Spring Tidy-up Work Party

A few of us gathered this week to check the smaller trees and replace canes or rabbit spirals, where they were absent or broken. Some of the larger trees needed their protectors removed, as they had grown big enough. On Monday, Kim and Emily met up and braved the showers to work on the trees along the boundary fence. After the dry April, the very wet May has caused everything to grow very fast. The hawthorn, rowan and whitebeam are now all in flower.

On Wednesday, Penny and Kim were joined by Euan, who is volunteering in conservation work as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Award. Euan was clearing away branches from some hedge-cutting along the ditch, to allow us to mow the paths.

We were pleased to see some Spring flowers - red campion, welsh poppy and garlic mustard. We also caught sight of a couple of Field Voles and Lizards darting out of sight. The Spring has been cool so far this year, and there were no butterflies on the wing, but we did find some caterpillars of the Peacock butterfly in their web on some stinging nettles.

Spring - signs of new life

This Spring has been a chilly one, with the coldest April for 60 years, so things are coming out more slowly than last year. Nevertheless, the Mound is beginning to show plenty of blossom on the trees and shrubs. The Cherry blossom is over and there are tiny cherries appearing already. Summer food for the birds and small mammals.

There are flowers on the Crab Apples, Rowan, Hawthorn and Holly, providing nectar and pollen for pollinating insects.

On my latest visit yesterday, I encountered plenty of flying insects and a pretty little Spider called a Cucumber Green Orb Spider (Araniella cucurbitina) settled on the leaf of an Alder Buckthorn.

There was also a colourful Drinker Moth caterpillar here.

The grasses have also started to flower, including the fragrant Sweet Vernal Grass and Timothy Grass. There are also some Garlic Mustard plants flowering now alongside Red Campion in the damper parts. Garlic Mustard is the caterpillar foodplant for the Green-veined White butterfly, so we hope for some this Summer.

Our first planned tidy-up was rained off last week, unfortunately, but we are planning another one soon. We are always looking for volunteers. Some of the canes and spirals need to be removed or replaced. We have also had our first noticeable deer damage to the bark of a couple of trees. This is pretty unavoidable given our proximity to Winkleigh Woods, but I hope not too much damage will be done.

Winter signs of life

The other day I went to have a look around at the site, to see what I could discover of the wildlife living on The Mound. I found signs in the long grasses of animals having passed through or sheltering there. For example, there was a tunnel of grass leading through the wire fence, which could have been made by a hedgehog or a badger.

There was a little round hole, indicating a tunnel made in the grass by a vole, a pile of snail shells nibbled from the spiral end, which is usually the sign of Bank Voles and a pile of green droppings, characteristic of Field Voles, because their main diet is grass.

Bank and Field Voles are one of the main sources of food for Tawny and Barn Owls.

Our area also provides a home for many insects, some of the more attractive ones having already been pictured on this blog. I found two galls, pictured below - an Oak Marble Gall and a Thistle Stem Gall which provide a nest for the larvae of specific insects (Andricus kollari and Urophora cardui).  Insects feed birds and bats, and some smaller mammals.

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In addition, the tall hollow stems of Common Hogweed have provided protection for the larvae of a fly or wasp, shown by the holes bored to let them out.

So, even in mid-Winter, there are signs of life all around The Mound.

More native trees whips added to the spiral hedgerow

#IDigTrees - Over 1 million trees. And growing...December 2020

Despite the restrictions on meeting up during the Covid-19 pandemic, we successfully managed to plant all 100 young trees donated to us by The Conservation Volunteers (IDigTrees Project) which is funded by Ovo Energy. 

 

 

Kim - "Chief Organiser"

 

Included in the packs were: Oak, Alder, Beech, Silver Birch and Hornbeam (10 of each) and Rowan, Bird Cherry, Hazel, Crab Apple and Grey Willow (10 of each). We have not planted Alder or Green Beech on the site before, so this adds to our biodiversity.

Dave

Matt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charlie

 

Six volunteers met up on four separate occasions in December, with two or three people working together on one occasion, to keep within the Government guidelines on meeting outdoors and keeping a safe distance.

Vicki

Kim - again

Dave

Kim admiring the 2012 Cherry Tree