Thursday 10th November 2022, committee members Nigel and Lieve completed the annual task of pond clearance, a project to stop the plants from taking over our small pond. Great fun, and an adventurous task. Photos show the 2 in action and how the pond now looks.
Last Sunday, the 4th September, was the latest Westcombe Woodland volunteer morning. Another unseasonably warm day greeted the committee members and volunteers, although turnout was a little quiet, no doubt due to the ongoing Summer holidays.
Lots of flowers were now in fruit, as can be seen in this post. Below are photos of hogweed seeds and elderberries. Blackberries are now past their best.
Part of the maintenance for September involved pruning the hedge, and there are also a couple of photos of committee members Donald Albrecht and Nigel James Duncan hard at work.
No one could have noticed the really hot and dry July and August. The water in the pond had really dropped, so volunteers spread 2 tarpaulins over the ground so as to direct rainwater into the pond. There have been quite a few wet days and this has resulted in water levels rising. The water butt near the shed also supplied rainwater via a hose and gravity, as well as rainwater from the water butt near the entrance being added to the pond.
Finally, one of the most interesting observations was the appearance of several cyclamen flowers in the Oak Glade area. These haven’t been planted but appear to have somehow arrived and self-seeded. These are a welcome splash of delicate colour at this time of year.
Given how dry the pond is (no standing water – just mud) we decided to spread tarpaulins to direct any rain that should fall into it. Here are a couple of pictures of the centre of the pond, and Frank and Don having spread the tarpaulins. Now everyone – let’s hope for rain!
Tuesday, 26th April 2022, saw several committee members take part in our early Spring plant survey. We were led by local botanist Jane Lawson, who will soon be making her report available with her results of what she found in the Woodland. It was a really beautiful morning, and the accompanying photos show an amazing variety of plants in flower and coming into flower.
New entrants have arrived in the photography competition! Woodland visitors Edward Mayo and Courtney Plank have submitted the accompanying photos for April. The next time the Woodlands will be officially open is for the volunteer morning and Spring Open Day on Sunday 1st May at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm respectively. Don’t worry, you still have plenty of opportunities to enter later this year. If you want to be included, you can still take a photo of the Woodland this month, but it will have to be looking into the Woodland, but that’s not a problem! So, we have Reed & Pond, “Elsie” the Lurcher and finally Steps down the Woodlands.
