VOLUNTEERS who look after Petersfield Heath have been left baffled after ivy was mysteriously cut away from trees and removed.
Petersfield Town Council manages the 93-acre beauty spot, and the Friends of Petersfield Heath volunteers carry out maintenance work and improvement projects.
It was the volunteers who noticed the ivy had been stripped from mature trees on the Heath alongside Sussex Road. The group says it wasn’t cut away by a town council contractor, or a South Downs National Park Authority ranger, or by Highways engineers.
Where it has suitable support, Ivy can grow 30 metres up a tree. Friends of the Heath volunteer, Melanie Oxley, said: “Ivy does not kill trees, it only uses tree trunks for support.
“It can flower into November, extending the feeding season of bees, wasps, butterflies and moths, and some insects are dependent on it.
“The leaves are food for caterpillars, and ivy berries are winter food for thrushes and if not eaten they provide an important food source for young birds in the spring.
“Insects in the ivy are a great food source for not only many birds but also bats.”
To report concerns about the Heath, contact the town council on 01730 264182.