A return to one of our regular sites in Lincoln. This was a dual
task day. In the morning a group of 9 of us set about removing
invasive Rosebay willowherb from the area of acid heathland found in the
country park. This area is about 25% of the total habitat of this kind
in Lincolnshire, so it's important to keep the invaders out.
The
work was tough on the back but strangely satisfying as the large patches of
weeds gradually disappeared. We opted to pull it out by hand, which was
fairly easy due to the recent heavy rain. By lunchtime, we had cleared a
sizeable corner of the heath, although there is plenty more for future work
parties.
After lunch, the slightly reduced team of 6 set about helping the warden,
Colin, to erect 4 more sections of post and rail fence along the side of a
path near the Visitors centre, the idea being to create a section to keep
dogs out where visitors can sit & play without fear of sitting in
something! The slow part was digging the holes, but after that it went up
surprisingly quickly as we positioned the rails before tamping the posts
into their holes. The
hoards
of visitors passing by and watching us made for a slightly surreal
experience, but overall it was an enjoyable and thankfully dry day.
Julian
More photos on the Picasa website