associated with Tricholoma fungi within this Beech woodland. The NT volunteers did a count in 2024 and recorded over 8,000 flowering spikes(!) and identified several new areas where they had not been seen previously. The aim of this survey would be to thoroughly survey those new areas to get a good idea of the distribution across the site. Some of the terrain is steep and quite slippery with Beech leaves and mast, so suitable footwear and walking poles would be recommended.