RETURN TO . . . Site
Index
*****************************************
WORK,
SURVEYS, VISITS AND EVENTS
This page
contains a selection of reports and photos from group
workdays, conservation work and surveys on Brook Meadow,
plus school visits and various other events organised by
the Brook Meadow Conservation Group.
The
photos have been compressed and reduced in size to make
them suitable for downloading, with a 100KB limit.
The events are arranged in reverse chronological order,
ie the most recent ones are at the top.
To see
the photos click the blue
underlined links below
and use your back button to get back to this
page.
. . .
Annual cutting of the grassland - Wednesday 23 July 2008
Martin Cull did the first
part of the annual cutting of the grassland today. The
rest will be done towards the end of summer.
Photos by Brian
Fellows
Martin
Cull doing the annual cutting of the grassland on Brook
Meadow - 23.07.08
Martin
Cull doing the annual cutting of the grassland on Brook
Meadow - 23.07.08
Martin
Cull doing the annual cutting of the grassland on Brook
Meadow - 23.07.08
Work
Session - Sunday 20 July 2008
Report to come
Photos by Brian
Fellows
Volunteers
assembled for workday on Brook Meadow -
20.07.08
Clearing
Bramble from the north meadow - 20.07.08
Graham
using the power scythe on Brook Meadow -
20.07.08
Mike
clearing the driveway to the Lumley gate during workday -
20.07.08
Pat
giving instruction during workday on Brook Meadow -
20.07.08
Harvesting
Yellow Rattle seeds on Brook Meadow -
20.07.08
Volunteers
taking a coffee break during workday -
20.07.08
Wildlife
observations
I have been looking all
this week for the Ringlet that Graham Walsgrove
found on Brook Meadow last Sunday (July 13) without
success. However, Graham was back on the meadow this
morning for the workday and almost immediately came
across one while working on the North Meadow. He summoned
me over to see this elusive butterfly snuggled down among
the grass, relatively unconcerned at our close presence.
In fact, I almost trod on it when I arrived! It remained
unmoved while I took some photos and other members of the
work group came over to have a look. Apart from Graham's
sighting last Sunday this is the first Ringlet recorded
on Brook Meadow since 12 July 2005, though prior to that
I had seen it annually from 2000 always at this time of
the year.
Ringlet
butterfly showing ringlets on underwing on Brook Meadow -
20.07.08
The first ever
Pyramidal Orchid on Brook Meadow was found by
members of the conservation work group this morning in
the same so-called "good" area on the North Meadow as the
other orchids. This was the fourth orchid species
flowering on Brook Meadow this year, in addition to
Common Spotted, Southern Marsh and Bee.
The
very first Pyramidal Orchid to flower on Brook Meadow -
20.07.08
Brook
Meadow Open Day - 13 July 2008
The Brook Meadow Open Day
took place today in celebration of Brook Meadow becoming
a Local Nature Reserve. Here are a couple of photos taken
during the the official opening ceremony with members of
the conservation group and the Mayor and Mayoress of
Havant.
Brook
Meadow Open Day -13.07.08
Brook
Meadow Open Day - 13.07.08
Visit
to Brook Meadow by Northern Parade Junior School - 30
June 2008
Report by Wally
Osborne
This year, the committee
arranged for 2 visits by Northern Parade Junior School
Portsmouth, instead of the usual single one, to
compensate for the very disappointing last minute
cancellation of the 2007 event due to wet weather.
The first one was
arranged for Monday 30th June and, thankfully, the
weather was near perfect (too hot for some). As usual, 20
children from years 5 and 6, each with their parent or
guardian, plus 2 staff members, arrived by coach at
10.15am and gathered on the community area with some
great excitement. After a few words of introduction to
the meadow and the facilities, the children dived into
the arranged programme of events, now traditional for the
school after 5 years of visits.
The nature trail with its
questionnaire was the first event, designed by Frances
and Pam, took the children (and their parents) to all
corners of the meadow on a voyage of discovery and the
BMCG volunteers had to remind them that it was not 'a
race'. They all returned to base in good time for the
'debrief' by Jennifer and Caroline.
Next, in 2 groups of 10
pupils, they alternately searched the meadow to collect
samples of the numerous grass species, or had fun at the
north bridge in a modified version of 'Pooh Sticks'. Both
events were very popular, with Brian and David providing
the expertise on grasses, whilst Dave, Rosemary and
Jennifer had fun in the cold clear river water. All of us
had a packed lunch when the groups swapped over
events.
Again in their 2 groups,
the ever-popular 'wishing tree' event and the 'mini bug
hunt' were scheduled to close the programme. Jil and
Barbara organised the first one, where decorated stars
with a wish on the back were created and hung onto the
mid meadow tree. David's expertise was invaluable for the
'mini bug hunt' with most of the other volunteers also
involved. The coach collected them all at 2.15pm, all too
soon for many and the whole party joined to thank the
BMCG volunteers.
The second visit on
Monday 7th July was again the victim of cancellation due
to bad weather, a huge disappointment to the school. We
intend to seek some 'near by' shelter available as wet
weather contingency for 2009. Thanks to all volunteers,
especially those I failed to mention.
Photos
by Brian Fellows
School
visit - Northern parade Junior School group photo -
30.06.08
School
visit - children collecting grasses on the meadow -
30.06.08
School
Visit - grasses identification - 30.06.08
School
visit - the grasses identification table -
30.06.08
School
visit - children collecting equipment for the bug hunt -
30.06.08
Work
Session - Sunday 15 June 2008 -
report by Pat
Walsgrove
On a lovely sunny day 8
volunteers turned out (Pat Walsgrove, Frances Jannaway,
Jennifer Rye, Pam Philips, Barbara Wrigley, Dave Lee,
Tony Wilkinson and Graham Walsgrove), and they carried
out the following tasks (some in preparation for the
visit from Northern Parade School).
Clearing the South meadow
bramble path of overhanging nettles and then cutting with
the power scythe, also cutting the diagonal path and the
area around the wishing tree using the power
scythe.
Planting the rest of the
ox-eye daisies, and the repair of a gap in the hurdle
fencing along the riverbank.
Weeding of the areas
around the alder buckthorn, and carrying out a litter
pick of the area around Palmer's Road car
park.
All in all this was a
very successful and enjoyable morning of work and thanks
go to the willing volunteers for all their hard work and
enthusiasm.
The highlight of the
morning was when Pam heard a Red Kite and several of us
watched it 'floating' over the Meadow with its tail
twisting. Wonderful!
Work
Session - Thursday 5 June 2008
The very welcome dry,
sunny weather encouraged a good turnout of 12 volunteers
on the meadow, which was looking especially lush with
spring growth.
The morning's tasks were
again aimed at preparation for our planned summer events
and keeping control of vegetation encroaching on the
occasional paths.
Firstly, Tony Wootton set
about cutting and extending the community area with the
Power Scythe with Jil Meeson, Barbara Wrigley, Pat
Walsgrove and Graham Walsgrove, raking and removing the
arisings. Tony discovered some deep 'pot holes' during
the cutting process, later filled in by Dave
Lee.
Meanwhile, Pam Phillips,
Gaynor Wells, Patrick Murphy, Frances Jannaway and Dave
Lee attacked the south meadow 'bramble path' nettles with
hand tools, removing the arisings along this popular
route. This proved to be quite a difficult task so that
later, Jennifer Rye donned the protective gear and used
our power strimmer to complete a very good overall
job.
After a well earned
refreshment break, work on the 'bramble path' continued,
whilst Frances led a small group in carefully cutting
down with hand shears and removing, some of the many
Hemlock Water Dropwort plants trying to take over the
Lumley wet area. Later, this group moved on to carefully
weed out, around the new hedgerow plants next to the
Seagull Lane 'kissing gate'. Graham and Tony traversed
the whole network of occasional paths of the north and
central meadows, cutting a single pathway and removing
the arisings. This work is aimed at gently persuading
visitors not to walk on the fine meadow
vegetation.
There were many visitors
and dogs during the morning and some appreciative
comments were made, in recognition of the volunteer's
unstinting efforts. Thanks again to everyone.
Report by Wally
Osborne
Barbara
collecting cuttings - 05.06.08
Frances
and Dave clearing the Bramble path -
05.06.08
Graham
working with the scythe - 05.06.08
Jennifer
using the strimmer on Bramble path -
05.06.08
Pam
and Partick clearing the Bramble path -
05.06.08
Ladies
raking up the grass cuttings - 05.06.08
Tony
cutting the grass with the power scythe -
05.06.08
Photos by Brian
Fellows
Report
on Work Session Sunday 21st May 2008 -
Report by
Wally Osborne
The very welcome dry,
sunny weather encouraged a good turnout of 11 volunteers
onto the meadow, which was looking especially lush with
spring growth.
The morning's tasks were
mainly aimed at preparation for our planned summer events
and keeping control of some encroaching
vegetation.
Firstly, Graham Walsgrove
set about cutting the community area with the Power
Scythe with Barbara Wrigley, Dave Lee and Wally, raking
and removing the arisings. Meanwhile, Pam Phillips,
Patrick Murphy and Frances Jannaway were in the Lumley
Stream wet area, carefully cutting down with hand shears,
the many Hemlock Water Dropwort plants which always try
to take over this botanically diverse area. For safety's
sake, all of the arisings were bagged and removed.
Meanwhile, Pat Walsgrove and Penny Aylett worked with
hand shears to cut back excess growth along the main
meadow gravel paths, because HBC have been unable to do
their usual job to date due to holiday absences. These
works took us through to our tea / coffee / biscuit
break, provided by Pat.
Afterwards, Graham and
Patrick took the Power Scythe to trim back the occasional
paths around the south meadow, with Patrick getting some
tuition in 'driving the machine' and thereby giving us a
greater spread of skills. Jenny Thomas then arrived in
time for tea, joining Frances and Barbara in the task of
planting some Oxeye Daisy plants in the north meadow,
adjacent but not close to our Orchids and Yellow Rattle
growths. These plants were believed to have been on the
meadow some time ago and we have decided to re-introduce
them, using seed obtained from Sticky Wicket Meadow in
Dorset.
The areas around the
steps, seats, bins and notice boards were strimmed by
Dave and a good job he made of it too. Jennifer Rye also
arrived for tea break and then joined Pam in Palmers Road
Copse, armed with shears and litter pickers, to clear the
way around the Water Vole notice board / fence and tidy
this litter prone area yet again. Lastly, Jennifer gave
Dave some training in Butterfly Transect
activities.
Some worked on way past
midday to complete their tasks and everyone deserves our
sincere thanks for their unstinting efforts, especially
Patrick, who suffered a cut lip when he slipped over on
the damp grass. Thanks again to everyone.
Work
session Thursday 1 May 2008 -
Report by
Jennifer Rye
After many days of rain
and wind, it was a relief when May day dawned sunny and
slightly warmer. Nine volunteers turned up, including
Patrick, a new member. Three of the men donned waders
(having the required size 9 feet) and cleared debris and
litter from the lower stretches of the Ems which was
running high after all the recent rain. An alarming
number of bottles found their way to the appropriate
bottle bank. They then cleared some car parts from the
northern stretch of the river behind the industrial
estate. Two different water voles were seen during the
morning, evidently collecting nesting material - perhaps
rebuilding after the recent rains had flooded their
burrows. It was good to see them out in the spring
sunshine.
Meanwhile, the rest
tackled the job of clearing rapidly growing vegetation
from around the alder buckthorn, the young horsechestnuts
and the hawthorn hedge between the central and north
meadows. After the coffee break, we all turned to
clearing the biggest heaps of wood chippings from the
north meadow, using the chippings as mulch around the
same trees.
After the main work
session, Jennifer and Barbara carried out the weekly
butterfly transect; orange tips and small whites were
around during the morning.
Many thanks to all the
regulars, and a warm welcome to our 2 newest active
recruits, David M and Patrick M.
Photos by Brian
Fellows
Briefing
to assembled group before work session -
01.05.08
Group
of volunteers assembled for work session on Brook Meadow
- 01.05.08
Volunteers
clearing the river on Brook Meadow -
01.05.08
Volunteers
taking a break during workday on Brook Meadow -
01.05.08
Volunteer
at work on Brook Meadow - 01.05.08
Voluneteers
at work on Brook Meadow - 01.05.08
Work
session Sunday 20 April 2008 -
report by Frances
Jannaway
It was a remarkably warm,
sunny morning especially as the weather had been so cold
and windy on the Saturday and the days before. With an
amazing turnout of 13 people (Frances, Wally, Pam,
Jennifer, Dave, Pat, Graham, Richard, Jil, Penny, Jenny,
Leslie and a new volunteer Jeni), we managed to complete
a number of varied tasks. The first was to carry out a
litter pick of Palmers Road copse and the main part of
the meadow. The other task in Palmers Road copse was to
cut down nettles which had grown up against the Water
Vole fence, prune the Hawthorn hedge, cut back Brambles
and repair the Water Vole fence. On the main meadow, the
strimmer was used to cut back vegetation from around
signcases, bins, steps and seat. In addition, nettles
which were starting to invade the Seagull Lane entrance
area were cut back as were areas around the young Oak
tree. The third task was to reinstall the Water Vole
notice near the North bridge which was leaning over. In
addition, a gap at the end of the wooden fence at the
Seagull Lane entrance was repaired to prevent people and
dogs using it as a short cut. The fourth task concerned
various tree aftercare jobs. The first of which was to
remove the stakes from the Black Poplars as they were
rubbing against the tree which was causing damage. The
nettles were cut down from around the bases of these two
trees on the eastern edge of the central meadow, and then
mulched with a layer of wood chippings. The same
treatment was given to the Aspen in the north meadow. The
wood chippings which had been put round the Rowans on the
eastern side of the north meadow were cleared from around
the bases of the trees to avoid rotting. After a well
earned break provided by Pat and Graham, we prepared the
ground and planted 4 Osier cuttings in the area where we
have already planted 4 other Osiers. The area round all
the Osiers was cleared of excess vegetation and mulched
with chippings. Finally, several of the lower branches
from one of the Crack Willows on the western side of the
north meadow were removed. During the work session, we
heard Chiffchaff singing and saw several butterflies
including Speckled Wood, Peacock, Brimstone, Orange Tip
and Small White.
Tasks for future work
sessions include: finishing the hurdle fence in Palmers
Road copse, removing excess vegetation from around Alder
Buckthorns, Horse Chestnuts, etc. and mulching with
chippings.
Forthcoming work
sessions: Thursday 1 May, Sunday 18 May.
Glenwood
school visit
20
March 2008 -
report by Jennifer Rye
In the afternoon of
Thursday 20th March just ahead of the rain and foul
weather promised for the Easter weekend, we welcomed a
small group of 5 pupils and two teachers from Glenwood
Special Needs School for a work session on the meadow.
With their enthusiastic help, we finished clearing the
fallen willow from the line of crack willows in the
central meadow, and made a log pile habitat along the
eastern edge of the sacrificial dump. We also cleared two
more piles of wood chippings left from the tree clearance
work in the North Meadow, and used them to mulch round
the young rowan trees. The kids worked splendidly, and
enjoyed their visit so much that they wanted to book
another one immediately! It was good to have help from
youngsters with such a positive outlook. Thanks go to
Julie Kirk from Glenwood School for requesting the work,
and to "Sir" (Mr Johnson, head teacher at Glenwood) who
helped supervise, and to Pam and Barbara from the BMCG
committee.
Work
session - Sunday 16th March 2008 -
Report by
Jennifer Rye
The weather was very
unpromising on Sunday morning, but in the hopes of
improvement as promised on the forecast, we made a start.
Graham and Debi put on waders, and with help from Lesley,
Pat, Frances and Jennifer, cleared the fallen tree from
the river Ems near the south bridge, cut it up, and
concealed the logs in the undergrowth. Meanwhile Pam and
Frances did some litter collection in the copse. We also
moved a fallen tree from the car park (southern edge)
into the undergrowth.
After a welcome coffee
break, for which thanks to Pat and Graham, we tackled the
fallen willow in the central meadow, and with bow saws
and pruning saws, reduced it enough to be safe in further
high winds. The remaining stumps will have to be felled
once we have the cross-cut saw which has been ordered.
The felled limbs were left ready for the forthcoming
visit from Glenwood School to use in making a
woodpile.
By 11.30, the weather had
actually worsened, so we left while we were winning. Many
thanks to everyone for heroic efforts in the teeth of a
cold northerly wind and spitting rain!
Work
session - Thursday 6th March
- report by Wally
Osborne
The weather was dry, dull
and fairly mild with ground conditions firm to soft. The
list of jobs to be done was quite expansive and the
turnout of volunteers was a very good 9, mainly the
'regulars'.
We started off in Palmers
Road copse where Barbara Wrigley and Jill Meesom
completed a comprehensive litterpick whilst Frances
Jannaway, Tony Wootton, Graham Walsgrove and Jennie
Lloyd-Edwards moved some Ash and Hazel (lathes and rods)
donated by Pete Hodges of Park Wood to make some rustic
hurdles behind the bottle bank on our next Sunday
workday.
Meanwhile Pam Phillips,
Dave Lee and Wally attempted to repair the 'tyre rut'
damage to the central and north meadows, caused by tree
surgeon vehicles during the major tree work on the Crack
Willows along the northern riverbank path.
The next job was to
remove a large Crack Willow branch, which had fallen
across the river just south of the S bend. Graham and
Tony found that our bow saws were not really up to the
job but a partial success was achieved with Jennie doing
a great job wading the river shifting the arisings to a
safe place on the western riverbank. During this work, a
dead Pigeon was removed from the river.
After a well deserved tea
break, the volunteers split into two groups, with
Frances, Graham, Tony, Jill and Barbara in the North
Meadow tidying up arisings from previous workdays,
clearing Bramble from around a Crack Willow in the North
Meadow to enable an efficient annual cut later in the
year and then using some of the wood chippings from the
tree work to begin mulching the young Oak and several
Rowans.
The second group of Pam
Jennie, Dave and Wally 'attacked' the large Bramble patch
near the central seat, which has been attempting a
takeover of the meadow for the last few years. Dave
earned his 'spurs' by driving the brushcutter with its
new attachment with Pam and Jennie using rakes and arms
to remove the prickly arisings. The result was quite
impressive and the effort kept us all warm.
Overall, this was a very
productive session and my sincere thanks to all
volunteers for their unstinting efforts.
Photos by Brian
Fellows
Volunteers
taking a break during workday -
06.03.08
Volunteers
clearing Brambles on Brook Meadow -
06.03.08
Dave
clearing up some twigs - 06.03.08
Frances
clearing Brambles - 06.03.08
Graham
fighting the brambles - 06.03.08
Volunteers
at work on Brook Meadow - 06.03.08
Jil
clearing Brambles - 06.03.08
Cutting
up the log over the river - 06.03.08
Cutting
the log over the river - 06.03.08
Wally
using the strimmer on Brook Meadow -
06.03.08
Tasks for future work
sessions: formative pruning of Black Poplars; planting
several Osier cuttings in N Meadow; moving wood chippings
as mulch round Rowans; building hurdle fence in Palmers
Road copse at back of bottle bank.
Forthcoming work
sessions: Sunday 16 March and Thursday 3
April.
Work
session Sunday 17 February
- report and
photos by Frances Jannaway
A glorious, sunny, frosty
morning greeted the nine (Frances, Jennifer, Pam, Dave,
Richard, Barbara, Jennie, Debi and Leslie) Brook Meadow
volunteers today. There were two main tasks, the first
was to deal with the products of the pollarding work
along the northern riverbank path. This included several
large piles of logs and an even larger number of piles of
woodchips. A team of 7 volunteers managed to move three
of the large log piles into the brambles, which were then
camouflaged with twigs and small branches. A man called
John from Woodmancote came and took a load of logs, which
he had arranged with me beforehand. This was very useful
since we were running out of both space and energy to put
yet more logs. Other tasks which were also completed, was
to spread lots of wheelbarrow loads of chippings over the
muddy path at the Seagull Lane entrance. Thanks to
Jennifer, Jenny, Pam and Dave, several logs and a large
number of branches were fished out of the river from the
northern section as well as downstream near the South
bridge.
While all this wood
clearance work was happening in the North Meadow, the
other main task was going on. This was to cut, rake and
remove rank vegetation from the sedge area just north of
the central path. Richard used the power scythe, while
Jennifer raked off the cuttings into heaps which were
later put into bags and removed to the sacrificial area.
We all worked extremely hard this morning and achieved an
incredible amount. My sincere thanks to all those who
helped.
Volunteers
at work on Brook Meadow - 17.02.08
Volunteers
at work on Brook Meadow - 17.02.08
Volunteers
at work on Brook Meadow - 17.02.08
Volunteer
workers taking a break - 17.02.08
Practical
Training courses - report
and photos by Frances Jannaway
Pete Hodges coordinator
of Havant Conservation Action Project organised several
free courses for members of the Havant Conservation
Forum. BMCG is a member of the Forum and several of the
committee have taken part in Risk Assessment, First Aid,
Brushcutter and Using and Maintaining Hand Tools courses.
Two more courses took place in January and February and
were attended by members of BMCG.
Sunday 20th January -
Hedge laying at the East Gate of Fort Widley, Portsdown
Hill. This was attended by Jenny Thomas, one of our
regular Sunday work session volunteers. Jenny told me she
had a really good day, and must have worked really hard
because when she was out having a meal that evening she
had difficulty lifting her glass of wine!!
Saturday 9th February -
Introduction to coppice crafts and green woodworking at
Havant Day Services Community Horticulture site,
Petersfield Road, Leigh Park.
Attended by about 12
people from conservation groups all over Havant Borough.
Three of us from BMCG (Frances, Wally and Jenny) had a
very enjoyable and instructive day. Chris our instructor
had set up several pole lathes, shaving horses and
chopping blocks before we arrived and then gave us
instructions on how to split an Oak tree trunk into
fencing stakes, split Ash logs using a froe, how to use a
draw knife on green wood using a shaving horse and how to
use a pole lathe. It all looked very easy when Chris did
it and because he was such a good instructor, we were
very surprised when we could do it too with a bit of
practice. Wally made an axe handle using the shaving
horse and draw knife and then the pole lathe, Jenny made
two candle sticks on the pole lathe and I made a handle
for a tool used to earth up potatoes which I inherited
from my father.
Volunteer
on woodworking course - 09.02.08
Volunteer
on woodworking course - 09.02.08
Volunteer
on woodworking course - 09.02.08
Volunteer
on woodworking course - 09.02.08
Work
session Thursday 7
February - report
by Frances Jannaway
With 10 volunteers, it
was another good turnout for the work session on a rather
cloudy but mild Thursday morning. We had a surprise visit
from Nick Rowe (Hampshire Wildlife Trust assistant
project officer) this morning. Nick gives advice to
conservation groups in Hampshire about funding, training
and wildlife surveying and he was especially helpful with
this morning's practical tasks. It was certainly a happy
coincidence that Sally Church (HWT Watch leader) also
came to the work session and the two of them had
interesting discussions about the organisation of the
Watch group.
The tasks completed
included: litterpicking along the western riverbank
especially behind the industrial estate. Several bags of
assorted rubbish (including several large polystyrene
blocks and an oil drum) were collected and put in the car
park for the council to collect. The logs cut down by the
tree surgeons working in Palmers Road copse near the
south bridge were moved into the undergrowth as were a
similar pile of logs in the north meadow as a result of
the Environment Agency's work last autumn. These logs
were moved to create a log pile on the eastern side of
the meadow. Several branches of a Crack Willow in the
South Meadow were removed as they had been blown over and
if not removed would have started to put down roots and
created another willow tree. In addition, some
overhanging branches of a Crack Willow in the central
line of Willows were removed to allow more light to get
to the Black Poplar tree which was starting to lean over.
These branches were left for the Watch group to deal with
on Saturday morning when they are coming to the meadow to
carry out conservation work. It is especially the girls
who enjoy sawing up the logs.
Work
session Sunday 20 January 2008
Report by Wally
Osborne
The weather was dry, dull
and fairly mild but the very wet ground conditions
prevented the use of any of our powered machinery. The
turnout of volunteers was excellent, totalling 13, with
both regulars and 2 new volunteers (including one
non-member who was very soon given a membership joining
form!).
The winter weather has
exposed / spread a great deal of litter and so Debi
Saunders, Barbara Wrigley and new volunteer Jennie
Lloyd-Edwards spent a busy first hour clearing up the
main meadow site, east of the river. After coffee break,
Dave Lee and new volunteer Mary joined them to clear up a
very littered Palmers Road Copse.
The re-growth of Bramble
on the main area of the North Meadow has concerned us for
some time and so Dave Lee, Pam Phillips, Frances
Jannaway, Penny Aylett and new volunteer Mary Grundy,
'set to' with garden forks to carefully remove many large
roots. Afterwards, some more Bramble plants in adjacent
long grass were cut off to the ground level. This general
area is very important botanically and will continue to
receive our attention, however, one hour of root digging
proved to be very hard work. Well done by all.
After the coffee break,
Debi and Frances began the pruning of the Ash trees
adjacent to the main meadow seat, as recommended by
Andrew Skeet of HBC.
Following the successful
recent Tool Maintenance Course, we decided to get all of
our tools in good shape, ready for the 2008 season and so
Jennifer Rye, Pat Walsgrove and Graham Walsgrove set up
Pam Phillips garage as their workshop and did a fantastic
job on our rakes, shears, loppers, bow saws, hand scythe,
spades, forks, pitch forks and anything else they could
find in Penny & Ted's tool-store. Many thanks to
all.
Overall, this was a very
productive session and an excellent start to
2008.
Photos by Brian
Fellows
Group
assembled for work session on Brook Meadow -
20.01.08
Volunteer
Pam at work on Brook Meadow - 20.01.08
Volunteer
Frances at work on Brook Meadow - 20.01.08
Volunteer
Penny at work on Brook Meadow - 20.01.08
Volunteer
Debbie collecting litter on Brook Meadow -
20.01.08
Volunteer
Jenny collecting litter from the river on Brook Meadow -
20.01.08
Volunteers
collecting litter during workday on Brook Meadow -
20.01.08
Volunteer
Jennifer cleaning tools during workday -
20.01.08
Wildlife
Observations
Several members of the
work party watched a dramatic chase in which a
Sparrowhawk was relentlessly pursued by a Carrion
Crow for several minutes over Brook Meadow before the
Sparrowhawk finally made its escape in the direction of
Lumley Road.
A pair of Great
Spotted Woodpeckers was flying noisily around the
trees on the meadow.
A Song Thrush was
singing lustily from the South Meadow.
The first Butterbur
flower spikes of the year were showing by the sluice
gate.
First
Butterbur flower spike of the year now out on Brook
Meadow - 20.01.08.jpg
Frances pointed out to me
a ridge of raised soil about 10 metres long on the North
Meadow. Removing a little of the ridge revealed a
shallow Mole tunnel not more than 2-3 inches below
the surface. Such shallow tunnels (usually 7-10
centimetres below the surface) form of a raised ridge in
the soil and do not require the physical removal of the
earth from the tunnels, nor the formation of molehills.
Mole's
shallow tunnel on Brook Meadow - 20.01.0
Work
session Sunday 16 December 2007 -
report by
Frances Jannaway
It was a lovely sunny
morning for the nine volunteers (Frances, Wally, Pam,
Jennifer, Dave, Penny, Jil, Barbara and Jenny) who turned
up for the last workday of the year.
The main task of the
morning was to cut and clear the Seagull Lane patch,
cutting back the Bramble hedge and giving the Oak tree
and young native hedge some TLC.
Wally used the power
scythe to cut the rank vegetation while the rest of the
group raked off the arisings bagging it up and taking it
to a sacrificial area along the fence adjoining the
Seagull Lane footpath. Wally then gave careful
instructions to Jenny who was keen to have a go at using
the power scythe. Jenny soon mastered the power tool and
with her help we managed to cut and clear most of the
area. Wally also tried out the recently acquired
attachment for the brushcutter to cut back some of the
Bramble which is starting to invade this area.
Finds for the day
included a harvest mouse nest in the long grasses and a
large amount of broken pottery from a very large pot
which had been dumped in the undergrowth.
A successful morning's
work was rewarded with mulled wine and home made mince
pies kindly provided by Penny and Ted Aylett. It's a pity
Christmas only comes but once a year!!
Photos by Brian
Fellows
The
ladies line up for a group photo at the start of the work
session - 16.12.07
Jennifer
fixing the small pedestrian gate at the Lumley entrance -
16.12.07
Volunteers
working on clearing the Seagull Lane patch -
16.12.07
Jennifer
and Dave hauling bag of cuttings -
16.12.07
Penny
in happy mood during the work session -
16.12.07
Harvest
Mouse nest discovered during the clearance of dense
vegetation on Brook Meadow - 16.12.07
Work
session - Sunday 18 November 2007
- Report by Pat
Walsgrove
Wally, Barbara, Jennifer
plus her daughter Caroline and Granddaughter Martha,
Jenny, Jill, Leslie, Pam, Pat, Penny, Dave, Graham with
Brian taking photos attended the Work Day this morning.
This was a marvellous turn out and very much appreciated.
The weather started reasonably dry, but, after an hour at
refreshment break, it deteriorated rapidly with heavy
rain and strong winds. Nevertheless a lot was achieved
and a large swathe of the Lumley area was cut using the
power scythe, raked up and deposited on the cuttings
heap. Thank you to all who helped and for the enthusiasm
and obvious enjoyment and good spirits. A special thanks
to young Martha for her performance, she thought the best
bit was the biscuits!
Next work sessions:
Thursday 6th and Sunday 16th December
Photos by Brian
Fellows
Wally
doing the risk assessment for work session on Brook
Meadow - 18.11.07
Group
photo of workday volunteers on Brook Meadow -
18.11.07
Little
Martha helping to bag up the cuttings -
18.11.07
Raking
up the cuttings on Brook Meadow - 18.11.07
Martha
giving a hand in the clearance - 18.11.07
Depositing
the arisings on Brook Meadow - 18.11.07
Martha
and Wally dragging a bag of cuttings -
18.11.07
Dave
using the power scythe to clear vegetation -
18.11.07
Ladies
busy raking up the cuttings during workday on Brook
Meadow - 18.11.07
Pat
and Graham with a heavy bag of cuttings -
18.11.07
Work
session - Thursday 1 November
2007 - report by
Wally Osborne
An excellent turnout of
12 volunteers, included one who was not yet a member but
had seen our details in the last issue of 'The EMS' and
just turned up!
After a dull start, the
weather became sunny and bright and, after Graham (in
waders) had retrieved a car tyre from the river, we all
set about the main task of cutting and clearing the sedge
area of the central meadow. With Tony Wootton on the
power scythe and the rest of us raking, bagging and
hauling for nearly an hour, well over half of the area
was cleared despite the soft underfoot conditions. After
a well-earned drinks break provided by Pat, we changed
over to path cutting and clearing in the south meadow,
and relocating some of the Crack Willow arisings from the
Environment Agency riverbank clearance work. In between
times, all of the signcases were cleaned, thanks to
Jennifer's pack of 'baby wipes'!
Many thanks to Jill,
Gaynor, Barbara, Pam, Jennifer, Lesley, Pat, Frances,
Tony, Graham & Dave who all worked their socks off
and got very hot. Hope to see many of you at the Sunday
18th November workday when 'it's more of the
same'.
Wildlife Observations:
The warm sunny weather has brought out Red Admirals and
Common Darter Dragonflies which were seen in the South
Meadow during the workday. Tony Wootton stood for over
half an hour on the Lumley footbridge watching a 'pair'
of Kingfishers chasing each other up and down the Lumley
Stream but did not manage to get a photograph of them.
Tasks for future work
sessions include:
Removing logs near the
North bridge to create log piles on the other side of the
meadow. Cutting areas such as Lumley wet area, Seagull
Lane patch, and SE corner of South Meadow,
Next work sessions:
Sunday 18 November, Thursday 6 and Sunday 16
December
Photos by Frances
Jannaway
Volunteers
enjoying a break during workday - 01.11.07
Volunteers
having a break during workday - 01.11.07
Volunteers
at work on Brook Meadow - 01.11.07
Volunteers
at work on Brook Meadow - 01.11.07
Volunteer
at work on Brook Maedow - 01.11.07
Work
session Sunday 21 October 2007
It was a gorgeous sunny
morning just right for the 8 volunteers (Frances, Pam,
Dave, Pat, Graham, Barbara and Penny) who turned up.
Pam, Penny, Jenny,
Barbara and Frances raked and removed the rest of the
arisings cut by the Environment Agency at the end of
September. They also removed two large piles of in-stream
vegetation left by the EA, one on the riverbank near the
sluice and the other near the railway embankment. The
arisings were taken to our designated sacrificial areas
to reduce the fertility of the riverbank.
Graham and Dave kitted
out with waders and walking upstream collected litter
which had found its way into the River Ems, including
rope, bottles, cans and a tennis racket. Pat who was
waiting on the riverbank filled 2 large sacks. They also
moved a number of large logs into the undergrowth near
the South Bridge.
Volunteers
clearing the river banks during work session -
21.10.07
Volunteer
clearing the river bank during work session -
21.10.07
Report and photos by
Frances Jannaway
Water
Vole Survey - 19 October 2007
Andy Rothwell, a Water
Vole and Otter consultant who works all over the SE of
England, carried out a survey of both the River Ems and
Lumley Stream to determine the state of the Water Vole
population in Brook Meadow and the surrounding area. Andy
found a lot of signs of Water Vole activity, such as
recent burrows, latrines and larders. He located two hot
spots. One on either side of the channel where the Lumley
Stream flows into Peter Pond and the other one near the
dry sluice and amongst the bulrushes and reeds on the
River Ems. The signs of Water Vole activity Andy found
were more numerous on the River Ems. The larders showed
that the Water Voles on the River Ems are eating
vegetation such as Soft Rush and Reed Canary Grass
whereas on Peter Pond their diet consisted of Phragmites
(Common Reed).
On the River Ems, the
area where Water Vole activity is the highest is between
the two WV notices, which is where most sightings have
been. There were few signs either south of the sluice or
north of the North bridge. Andy said that it would be
better to open up more of the riverbank to let more light
in and also reduce the amount of Nettles on the riverbank
and encourage grasses and herbs such as Comfrey to grow.
He also recorded at least two pairs of Kingfishers one on
the Lumley Stream and one on the River Ems chasing each
other up and downstream. Andy will write a report of his
findings and we will get a copy which will be put on our
website. Many thanks to Graham Roberts of HWT for
organising and funding this survey.
Andy
Rothwell Water Vole Survey - 19.10.07
Andy
Rothwell Water Vole Survey - 19.10.07
Andy
Rothwell Water Vole Survey - 19.10.07
Report and photos by
Frances Jannaway
Annual
Cut of Brook Meadow 2nd Phase by Martin Cull -
08.10.07
Work
Session Thursday 4
October - report
by Frances Jannaway
It was a beautiful, sunny
morning for the 9 volunteers (Frances, Wally, Jennifer,
Pam, Jil, Tony Wootton, Beryl, Lesley, and a new member
Stephen). I met Stephen at the Woodland Festival at Park
Wood last Sunday. He is on an NVQ course in Environmental
Conservation and wants to get some practical conservation
experience. It is good to have him onboard.
The group completed the
following tasks:
· Raked and removed
the arisings cut by the Environment Agency last week
along the eastern riverbank between the sluice and just
short of the North bridge. This consisted of mainly
Stinging Nettles and Bramble. The arisings were taken to
the sacrificial areas to reduce the fertility of the
riverbank.
· Repaired a section
of Willow hurdle along the riverbank using branches cut
by the Environment Agency cut last week.
· Strimmed 20
circles each of about 1 square metre in the central part
of the North Meadow, roughed up the soil with rakes and
our boots to expose the soil and sowed Yellow Rattle
seeds. Yellow Rattle is semi-parasitic on grass roots and
when established will help reduce the dominance of the
coarse grasses.
Photos by Brian
Fellows
Volunteers
at work on Brook Meadow - 04.10.07
Volunteers
- group workday photo - 04.10.07
Volunteers
clearing the river bank - 04.10.07
Volunteers
clearing the river bank - 04.10.07
Volunteer
sowing Yellow Rattle seeds -
04.10.07 - Photo
by Frances Jannaway
Work
Session Sunday 23 September
- Report by
Jennifer Rye
A dry, warm but cloudy
morning saw five volunteers at work, Jennifer, Pam, Dave,
Barbara and Caroline. After Jennifer gave a briefing and
safety talk, the group cleared all the heavy growth
around the hawthorn hedge, mainly nettles and bindweed,
and trimmed off the tops to encourage the plants to bush
out lower down. After a much needed coffee break, the
latter 3 repeated the same clearance job for the single
oak tree near the sacrificial dump site in the north
meadow, where we had been putting all the cleared
vegetation. Pam and Jennifer did a minor "siding up" job
along the bramble path in the south meadow. It was heavy
work with such a small work party, using only hand tools
as we did not have the necessary experienced volunteers
to use the power scythe. However we all felt a warm glow
of satisfaction with the sight of what we had done.
Caroline's husband came along to take photos of her at
work to put in her portfolio of conservation work needed
for her degree course at Sparsholt.
Release
of Slow Worms - Wednesday September 12
Clive Yeomans, an
ex-neighbour from Westbourne Avenue, phoned me yesterday
to say a friend of his in Bosham had lots of Slow-worms
in her garden. Clive wondered if we could give them a
good home on Brook Meadow. This was an opportunity to
establish a colony of these delightful creatures on the
meadow, where the lush vegetation provided an ideal
habitat for them to prosper. So this morning I met Clive,
who had collected about 20 Slow-worms in 2 plastic
dustbins. We went over to Brook Meadow where we released
them in the dense vegetation on the far side of the pile
of cuttings just north of the Willow line.
Clive
Yeomans releasing Slow Worms onto Brook Meadow -
12.09.07
Slow
Worms being released onto Brook Meadow -
12.09.07
Work
session Thursday 6
September-
report by Frances Jannaway
It was a very hot sunny
morning more like mid summer than early September for the
twelve volunteers (Frances, Wally, Pam, Lyle, Dave,
Richard, Beryl, Gaynor, Penny, Jil, Barbara, Tony
Wootton) who turned up for the Thursday work session.
After Frances gave brief instructions and a risk
assessment, Brian Fellows showed the volunteers a large
patch of Pepper Saxifrage in the Lumley wet area. This
old meadow indicator is late flowering and so this area
will not be cut until it has set seed.
The main task of the work
session was to cut the central area of the North Meadow
where Yellow Rattle and three species of Orchid are
growing. The reason for the group cutting this area, is
that we use the power scythe and then rake up the
arisings to allow any seeds to drop. The arisings are
then removed in large bags to the sacrificial area on the
eastern side of the meadow. In addition, the power scythe
has reciprocating blades and is therefore less harmful to
wildlife. In fact, Tony Wootton found at least three
large frogs and several small ones which he put carefully
in the damp grass. Patches of Fleabane which competes
well with grasses and Hemp Agrimony were left uncut
because they were still flowering.
This area has been cut as
the first step in preparing to sow Yellow Rattle which we
hope to do at the next work session. Yellow Rattle is
parasitic on grass roots and so helps to reduce the
vigour of the coarse grasses and thereby encouraging more
delicate wildflowers to flourish. The seeds of Yellow
Rattle which is an annual need to be sown as quickly as
possible since they deteriorate rapidly. The other task
we completed was to put up a second Water Vole sign near
the North bridge asking dog owners to keep their dogs out
of the river between the two bridges.
Photos by Brian
Fellows
Workday1
- 06.09.07
. . . Workday2
- 06.09.07
. . . Workday3
- 06.09.07
. . . Workday4
- 06.09.07
. . . Workday5
- 06.09.07
. . .
Workday6
- 06.09.07
. . . Workday7
- 06.09.07
. . . Workday8
- 06.09.07
. . . Workday9
- 06.09.07
. . .Workday10
- 06.09.07
Araneus
Quadratus spider discovered during the cutting on Brook
Meadow - 06.09.07.jpg
Work
session - Thursday 2
August -
report by Frances Jannaway
Eight volunteers
(Frances, Pam, Jill, Barbara, Gaynor, Beryl, Tony
Wootton, Tony Wilkinson) turned up on a cloudy but warm
morning. The main tasks included cutting back the nettles
and brambles falong the main paths in the north meadow,
finishing off cutting, raking and removing vegetation
(mainly bindweed) from around the Rowans in the north
meadow started by the Cub Scouts the day before, cutting
a narrow path round the Lumley wet area and repairing a
willow hurdle on the riverbank.
Volunteers
at work on Brook Meadow - 02.08.07
Volunteers
at work on Brook Meadow - 02.08.07
Visit
by Cub Scouts - Wednesday August 1st:
We welcomed 15 cub
scouts, with Akela and 2 other leaders, to the meadow for
a morning of conservation activities as part of the local
celebrations of the centenary of the scouting movement.
Their first task was to litter pick in Palmers' Road
copse, which they tackled with enthusiasm, litter pickers
and yellow rubber gloves. Then they joined Jennifer, Pat,
Graham, Pam, Dave Lee, Lyle and Penny in the area of the
north meadow around the rowan trees, where they helped to
rake, bag and stack the arisings from the cutting of the
heavy undergrowth there.
After a welcome
refreshment break, much needed on a very hot and sunny
day, 2 groups of 4 carried out butterfly transects under
the instructions of Pat and Pam; this was a popular and
productive activity, about 25 very varied butterflies
being spotted, identified and recorded by each group.
Meanwhile the rest of the troup completed the former
task, and about half the area was successfully
cleared.
The district commissioner
paid us a flying visit to commend their dedication, and
we were very grateful for the extra pairs of hands on the
meadow. The boys worked very hard, were enthusiastic as
well as very well behaved, and we hope they enjoyed the
morning. Hopefully we shall welcome some of them back as
regular recruits in due course!
Report by Jennifer Rye
Annual
Cut of Brook Meadow - 19 July 2007
Martin Cull completed the
first stage of the annual cut of Brook Meadow.
Martin
Cull doing the annual cut of Brook Meadow -
19.07.07
The
north meadow after the annual cut -
19.07.07
The
centre meadow after the annual cut -
19.07.07
Work
session Sunday 15 July -
report by Frances Jannaway
The weather was dry but
very humid for the seven volunteers (Frances, Wally,
Dave, Richard, Pam, Graham and a new volunteer Caroline
French) who turned up for the Sunday work session. The
following tasks were completed:
Pam cut back Nettles and
Brambles along the main paths and also cut back the Hedge
Mustard dominating the newly planted hedge along Seagull
Lane. Wally cut back overhanging branches and strimmed
Nettles around the Lumley entrance in preparation for the
annual cut. He also strimmed the area around the Alder
Buckthorns and Rowans. Richard used the power scythe to
cut back Bindweed on the edges of the Lumley wet area and
also cut all the paths in the South Meadow. The recently
identified Pink Water Speedwell has been marked with a
stick. Graham, Dave, Caroline and Frances raked up and
removed the cuttings.
Other jobs included
cutting a path to the Aspen which Caroline did very well
after a short training session by Richard; cutting round
the Oak and Yew trees, and marking out the areas to be
cut by Martin Cull hopefully next week.
Tasks for future work
sessions to include:
Cutting back Bindweed in
the North Meadow south of the Rowan plantation
Cutting and removing
excess vegetation from the Rowan plantation
Cutting back branches
overhanging the riverbanks and creating another Willow
hurdle to prevent dogs from gaining access to the river.
Ems
Valley Walks - Sunday 8 July
These two walks were part
of Hampshire Water Festival. The morning walk, led by
Brian Fellows, was attended by two people and the
afternoon walk led by Frances Jannaway, by six people.
The low numbers were probably due to several major
sporting events held on the same day. Both walks were
very enjoyable and were appreciated by those taking part.
Water
Festival Walk - afternoon session -
08.07.07
Work
session Thursday 5 July
2007 - report by
Frances Jannaway
It was a cloudy but dry
morning for the nine volunteers (Frances, Jennifer, Lyle,
David, Pam, Jil, Barbara, Gaynor, Leslie) who turned up
for Thursday's work session.
The main task was to
clear the enormous growth of vegetation, especially
bindweed, from around young trees such as Alder
Buckthorns, Black Poplars, Osiers, Aspen and Rowans. The
next main task was to cut back the large Willow branch
which had fallen over the river and onto the riverbank
about a week ago. The cut branches were used to repair
the Willow hurdle to restrict access to the river. Other
tasks included cutting back Stinging Nettles along the
path and around the Water Vole fence and the Deep Water
sign in Palmers Road copse. Butterbur and Nettles
overhanging the main path were cut back near the central
seat on the causeway and the Lumley gate. And finally,
temporary repairs were made to the Water Vole notice
which has been damaged. A proper repair will be done in
the next few days.
Photos
by Brian Fellows
workday-bm-05.07.07
(1)
. . . workday-bm-05.07.07
(2)
. . . workday-bm-05.07.07
(3)
.
workday-bm-05.07.07
(4)
. . . workday-bm-05.07.07
(5).
. . . workday-bm-05.07.07
(6)
workday-bm-05.07.07
(7)
. . . workday-bm-05.07.07
(8)
. . . workday-bm-05.07.07
(9)
White
Plume Moth spotted by Jil Meesom during the work session
on Brook Meadow - 05.07.07
Quadrat
Survey Friday 22 June
Frances
and David conducting a quadrat survey on Brook Meadow -
22.06.07
Work
session Sunday 17 June
- report by Wally Osborne
Ten volunteers turned out
on a morning which became drier and warmer than expected
after early morning rain. They were Beryl (who
unfortunately became unwell and had to go home at about
10.45), Pam, Pat, Barbara, Jill, Frances, Graham,
Richard, Dave and Wally. Brian Fellows also came along
carrying the 2 Southern Marsh Orchid plants donated by
Nigel Johnson who had grown them from seed taken from the
population at South Moor. Brian suggested that we plant
the new species of orchid close to where two other
species of orchid have been found this year. He witnessed
the 'ceremonial' planting by Frances and Dave.
The
Planting of two Southern Marsh Orchids on Brook Meadow -
17.06.07 (photo
by Brian Fellows)
Richard did a sterling
job mowing the community area ready for the Northern
Parade School visit on 29th June and also cutting some of
the occasional paths.
The other volunteers used
hand tools to cut around the various sapling trees which
we have planted, the Holly and Hawthorn saplings on the
new Lumley Path fence, Alder Buckthorns and Horse
Chestnuts in the South Meadow and the native hedge of Dog
Rose, Dogwood and Field Maple along the Seagull Lane
fence. Pam also cut a path to the memorial Oak tree on
the Seagull lane patch and helped Frances to put down a
mulch of wood chippings around the young hedge plants at
Seagull Lane. And finally, Bramble and Stinging Nettles
were cut back where they were overhanging paths
especially along the Bramble path in South Meadow and
riverbank path in North Meadow.
As usual, everyone work
very hard and produced a fair amount of heat and
perspiration. Thanks to all for a sterling effort and we
all hope that Beryl recovers speedily.
Next work sessions:
Thursday 5 and Sunday 15 July
Work
session Thursday 7 June
2007 - report by
Frances Jannaway
It was a mild but
slightly cloudy morning just right for the 13 volunteers
who turned up for the Thursday work session. With a
surprise visit from Tony Wilkinson as well as our regular
group of conservation volunteers, we were able to
complete the following tasks:
· Trimmed back
overhanging branches around Lumley gate and along the
Lumley Path and footbridge over the Lumley
Stream.
· Removed flowering
shoots from Hemlock Waterdropwort in Lumley wet
area
· Removed
overhanging branch near south entrance.
· Cleared round
Alder Buckthorns, Osiers, Oak and Aspen, for which we
also cut a path to make watering easier.
· Cut and raked
community area.
· Removed
overhanging Bramble and Stinging Nettles from occasional
paths in South Meadow and main riverbank path in North
Meadow.
· Cut and raked
designated area for new Wishing Tree and Memorial
Seat.
· Strimmed steps,
seat, sign cases and bins.
Photos by Brian
Fellows
Volunteers
clearing the community area - 07.06.07
Wally
mowing the community area - 07.06.07
Volunteer
at work clearing the community area-
07.06.07
Trimming
the nettles along the river path -
07.06.07
Volunteers
taking a break during workday - 07.06.07
Tony
and Frances off to work on Brook Meadow -
07.06.07
David
and Dave hauling a load of cuttings -
07.06.07
Lyle
cutting the flower heaeds off the Hemlock Water-dropwort
- 07.06.07
Jil
Meesom having found the first flowering Meadowsweet of
the year on Brook Meadow - 07.06.07
Meadow
Healing - a Herb Walk through Brook Meadow - 24 May
2007
Report by Frances
Jannaway
Herb
Walk May 24 2007
- Photo by Roger Mills
It was a lovely sunny
evening on Thursday 24 May for the 19 people who came on
the 'Meadow Healing' herb walk led by Steve Taylor of the
Medicine Garden during Herbal Medicine Awareness week. Of
the 19 people on the herb walk, 8 were current members
and 9 signed up as new members. Steve started his walk by
talking about the value of natural areas such as Brook
Meadow and how important it is to protect this
ever-diminishing natural resource for future
generations.
By means of anecdotes,
research findings, personal experience and folklore told
by older people he had met, Steve went on to describe the
uses of several common herbs found in Brook Meadow,
starting with Common Nettle. This plant grows in wet,
fertile soil but was not as common 300 years ago as it is
today because of the dramatic rise in soil fertility due
mainly to the increased use of artificial fertilisers.
Common Nettle has many uses, for example as a fibre (to
make twine and thread), as a food (rich in Vitamin C,
iron and trace elements) in teas, soups and savoury
puddings, and as a medicine as a spring tonic, diuretic,
detoxifier and blood purifier. The roots can be used to
treat prostrate cancer and the seeds help to regenerate
the kidneys.
Other plants found in
Brook Meadow included, Elderflower which is the best herb
for treating hay fever due to its anti inflammatory
properties. Willow contains 17 salicitic compounds
(salicitic acid is the main component of aspirin) and all
parts of the plant (bark, leaves, roots) can be used.
Butterbur which is not found very often nowadays,
stimulates the immune system. Blackberry (and Raspberry)
leaves help with pregnancy and childbirth. Mugwort has a
bitter taste and stimulates liver function. Burdock roots
stimulate the immune system, reduce inflammation and
long-term skin conditions. Meadowsweet also contains
salicates and is used as an anti inflammatory and
astringent to treat diarrhoea and headaches. Common
Spotted Orchid is not used in herbal medicine any more
but was much used in the past to increase fertility and
potency.
Steve stressed that
Herbal Medicine is not a weaker version of pharmaceutical
medicine but a different kind of medicine since the sum
of the whole plant is more than its component parts. He
also talked about the 'Doctrine of Signatures' which is
the concept that the character of the plant tells us how
to use it. For example, the soft leaves of Mallow are
used to treat skin complaints.
The walk ended with a
question and answer session about the preparation of herb
teas. Steve is running a workshop on making herb teas and
tonics in August this year.
Work
session Sunday 20 May - report by Wally Osborne.
Bright sunshine and high
scattered clouds - perfect weather for the eleven
volunteers: Beryl, Jill, Penny, Jenny, Barbara, Pat,
Graham, Dave, David, Richard & Wally.
The following tasks were
completed:
* Remove Hemlock
Water-dropwort plants and flower-heads
* Cut back plum tree and
gorse overhanging causeway path. Cut back some willow
saplings.
* Cut around Alder
Buckthorn and Horse Chestnut saplings.
* Cut paths on N and S
meadows with power scythe and remove most arisings, also
cut path to Aspen
* Cut community area and
arisings removed ready for Northern Parade Junior School
visit on 29 June.
* Strimmed steps, seat
area and Lumley gate area.
* Litter picked in
Palmers Road copse.
Tasks for the next work
sessions include:
* trimming back
overhanging branches along Lumley Path and weed Hawthorns
and Holly saplings
* clearing around Oak and
Osier saplings
* cutting and raking
designated area for memorial seat in North Meadow
* cutting and raking
community area. litter picking
Work
session Thursday 3 May
Eleven volunteers
(Frances, Pam, Lyle, Jennifer, Dave, Richard, Penny,
Gaynor, Jill, Barbara and Beryl) turned up on a bright
sunny morning for the first work session of May. The main
tasks included:
· final attempt at
digging up Hemlock Water-Dropwort roots; filling at least
7 bags with roots which were later removed to the tip and
cutting down the rest of the plants in the Lumley wet
area.
· tying the Rowans
to their stakes with specially purchased soft ties and
cutting excess vegetation from around the base
· watering the young
Osiers, Aspen and Oak trees
· removing excess
vegetation from around the newly planted hedge along the
Seagull Lane fence, loosening the compacted soil,
mulching and watering.
The volunteers were
rewarded for their sterling work with a double
celebratory tea party in the meadow - Lyle made Linda
Baker his bride on 1 May and he also celebrated his 70th
birthday the following Sunday. On behalf of the Brook
Meadow Conservation Group, I would like to wish Mr and
Mrs Mark every happiness.
Lyle's
tea party - 03.05.07
Root
removal - 03-05-07
Tying
Rowans - 03.05.07
Report and photos by
Frances Jannaway
Work
session - Sunday 15 April
It was a lovely sunny
morning with 9 volunteers (Wally, Pam, Dave, Pat,
Barbara, Jill, Debbie, Jenny and Graham). Tasks completed
included:
Building a dead hedge behind the industrial estate near
the gasholder utilising arisings already present.
Digging up roots of 5 large Hemlock Water-dropwort plants
and filling holes with earth. Wally removed roots to
tip.
General litter pick
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
