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. 

Sunday 8th April 2018 - Work Party

Another month on and, as if by magic, the woodland is green again. The cow parsley is shooting up and the edges of the paths are beginning to get blurred in places so we gathered more long branches and finished the path marking started last month.

It was too wet to mow but a bit of soil was added to bring the ground level with the slabs under the new picnic table so hopefully it can be done next time. The large clump of snowdrops there was thinned a bit and the extras planted elsewhere in the wood.

The noticeboard at the entrance was given a good brush down, inside and out. It will probably have a revamp in due course as the photos could do with updating. 

New hawthorn leaves

It was good to see new leaves appearing on the trees as well as the undergrowth springing to life. 

Hazel

Willow

White violets

Last but not least, new member/lawnmower called Sidney the soay. 

Many thanks to everyone that turned out in the rain and to Jeannie for the refreshments. 

Sunday 11th March 2018 - Work Party

The snow has gone but it remains damp and muddy in the woodland. There were 10 of us, and a dog,  for a good morning's work and only a little rain.

 After levelling the earth, the picnic table was raised on to slabs to protect it from wet from the ground which can seep in to the cut ends of the feet, it will also stop it sinking in. It needs a coat of Danish oil, to protect the wood, on a dry day.

The finished picnic table

The raspberry had a prune and the gooseberry and currant bushes were weeded. The path edges were kept clear of brambles as usual and the old nettle stalks raked off the snowdrops to allow for maximum growth. 

The path through the plum trees near the entrance to the site was redefined with long pieces of wood along the sides.

 The den was checked for loose poles and the hedge laying along the track tidied up a bit. A lovely tall, straight ash was felled, with the view to selling it to a local chair maker. This was to finish a job started last month, although the trees are only just coming into leaf this will be all the regular tree felling until next winter.

Snowdrops and primroses at the entrance to the wood.

Woodland Group News

Since the last, almost spring like, photos we have been hit by winter once again. It's very cold but the woodland looks beautiful in it's snowy blanket. 

As mentioned before, we held an Extraordinary General Meeting after the last work party to formerly adopt new roles within the group. After many years of hard work our dedicated chairman decided to retire at the last quarterly meeting and we now have big boots to fill (metaphorically speaking!) Accordingly, the group has been restructured, sharing out responsibilities with one person, me, co-ordinating.

A draft management plan has been written. It needs refining and adding to but it should give us all an idea of what we are aiming for and how any future proposals fit into an overall plan for the woodland.

I have a great team behind me and I'm sure we will manage to keep the woodland as lovely for people and wildlife as it is now.

Charlotte x