Ironhurst invertebrate records, 27 Apr 2026; KBRG/SBRS Lamberhurst plant list, 8 Aug 2026 (reserve records only)
The survey in April revealed 12 bee species and two ant species. Most were solitary mining bees; rather than living in hives, these bees excavate individual nests in bare or sparsely vegetated soil.
One particularly intriguing discovery was a female grey mining bee (Andrena cineraria) found at the same spot as Nomada lathburiana, a cuckoo bee that lays its eggs in the nests of this particular mining bee.
Cuckoo bees have an unusual way of raising their young. Instead of building and provisioning their own nests, females lay their eggs in the nests of their host species, where their larvae develop at the expense of the host bee’s offspring.
Finding these two species together suggests that a breeding population of grey mining bees may be nearby. This discovery helps us understand the relationships between species living on the reserve.
Two other cuckoo bees, Nomada goodeniana and Nomada marshamella, were also recorded. Their host mining bees have not yet been found at Ironhurst, leaving a few more mysteries for future surveys to unravel.
Nomada lathburiana
Andrena cineraria
Some finds were hiding in plain sight. Beside a bath, the survey team discovered a dense colony of the sweat bee Lasioglossum malachurum, with numerous nests packed into a patch of hard, bare earth measuring just 2-metres by 2-metres.
Elsewhere, a south-facing grassy slope was dotted with earth mounts of yellow meadow ants (Lasius flavus). These mounds build up gradually over years in grassland that has been left unploughed. Easy to overlook, they are evidence of a landscape that has remained undisturbed for long enough for these tiny engineers to make their mark.
The survey also recorded six butterfly species, including green hairstreak, small heath and orange-tip. Small heath has experienced long-term declines and is a priority species for conservation in England.
Other discoveries included the green longhorn moth (Adela reaumurella), swollen-thighed flower beetle, seven-spot (the most common ladybird in the UK) and 22-spot ladybirds, and swarms of St Mark’s fly gathering around hawthorn.
Together, these records reveal just how much activity can be found among the grassland, hedgerows and woodland edges when we take the time to look.
St Mark's Fly
7-spot ladybird
Swollen-legged flower beetle
Green longhorn moth
Orange tip butterfly
Small heath butterfly
Green hairstreak butterfly
The botanical survey in August recorded 151 plant taxa, including six listed on the Kent Rare Plant Register.
Three of these species are associated with arable fields – habitats that have lost man of their characteristic wildflowers as farming practices have changes over the years.
| Plant species | Where it was found |
| Rye brome (Bromus secalinus) | Frequent in the former arable fields |
| Stinking chamomile (Anthemis cotula) | Field margins on Wadhurst Clay, not uncommon |
| Cornfield knotgrass (Polygonum rurivagum) | Former arable by the footpath, and north of the Teise |
| Zigzag clover (Trifolium medium) | Near the hop-pickers' huts and along the footpaths |
| Heath speedwell (Veronica officinalis) | A small patch on a bare, dry bank |
| Wood melick (Melica uniflora) | Trackside under trees in Weir Field Shaw |
The presence of these arable plants is particularly encouraging. Once a familiar sight in cultivated fields, many have declined sharply across the country as changes in agricultural practices have reduced the conditions they need to survive.
At Ironhurst Valley, the former arable fields are providing an opportunity for these plants to thrive now that cultivation has stopped. Their presence shows why former farmland can still be valuable for wildlife, especially when it is managed with nature in mind.
Weir Field Shaw, the damp strip of woodland beside the River Teise, produced the longest plant list of any part of the reserve, with 61 taxa recorded.
Among them were bluebell, thin-spiked wood-sedge and several fern species, plants associated with long-established woodland. Together, they offer clues to the character and history of this sheltered habitat.
Not every plant has necessarily arrived naturally. Oxeye daisy and salad burnet, for example, may have originated from an earlier wildflower seed sowing and spread since then. The botanists also recorded four hybrids, a single bush of small-flowered sweet-briar that came as a surprise, and a crab apple thought to be close to its wild form.
These details add another layer to the story of Ironhurst Valley, helping us understand how the landscape has changed and how its plant communities have developed.
The records from 2026's surveys show that Ironhurst's former arable land is already valuable for wildlife. from a colony of bees occupying a tiny patch of bare earth to rare wildflowers growing in former arable fields.
Our management will aim to maintain open, low-nutrient ground and patches of bare soil alongside flower-rich grassland. This will help retain the conditions needed by arable plants and ground-nesting bees, while supporting the wider range of wildlife found across the reserve.
The surveys also recorded himalayan balsam and giant hogweed along the River Teise. Both are invasive non-native plants that can spread along waterways and affect native vegetation. We will continue to monitor and manage them to help keep their spread in check.
These visits provide a valuable snapshot of life at Ironhurst Valley, as well as a starting point for future discoveries. There is still more to learn about the species living here and the relationships between them, but each new record helps us make better-informed decisions about caring for this special landscape.
None of this knowledge would be possible without the people who give their time and expertise to record wildlife.
Thank you to Geoff Allen, Clare Marshall, Kat Marshall, Cavan Pledge and Michael Grant for their invertebrate records, and to members of the Kent Botanical Recording Group and Sussex Botanical Recording Society for compiling the plant list.
Their careful observations help us look beyond what is immediately visible, revealing the wildlife that makes Ironhurst Valley such a valuable part of Kent’s natural heritage.
To learn more about the Ironhurst Valley project and how to visit, click below where you can also sign up for the project newsletter.
Before a single hedge is planted or a pond is dug at Ironhurst Valley, we wanted to know what was already happening out of sight. So, before any restoration work begins above ground, we went looking for life below it.
