On a chilly but sunny Spring morning the Beggarwood Conservation Group met once again and sprang into action on two fronts.
The main party went back to re-clearing the ditch at the top of the park as it was showing signs of getting overgrown again. The ditch had been cleared before, once in the summer of 2024 and again in January of this year, but as any gardener knows, things grow very quickly at this time of year. Apparently the ditch was originally created to stop illegal vehicle access to the Park before the perimeter hedge had grown sufficiently to become a suitable deterrent. It has now become an ideal habitat for insects.
The intention is that exposing the banks of the ditch, by cutting back the brambles and clearing the moss, will result in making them more accessible for insects. The ultimate goal being that this will encourage solo bees to nest in the cleared banks and that butterflies and other insects will also be encouraged to flourish.
Two members of the group prepared the soil in front of the Café for quick germinating of wildflower seeds provided by Natural Basingstoke which will be sown towards mid-April when morning temperatures will have increased a bit more. After some groundworks to improve drainage was completed the area was left bare and the Café in the Park has asked our group to turn this area into a pleasant site for customers to look at when sitting outside. We hope to get a colourful mix of wildflowers native to British chalkland appearing in the next couple of years.
Tradition had it that the party then made their way to the Holly Blue to share a well-earned rest and a cuppa before making their weary way home.
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