It was hot, very hot, for this task at our local green space, Swanholme
Lakes Local Nature Reserve, a SSSI, which is right next to Hartsholme
Country Park.
We averaged 11 over the day, including two new volunteers. Working on a
small open site, we pulled up ragwort and bagged it ready for safe disposal.
We also pulled up Willowherb plants in an attempt to stop them seeding
everywhere – each plant can produce 80,000 seeds and they spread rapidly and
crowd out other plants. They are already going to seed so we couldn’t quite
stop all the seeds from spreading but we did our best.
We also had to cut back any scrub growth of oak and silver birch, dig up or
cut back brambles and remove some small birches near the track, so there was
plenty to keep us occupied till mid afternoon.
And all this was done to keep a nice open space, with lots of light and very
few tall plants so that the small plants that are growing there continue to
have the right conditions; plants like the Sheep’s Bit (Jasione Montana), a
very small sedum and a plant with small pink flowers whose name I can’t
remember!
We
had a few wildlife sightings – red ants just where we sat down for our first
tea break so we had to move very quickly; lots of wonderful dragonflies
hawking, darting and chasing, particularly in the afternoon; a very small
toad; a terrapin – one of several ‘donated’ to the park after the Ninja
turtle craze was over and that definitely shouldn’t be there; and a dead
rabbit – thanks to Mark for burying it.
And special thanks too to Laura’s two children for bringing her along and
keeping an eye on her as she worked, and to Jonathan who prepared the brew
kit for us even though he couldn’t make the task.
Finally, at the end of a hot but satisfying day we gathered at the
Hartsholme café for ice creams. Perfect.
Jude