Sunday 5th August 2018 - Work Party

Apart from a couple of downpours, we haven't had any rain since last month so it was surprisingly green still in the woodland.

 The plan was to cut back two areas of long grass and rake off and remove cuttings. This will help to control the brambles and dock and allow the spring flowers space to grow in due course. Cutting and removing the vegetation will eventually reduce the nutrient value of the soil which is better for wild flowers.

So, much cutting, raking and barrowing later, here we have the cleared area with the grass still quite long. It is a fine balance between managing the woodland and keeping it natural.  

We found loads of ladybirds in grass which is good news for gardeners with aphids that need removing.

Photo credit - Flossie 

Wild arum, lords and ladies, cuckoo pint, Arum maculatum, whatever you call it has stunning orange berries and the birds love it.

The noticeboard is getting regularly updated with pictures and a quiz. Thanks Erin!

The plums are coming along nicely, not quite ready yet.

 And after a hard morning's work we always have refreshments and time for a chat.

Busy at work!

Sunday 8th July 2018 - Big Lunch

 

The annual big lunch where we invite villagers to bring a picnic and join us in the wood. It doesn't look hot in the pictures but it was a very warm afternoon and adults searched for the shade while the children amused themselves running round the paths as usual.
Not so many people this year but there have been lots of village events recently and maybe the beach was more tempting!

Woodland Service - Sunday 8th July 2018

On Sunday 8th July the church held the regular family service in the woodland glade.

It was a lovely morning and a perfect setting for thinking about how lucky we are to have such a beautiful space in the village.

Led by Revd Susan Bates and Veda Berrimen it also included a singing walk around the woodland.

Sunday 1st July 2018 - Work Party

It has been dry month, well couple of months really, so the growth in the woodland has slowed down completely. The grass had been cut in the week by some members unable to make it on the day.

The stinging nettles were cut back round the den but the hazels are taking a long time to grow.

Cherries, redcurrants and gooseberries ready for picking, if you're quick!

The path and glade edges were made tidy and a number of planted trees cleared around. The named fruit trees, old and new, were put on a map.

It was a hot day and all the jobs were done so we were glad of early refreshments.

Sunday 10th June 2018 - Plant Sale

The group's annual plant sale is the main fundraising event so it takes a bit of effort and planning. This year we managed to produce a good selection of plants and we had many donations from the village too!

All set up

Richard set up a Football World Cup sweepstake, we have our teams just got to wait for the matches to be played.

We had lots of customers and sold most of the plants and lots of coffee and cake. Too busy to take many pictures!

Sunday 3rd June 2018 - Work Party

I think that we all remarked on how lovely it looked at some point in the morning. The foxgloves are out, as shown in the photo, and everything else is green and lush. It was a humid day, warm and a bit sticky, armed with a long list of jobs, we set to work
.

At this time of year it's not surprising that the paths need most attention. Mowed once in between work parties, it was time to do it again. The cow parsley, now finished flowering, also got cut back along the path edges and around some of the newer fruit trees.

The picnic table got a thorough clean and a first coat of Danish oil to protect the wood.

3 bat boxes, 2 via freecycle and one made by Richard were attached to a suitable tree. They need to been in an open area near to where bats feed and arranged on different sides of the trees as the bats like to move from one to another for optimum temperature. The lines are cuts in the wood which help the bats to grip when climbing up the backboard into the hole.

Honeysuckle in the glade

An small ash tree with ash dieback was removed as was a completely dead viburnum in the glade. The fruit bushes were cleared again, some gooseberries visible, and the raspberry tied in.

Toad

Looking green! Paths all mown.

Sunday 6th May 2018 - Work Party

At last, a sunny work party and with all the rain and a bit of recent warm weather it is certainly growing fast now.

Priority this month was to tackle the paths with the woodland mower finally out for it's first airing. All the paths, and the glade,were given a high cut. This might need doing again before the next session, but at least you can see where they are now.

Some foxgloves, donated by a villager, were planted and watered. Note the new set of blue trugs bought for use by the woodland group, and matching wheelbarrow!

A very good job of searching for and digging out sycamore seedlings and burdock was undertaken together with pulling out brambles and nettles along the path edges.

There aren't many bluebells so the taller vegetation was cleared around this clump.

Refurbishment of the noticeboard started with a coat of paint on the inside and Danish oil to protect the outside wood. This project will be ongoing for a few weeks. Since the work party it's had more paint.

The Baldwin apple tree has lots of blossom so hopefully many apples to come. This is our 

oldest fruit tree in the woodland and is a dual purpose variety good for cooking and eating.

All that rain and sunshine also means lots of wildflowers out in the woodland this month. Masses of cow parsley but also red campion, stitchwort,  Herb Robert and cowslips and more.

Stitchwort 

Cow parsley

Herb Robert 

Cowslips 

Also seen this weekend, butterflies. Orange tip, small white, speckled wood and small blue. 

The quince tree is in flower, also with lots of blossom, and the fruit bushes show signs of gooseberries and redcurrants so we will keep them clear of tall vegetation.

All in all a lovely sunny morning in a very green woodland.