Dry Sandford Pit - Saturday 22nd June

By -

Blog by Eleanor, photos by Eleanor, Margaret and Julio

It was a damp, cloudy start to our session as it had rained overnight, but conditions were set to improve. We were a smaller number than usual, but we were pleased to welcome two new Green Gymmers, Julio and Rhian.

Our first task was to pull up Himalayan Balsam on the far side of the reserve, so we set off along the path towards the stream where most of it would be found. We set up camp and showed the newcomers a sample of what they would be looking for. There was a steep slippery slope to negotiate and then a shallow stream to cross. There were patches of Himalayan Balsam, but far less than before, so our work in previous years had paid off.


Down the slippery slope

Margaret among the balsam

A close up of HB (not yet in flower)

Himalayan Balsam roots, shallow, watery and easy to pull up


Adrian at work

Adrian bravely crossed to the other side of the stream, and, balanced on a small ledge, pulled up HB and threw it across to us.

At last we had pulled up all the HB we could find, and it was time for our tea break. After that, we headed back to the meadow area where there was some scything to be done and ragwort to uproot. I am very ambivalent about this task as I am very fond of ragwort. It is the principal food plant of the yellow and black striped cinnabar moth caterpillars, which metamorphose into beautiful red and black moths. However, it is poisonous to horses and cattle, though they avoid eating it and they would have to eat large amounts for it to harm them. It becomes a problem when the dry plant gets mixed up in hay.
I was rather pleased to see that Isabella Tree, in her book 'Wilding', about the rewilding of the Knepp estate, is a great defender of ragwort. To quote, "Hostility to a plant which has been part of our environment since the last ice age is a peculiar new phenomenon." 

The weather had turned warm and sunny by now and the wildflower area was full of St John's wort and oxeye daisies as well as the much-maligned ragwort. There were scores of butterflies as well, mostly marbled whites and meadow browns. Soon, it was time to pack up and head back to the car park. 

Julio pulls up a ragwort plant

Marbled white butterfly on an oxeye daisy

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;  firstly, the steep sides o
Read more