Last week we combined the regular litter-picking with watering and wildflower seed-sowing. We're still recovering silly numbers of single-use gloves which have blown in from Sainsburys garage forecourt, and will be having (another) word with them.
The elder tree which had been gradually getting lower and lower over the footpath near the Burtons Road gate, and become a hazard was finally taken down by our fabulous student crew, who were keen for a bit of demolition... and that is the theme for this week's work.
We also had an evening session of bat ad night-flying insect surveying - with huge thanks to Peter W for use of his ultra-violet light, and other gear... photos below.
I've also given the website a bit of a revamp - with improved graphics, a little new content and removal of some of the bits which just weren't being updated. Why not try it out... and if there's anything you'd like to see there, drop us an email.
https://hamptonheath.org
Recovery continues with...
A bit of a tidy up... This week we'll be getting out the brush cutters, saws and loppers to tidy up along paths and begin the process of cutting, raking and removing the sparse summer growth. This is essential to prevent coarse grasses dominating, allowing greater numbers and diversity of wildflowers, and mimicking the action of grazing animals in nature.
Hibernaculum materials... We can also begin the process of collecting large woody material for use for at least one "hibernaculum" later in the season. This winter refuge will provide for the hibernation needs of our lizard population in years to come, but also hugely beneficial to toads, frogs, newts and a host of invertebrates. More on this later in the year!
Destructive pond management... We'll be ripping out some of the reedmace from the pond. Reedmace makes great habitat, but you can have too much of a good thing. We'll clear it from around the margins to reduce the shading and make space for other marginal plants.
Wildflower seeding. We have another fresh batch of locally and sustainably collected Wild Carrot and Weld seeds to scatter and rake in. We'll aim be gathering some more this week (time and weather permitting), to boost the mid-late summer nectar sources.
There is more to come this autumn, with seed and planting prepared plants. We can all give nature recovery a helping hand.
