First post-pandemic winter work-party

Today, for the first time since the winter of 2019-2020, we were able to gather a larger group of people together for a work-party on The Mound without restrictions or fear of spreading coronavirus. 

It is also the first time we have been able to celebrate together being Winners in the North Devon Biosphere Pledge for Nature Award in Spring 2021.  Winkleigh Biodiversity Group won the Community Group Award and Kim was nominated a 'Community Champion'. Kim and Penny are proudly holding up the plaques we won.

Our Pledge for Nature Awards

 

The weather was cold but dry, so the ten of us spread out over the Area each to our separate tasks. James replaced many of the plastic tree-spirals with the plant-based biodegradable ones we bought recently with funds raised from the Winkleigh Tree Hub in April.

Replacing plastic tree-guards

David trimmed back some of the most flowery patches on the grass path.  Cutting grass back now will help the Knapweed, Yarrow, Oxeye Daisy and Marsh Woundwort which flower there in mid-Summer. 

Strimming the flowery patches

The rest of us, Kim, Trevor, Catherine, Maggie, Ian, Sue, Penny and Philip all set to snipping bramble around the smaller whips so that they don't get shaded out next year.  The taller trees actually benefit from bramble around them, as this stops the deer from damaging the bark. During the morning's work we also had three visitors to see what we have been doing here.

Trimming back some bramble

To our delight we found two small nests made of woven vegetation.  This one is 8cm in diameter and is definitely a Harvest Mouse nest. It was found by Maggie in some bramble which had been cut back by Alan last week. We will register this find with the Devon Harvest Mouse Survey which is run by the Devon Mammal Group. It is the first nest found in our 10km x 10km square this winter survey season.  The only other one this year was found by Kim here (photos on the April 2022 blog).

Harvest Mouse nest of woven grass

What is truly amazing about Nature, is that if you give it space and leave it in peace, many species move in.  For the first time this year, we have lichen growing on two of the trees.  Firstly, a foliose lichen on a Wild Cherry and secondly a script lichen on English Oak, both planted in 2012.

Foliose lichen

Script lichen

The site has changed since the summer, when the dead Leylandii hedge between the Old Bowling Green and the Biodiversity Area was removed. We can now see the Sports Centre and a certain amount of shelter from the westerly winds has gone.

View to the South West

On our tenth anniversary we are celebrating our achievement and yet we are also awaiting anxiously the outcome of a proposal by the current Trustees to develop a sports pitch across part of the Biodiversity Area, which would cut into the Spiral Maze and displace many trees, shrubs and plants, which feed and house many of the species that make their home here.

Young hazel, oak and rowan

Trees are growing well

The small trees donated by the Woodland Trust have nearly all survived the winter, despite some of the tree guards being knocked over by sheep.  On June 11th we went up to the Playing Fields to pull out some of the tall grasses and nettles growing around each tree.  We have plans for more tree planting this autumn on The Mound behind the Sports Centre.  Meanwhile volunteers will visit regularly to keep a space around each young tree free from weeds.

Here are some of our cheerful band of volunteers:

There is a large amount of Lady's Smock in flower at the moment, food plant for the Orange Tip butterfly.

We also found a mouse nest in the grass in April.  Could it be a harvest mouse?

We checked with someone who knows, and yes - it is a harvest mouse nest.  This is what she said:

"Hey, that is definitely a harvest mouse nest, so that is very good news!  The mice make several of these nests for sleeping, resting and rearing young.  They are usually 30 -60 cm above ground, attached to several grass stems.  Brilliant find!  I'm surprised any mice have survived the very cold winter we've had.  I think we just need to make sure there is plenty of long grass for them."

The website of the People's Trust for Endangered Species says that harvest mouse numbers have declined up to 70% in the past 30 years.

Harvest mice, or at least their distinctive round nests among tall grass were once a common sight in the British countryside. But in just 30 years, harvest mouse numbers appear to have decreased by as much as 70% - See more at: http://www.ptes.org/index.php?news=196#sthash.gx2FyrIn.dpuf

Harvest mice, or at least their distinctive round nests among tall grass were once a common sight in the British countryside. But in just 30 years, harvest mouse numbers appear to have decreased by as much as 70% - See more at: http://www.ptes.org/index.php?news=196#sthash.gx2FyrIn.dpuf

In April we also planted six Alder Buckthorn trees, which provide food for the caterpillars of the Brimstone butterfly.

First Work Party for the Wild Flower Project

Following a couple of meetings of people interested in supporting or participating in this project, we finally got our first work party underway on Saturday 4th August.

The task of managing the whole area (approximately 3/4 acre) will need the support of volunteers with appropriate machinery to cut down the rough growth on the top of the mound.

So we decided to start by tackling the area nearest to the Sports Centre, which is more grassy.
 

Seven volunteers spent an enjoyable morning pulling out Creeping Thistle (cirsium arvense), and some nettles.  Thistles are a good nectar source for bees and butterflies, but they are also an opportunistic weed, and spread by seed and by underground runners.  Our aim was to reduce the numbers in the grassy bank, rather than to eradicate them.  There are still thousands flowering on the mound itself.  Our next step is to cut the grass in September.  Any volunteers?