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Woodland Workparties 2010
8 August 2010
A workparty of 6 mended the fence between the woodland and pasture, presumably broken by browsing cattle, and continued to cut back nettles and seedling blackthorn, to clear viewpoints and paths.
11 July 2010
12 adults and children trimmed nettles and overhanging branches from the main circular route and from the cross paths through the central block of ash, oak and field maple.
13 June 2010
Our June workparty raked mown grass from the glade and rides.
16 May 2010
On 16 May there was a special work party for the Tait family. They wished to do something to help the local community, in memory of their daughter Kirsty, who is buried in the Fairspear natural burial ground. The plan was to establish some more wild flowers in the woodland.
9 visitors and 6 woodland volunteers set to work enthusiastically: Scabious plants were planted in the wild flower patch in the glade, Red Campion plants were planted near the patch of bluebells under the ash trees near the uphill path and Celandine plants were planted near the uphill bench.
Meanwhile wild flower seeds bought from "Flower Farms" near Marlborough were sown in the bare ground in the recently coppiced area. The ground was hard so first patches of soil were dug, forked and small seed beds were prepared. Seeds were sprinkled, watered, and trodden in and the patch marked with an upright stick in the centre. The species were Hairy St John`s-wort (Hypericum hirsutum), Nettle-leaved bellflower (Campanula trachelium) and Tufted vetch (Vicia cracca). The species were sown in several separate patches.
Greater Bird`s-foot-trefoil (Lotus pedunculatus), which likes damp ground, seeds were sown near the Blackthorn hedge in soft clay where there are some rushes (Juncus effusus) growing.
A new volunteer from Leafield also raked the mown grass from the glade and rides.
14 March and 12 April 2010
Our workparties tidied up the coppice, weeded the wildflower patch and collected litter. The fritillaries we planted last year were just starting to bloom on 12th April, next to some established cowslips. In May (our workparty is postponed to 16th May, so that an additional group of volunteers can join us) we plan to plant and sow more wild flowers in the glade.
10 January and 14 February 2010
The January workparty was cancelled due to heavy snow. February offered much kinder weather and a few green bluebell shoots peeped through the fallen leaves. 6 adults and children completed this year's coppicing and continued to prepare posts and binders for hedge laying, beanpoles and peasticks. We will invite the thatching company Rumpelstiltskin to sort through remaining poles and assess their suitability for making thatching spars.
Workparties in 2009
2010 news index
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