Hi all
Today seven volunteers walked the reserve from Sherbourne’s Brake to the tool store looking for work tasks in the southern section of the reserve.
Next week we should be HB bashing once again but the troops are looking mutinous after quite a few weeks spent at this task and since I will be absent in tropical climes (Edinburgh) they are free to follow their hearts’ desire.
Which may be cutting firewood in Savages wood (to prevent it becoming second hand firewood i.e. ash).
Or clearing overgrown paths.
Or maybe even HB bashing who knows.
Anyways all meet at the tool store (Big Dave has my key) at ten and democracy will rule the day.
That’s right a coalition will be formed and David Cameron will decide.
regards
Today seven Green Gym volunteers took a walk around the northern section of the reserve. We cleaned orienteering markers where we found them but mostly we look out for tasks for the future.
We found quite a few, mostly of the path clearing or tree surgery type but the fenced newt pond requires clearing (of concrete blocks), the willow bench newt pond wire gate has been totally trashed and some form of replacement is required.
And so on.
Fallen branches etc. are becoming a problem in Savages wood. Since the school ran riot in there playing soldiers a few weeks ago the local lads have taken to amassing the logs etc. not for building shelters as with the school but for building bonfires. Sooner or later there is going to be a major fire in the wood.
Green Gym is going to try to turn these branches into firewood and take them off the reserve but we may need council help for the larger tree trunks.
Next week we do the southern and middle sections. We will combine that day’s list with today’s list, a list from Rupert the ecologist and a list submitted by Steve and Rachel earlier in the year and produce a list of tasks to be discussed at the next committee meeting whenever that occurs.
We welcome Mary back to Green Gym after her job training and we congratulate Greg on also getting a part time job. That’s now at least five Green Gymers who have gained employment this year alone.
Job Centres who needs ‘em :).
Yesterday seven volunteers visited the Community Orchard to follow up Saturdays haymaking by the main conservation group. The grass having stood up in the intervening period it was easy to spot the bits missed. The weather was even hotter than Saturday and Greg felt the heat a bit and he and his carer left early (after the biscuits had been broken out). Several passers by stopped and admired the work, and the new seat. If you haven’t seen it it is the entire base of a 300 year old chestnut carved into the shape of a cut apple and is surprisingly comfortable to sit on. Lots of butterflies around, mostly Meadow Browns but there were Cabbage Whites and Painted Ladies around and Demoiselle damselflies by the brook.
Today eight volunteers (including Greg’s helper) went Himalayan Balsam hunting in an little explored area near, and connected to, the marsh.
This is a major HB area totally mixed in with Stinging Nettles and Willow-herb. So we resorted to cutting the HB and the nettles/willow-herb) rather than attempting to pull by hand. We cut a huge amount of HB right across the area and into the northern half of the marsh right up to the main irrigation channel. The reed bed is so high it felt like a scene from The African Queen.
We even took advantage of the dry weather and waded up the stream (well I did) to attack growth along the stream bank. That felt like the African Queen as well.
This week five volunteers took a trip to Winterbourne where we were shown round the Monkspool and Bradley Brook LNR’s by Frank Smith who founded the reserves over thirty years ago. The weather was fine and the trip most enjoyable. The Winterboune reserves score over BS in two significant areas. One they have no Japanese Knotweed AND they have very little Himalayan Balsam.
Frank believes that the Bradley Brook reserve which was set up as an arboretum now has a specimen of every native tree with some particularly fine Field Maples and White Poplars. The Bradley Brook was alive with deep blue Demoiselle damselflies and the whole area very pretty.
Today five volunteers visited the ‘Middle Plantation’ to clear ash regrowth from felled trees. The weather was perfect the birds were singing and the plantation was all green and verdant - I’m sorry I am waxing poetical. Quentin and I went down to the Himalayan Balsam site we have been working on and attacked those plants growing in the open meadow. Because of the amounts involved we slashed rather than pulled (I know, but not all of it will grow back and much that does will carry a reduced number of flower heads) I use my new £12 grass hook from ‘presentsformen’ (yes that is the name of the web site) and it goes through HB, willowherb, nettles and thistles like a knife through, well, vegetation. In fifteen minutes we had substantially cleared the area but then we retreated under the threat of sunstroke.
Sorry, deserted my post and went on holiday, forgot all about blogging.
So, first Saturday in June the Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group traveled up the Stoke Brook removing rubbish, of which there was surprisingly little - perhaps we are winning the battle. So we destroyed Himalayan Balsam instead.
On the same theme last week’s Green Gym was augmented by 17 volunteers from Orange PCS giving us an army of over 20 conscripts to attack HB. Feedback suggests the Orange guys all slept very well that night.
So onto the next patch.
Today eight troop from the SBS (Special Balsam Service) bent their backs and vanished into the undergrowth on a search and destroy mission vis a vis Himalayan Balsam.
Three back breaking hours and umpteen sackfuls later and there is still HB everywhere. Its almost like an invasive weed. What am I saying, it IS an invasive weed.
Two weeks of this and the troops are revolting ( pause, wait for inevitable joke), so next week they will take a week off and doing something else ). I also will take a week off (so they have a double bonus) and go up to London instead (Mark Knopfer - Albert Hall). I must remember to avoid any parks or places where HB grows, don’t want to be done for despoiling the Buckingham Palace gardens.
Himalayan Balsam ( impatiens glandulifera) is an interesting plant. An annual, with distinctive red veined leaves and large pink flowers, it can grow 2 meters in a single season. When pollinated the plant produces explosive seed pods capable of scattering up to 2500 seeds per plant over a five meter radius.
And this is the problem, the large flowers out compete native species for the attention of pollinating insects and the multitude of seeds soon produce seedlings that blanket the ground. So for these reasons it is classed as a noxious weed and conservationists spend many hours pulling it up. Fortunately this is not difficult, for such a large plant is incredibly shallow rooted.
Interestingly the plant is in fact edible, both leaves and seeds but this fact should come with a government health warning. The plant should not be eaten if you suffer from - a list of ailments as long as my arm - so best not try just in case!
daveb
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A bumper turn out today. Unfortunately most of the increase was in welcome guests not new members. We welcomed Hannah back to finish what we abandoned on the April workday, Greg has a new carer and his Home Centre Manager also came along to see what all the fuss was about. In addition we had Stuart a new volunteer. All in all eleven volunteers visited the Community Orchard where we cleared the grass around the base of the fruit trees and soft fruit bushes as requested by SGCC. We also scouted for and cleared Himalayan Balsam in this area. We have now scouted and cleared HB from the Primrose Bridge to the Orchard (that is not to say we haven’t missed some but at least it’s a start). Many of the trees are in bloom and the gooseberry bushes are bearing fruit (no babies underneath tho’).