Environment

Rougham Estate Trust’s arable flora sampling survey on Rougham Estate 2019-2021 has revealed where rare arable flora is holding on in today’s modern farming regime.  Over 150 wild plants are characteristic of the arable environment and together make up the most threatened group of flora in Britain, unable to compete with crops, herbicides and fertiliser.  Over 100 annual arable plant species were recorded on Rougham Estate in field corner and field margin refuges, providing reservoirs for buried, dormant seeds that can thrive again if and when conditions are favourable.

Dragonflies were recorded as part of Rougham Estate’s ongoing Pond Survey of its 37 ancient and very well-connected woodland, grass and arable edge ponds.  18 Dragonfly species have been recorded in total on the various ponds since 2003 and one pond has had all 18 species recorded there!  The best ponds are the open, sunny, well vegetated ponds, while the shadier, darker ponds that support few species will be part of an ongoing pond restoration programme to improve them for dragonflies and other aquatic invertebrates such as mayflies, water stick-insects, water beetles and water bugs.

No formal butterfly surveys took place 2019-2021 but casual observations made during other wildlife survey work indicated all but the most elusive treetop butterfly species previously recorded in the 2018 survey were observed on the estate. 

Suffolk Wildlife Trust volunteers have carried out a botanical survey of ancient, secondary and planted woodland to the south of Rougham Estate.Analysis of the sampling survey demonstrates the wide range of woodland flora present, and the value of different broadleaved woodland management possible within large woodlands.High forest, coppice with standards and non-intervention woodland management result in structural and floral diversity.

A total of 26 butterfly species were recorded by two Butterfly Conservation volunteers carrying out transect surveys in woodland to the south of Rougham Estate.  This total of 26 represents 75+% of Suffolk’s 34 butterfly species that have regularly occurred in Suffolk during the last five years ie 2013-2017.  This really good number includes four of Suffolk’s target priority species, notably Small Heath, and species with host-specific larval foodplants: White Admiral, White-Letter Hairstreak and Silver-Washed Fritillary.