Ock Valley Walk, Town End, 22nd June 2013

By Andrew -
Quite a small group gathered for this session and the weather didn't look promising. However, we were pleased to welcome a new member, Laura. We set off for the woodchip path,where we made our encampment. The nettles had grown high and dense since our previous visit, almost concealing the young trees, compising beech, oak, silver birch, cherry and rowan, which we had planted as whips almost two and a half years previously. One of our tasks was to clear the nettles and other vegetation immediately around them. As you can see from the photo of the young cherry, most of the trees are flourishing. Other tasks were to cut up and clear fallen branches into piles and the inevitable litter picking.

There was a sharp shower shortly before 11 o'clock but it had stopped when we gathered for a welcome tea break.

By the end of the morning we had finished clearing round the trees, tidied away the dead wood and picked up quite a respectable amount of litter, though I suspect that there was still quite a lot concealed by the abundant greenery.

This session's tasks made a welcome change from pulling up Himalayan Balsam. We haven't found any so far in this area, though I'm sure that it's only a matter of time before it springs up.
- Eleanor

cherry tree

Sally at work

tea break

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