Abingdon Green Gym Blog

Blog and Photos by Sally On a sunny Monday morning, 7 Green Gymmers and friends went to Frilford Heath Golf Course to remove invasive scrub and start the autumn cut and rake of the Green Course side of Two Pines Fen, which is bounded by two golf courses and we can only work on it safely during the week when one of the golf courses is closed for maintenance.  On this occasion, although the Green Course was scheduled for maintenance that week, because of the dry weather this did not happen as they need a good spell of rain for the maintenance, so the Green 4th hole was closed to enable us to work safely without fear of being hit by golf balls. We met Jamie, the Sustainability Officer for the Golf Course, in the Green Keepers' compound car park.  His is a newly created post.  Ecologist, Dr Judy Webb, also joined us and we met Alan from Freshwater Habitats Trust, who is an invertebrate specialist.  Judy had collected some Flecked General Soldierfly larvae for Alan to tak...

 Blog by Eleanor, Photos by Julio. This was not a work session, but the Green Gym annual picnic. Nineteen Green Gymmers, plus a few guests met at the green space by Jarn Mound Wild Garden. We started with an optional walk, which most of us joined. We walked across Matthew Arnold Field, This area is owned and managed by Oxford Preservation Trust then down into the dell,  then back up and along the footpath to Elizabeth Daryush garden, where we have often worked in the past. The pond had almost dried out after weeks of no rain and record high temperatures. We walked along The Ridgeway then turned left on to the footpath towards Chilswell Farm. This took us to the "Signal Elm" mentioned in Matthew Arnold's poem "Thyrsis", It is actually an oak tree, so clearly Matthew Arnold was better at poetry than tree identification. The Green Gym Group Walking back We arrived back at Jarn Wild garden and set to work laying out the food, contributed by the group and expertly co...

Blog by Eleanor.  Photos by Julio and Sally It was yet another warm, sunny Saturday when we met in the car park of Dry Sandford Pit, a former sand quarry, which is managed by BBOWT. A marsh helleborine with its seed pods A reed gall, often called a cigar gall because of the way the leaves are wrapped around the egg Roger, who was leader, briefed us on the three separate tasks we had been asked to do. We also welcomed a new volunteer, Fei. One task was to clear bramble and sprouting sycamore in the area by the entrance gate.  James, Ursula, Carol and Fei chose the task by the gate. Working by the gate T he main one, which most people chose to do, was to scythe and rake up the reeds on the fen and remove any sprouting alder trees. The fen Sally scything and Kevin removing the cut reed Half way there The third task was to clear vegetation from in front of the cliff faces. The sandy cliff faces contain many fossils, dating from the time when this area was a warm, shallow sea. Now,...