Our intrepid adventurers gathered near the Beggarwood café early on Tuesday morning somewhat disconcerted by the strange weather patterns. A yellow orb radiated heat and a deep blue arched overhead. Could this really be the start of summer? It was an unusual combination for a day during the Easter holidays, generally more damp, grey and windy! Not that we were complaining!
Bramble Clearing
One group headed west towards the mass of brambles that were threatening to take over an area of grassland with a splinter group breaking off part way through the morning to head south and clear another sheltered area where the brambles were preventing wildflowers from breaking through which would impact on both butterflies and bees. They were rewarded with sight of brimstone, large white and what may have been a common blue (all butterflies) which were taking advantage of the sheltered spot and wonderful sunshine.
Dogwood Popping
Our second group headed to the south to clear an area of dogwood, which are as invasive as brambles and they can take over an area and prevent flowers from breaking through. A particularly tough dogwood gave battle with a long, snakelike root meandering underground. No match for the team though who emerged victorious from battle!
We would like to thank those that stopped to chat as we worked, especially the young girl asking what ‘the funny lady’ was doing! We are always happy to stop for a minute and talk about what we are doing. A good excuse for a quick rest.
Litter…
Also thank you to everyone who used the park over the weekend and cleared away their litter. We always pick up any litter we spot as we are working and it’s nice to see that there wasn’t too much around. The park belongs to all of us and it’s lovely to see it being used and kept clean. If you want to help out there is a community litter pick on Sunday 12th April, join us at the Beggarwood café at 10am.
…And Finally
Thanks to the Holly Blue who provided us with a coffee as a reward for the hard work, it was wonderful sitting outside in the sun looking down across the park.
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