It’s coming up to the Westcombe Woodlands Spring Open Day! This coming Sunday, the 4th of May, sees once again the woodlands open up for the afternoon from 2 o’clock onwards. The bluebells will be in full flower and the sense of Spring being well established will be visible. As always, you can expect pond dipping, children’s activities, the opportunity to explore the woodlands and to meet the committee members as well as purchase hot and cold refreshments.
In the middle of April, committee members Richard Sylvester and Chris Bates spent a pleasant 2 hours having a gentle walk around the woodland to complete a plant survey of what we have in the main part of the woodland. We didn’t record trees or shrubs, just the ground flora. Full results will be soon available but while there were no surprises in what we found, it was good to record a wide variety of typical woodland flowers for the local area. Of course, with more expert knowledge, some plants could have been classified in to sub-species, but this would have required expert knowledge! However, here are a few of the plants we recorded; wood avens, red campion, primrose, bugle, violet species, lesser celandine, bluebell, common sorrel, rush species, common nettle, wood avens and lords & ladies.
Yesterday’s volunteer morning was, yet again, impressively well attended. A large number of committee members, members of the local “Good Gym” and volunteers set to work on the morning’s tasks in warm and sunny weather.
A few weeks ago many young saplings were planted and these all needed to be watered. It was good to see that the soil was still quite moist despite the lack of rain.
It was noted that the pond level had dropped quite a bit from last month. By trimming back a hazel tree, we were able to plant 2 extra silver birch saplings in the space created.
In a small clearing on the upper part of the woodland, nettles and brambles were dug up to allow for grass “plugs” to be planted to create a more diverse flora.
Of course, with the warmer weather and brighter days, we are being rewarded with previously established plants such as primroses magically spreading to new areas.
By digging out brambles, this will allow the more delicate plants to thrive. And, of course, it wouldn’t be the same without our mid-morning coffee and biscuits break!
Finally, the fruit trees in the woodland are starting to come in to flower or they’ll have their buds opening in the next few days, such a delicate site.
Yesterday afternoon, committee member Pip O’Byrne, was walking in the woodlands and took these 3 photos of early Spring activity. The beautiful primroses are really starting to be in flower and she also photographed the large amount of frog spawn that we have in our pond.
On a beautiful, crisp Sunday morning at the start of March, the Westcombe Woodlands came alive with the spirit of community and volunteerism. The morning saw what was probably a record turnout of committee members, experienced volunteers and quite a few new faces!
The main activities of the day involved the planting and staking of trees. Volunteers worked tirelessly, taking trees from their resting places and carefully planting them in their new homes.
The taller trees were staked to ensure they would grow strong and stable, a testament to the care and dedication of the volunteers.
The sights of newly planted trees standing tall against the clear sky was a rewarding end to a morning of hard work and collaboration.
Our usual mid-morning coffee break enhanced this volunteer spirit with camaraderie and a shared sense of purpose with laughter, good conversations assisted by hot drinks and biscuits, with everyone united by their love for nature and their desire to make a positive impact in our little woodland.
Committee member Jerry Avis can be seen in the accompanying photos standing proudly next to new water butts, which will allow newly planted trees and shrubs to be easily watered in the drier months.
The pond, at present, is full to the point of over-flowing. While we have flowering primroses, the bluebells, although they are growing strongly, won’t be in flower for at least another 3 or 4 weeks.
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