Cothill Fen, 10th September 2016

By Andrew -
The weather was wet and grey when we met for our session at Cothill Fen. Led by Judy Webb, our task was to cut down the smaller trees on the edge of the fen and make room for the professionals with their machinery to get through and fell the bigger stuff. It is essential to cut back trees and scrub and prevent it from encroaching on and eventually taking over the fen.

 We set to work and, despite frequent heavier bursts of rain, made good progress. We decided to bring the tea kit over to the woods for our break, as at least we were sheltered by the trees. Michele did a Sir Walter Raleigh and gallantly cast down her waterproof so we could put the mugs on it. As she said, it couldn't get any wetter or muddier. 

 Then it was back to work again, with nobody suggesting we finished early. There was a lot to do, and we needed to make sure that all the cut trees and branches were moved to piles inside the wood.
When it was time to pack up, we could see how much we had pushed the trees back from the fen, so we were pleased with our morning's work.
-Eleanor
Photos by Eleanor:
Graham and Adrian sawing up a tree trunk
Ursula working in the wood
Wending our wet and weary way homewards

Photos by Judy Webb:



Pale Tussock Moth Caterpillar - Calliteara Pudibunda
Evidence of tree clearance as indicated by the position of the concrete post from today's session, which was formerly at tree line
The same view as above, showing concrete post, taken in 2010
The rare Ashen Coral Fungus

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pinkhill Meadow Nature Reserve, Farmoor Reservoir, 16th March 2019

By Andrew -
Image
Another week, another new site for the Abingdon Green Gym! We met at the car park at Farmoor Reservoir, a healthy turn out of 17 of us, including French father Sebastien, and his eleven-year old son, Maelo, who was joining us for a school project. The session was led by James under the instruction of Hanna Jenkins, the warden of Pinkhill Meadow Nature Reserve, so called because it is right on the banks of the River Thames, just near Pinkhill Lock. It was another blustery day. Will this crazy wind ever let up? We followed Hanna in convoy round the edge of the reservoir, which was choppy to say the least, and parked up on the other side where it was thankfully a little calmer, the high banks of the reservoir providing some shelter. Equipped with our tools, gloves and goggles, we made our way onto the spot on the nature reserve where we were to do our work. Hanna told us that the reserve had been formed in 1991, but some aspects had been neglected over the last ten years. The aim...
Read more

Kennington Memorial Field, 29th October 2016

By Andrew -
We have been working at Kennington Memorial Field for a number of years now, clearing scrub from the slopes so that the valley remains an area of grassland and wild flowers. This time Rachel from Oxford Preservation Trust was in charge and led us down to the lower end of the field, where we were to cut back the trees and bushes by several metres and burn the scrub on a bonfire. We were joined by some families with children of varying ages, the youngest only three, who had answered a local appeal for volunteers. We set to work and soon we had a bonfire going. Even the children who were too young to use loppers and saws joined in, carrying branches to the bonfire pile. Despite the drizzly weather they all worked cheerfully. At tea break time we enjoyed some delicious snacks that Rachel had brought and a tin of chocolates supplied by Michele. We found two old birds' nests in the course of the morning and cutting back the scrub revealed a log pile with a rabbit hole under...
Read more

Jarn Mound and Wild Garden, Boars Hill, 12th November 2016

By Andrew -
Image
Four weeks after our last session with the Oxford Preservation Trust at Boars Hill, we returned, albeit at Jarn Mound this time rather than the Elizabeth Daryush Garden; which had been our venue in October. We again met with  Rachel Sanderson of the trust, who along with our leader of the day, James, outlined the tasks for the morning.  Primarily, we were to clear the mound itself of scrub and tree saplings that had taken root there, with the intention of restoring it to its original state.  There were also some flatter areas of the garden that required clearing, for the less intrepid among us. Unfortunately, the day had begun a little on the inclement side.  Indeed as we arrived, the rain fell persisently, making many of us wonder if the session would go ahead at all!  But of course, the Green Gymmers are renowned for working whatever the weather, and the damp conditions did not deter us. A couple of problems were immediately evident due to the rain...
Read more