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2019
Brambles, nettles and hedgelaying
1st December
This Sunday the group started to tackle the brambles encroaching onto the path along the southern side of the meadow. We cut the grass in a strip nearer to the bramble bushes to encourage people to walk there and cleared brambles and nettles from that edge. This is a job that will continue during workdays this winter.
More nettles were pulled from the far end of the meadow: over the years we have gradually cleared most of them from that end, leaving them growing around the edges as a food source for butterfly caterpillars.
The final few metres of hedgelaying were tackled, which completes our hedge from the far end to the gap along the southern side. We will not lay the section from there to the corner behind the copse, keeping that as a less dense habitat.
Time for the washing up!
3rd November
Having planted out the remainder of the plug plants into the meadow during the weekdays following the last task morning, it was time to do the washing up.
There was an excellent turnout for the task morning: one group washed all the pots and trays, the other group cut back the shrubbery beside the cycle path as it was overhanging the verge and path, and pulled young nettles from the far end of the meadow.
Our AGM was held on 14th October and was well attended. We discussed the achievements of the group and plans for the future. The list of activities during the year in the meadow is available to download, together with what wildflowers have been grown.
Planting more wildflowers after the hay cut
6th October
It's been busy in the meadow over the last month. The farmer cut the field, baled the hay and took the bales away in the middle of September. Then we spent many days raking away the loose hay to further reduce the fertility of the soil which gives the flowers a better chance of thriving. October's task morning was the start of planting out our hundreds of wildflowers that we'd grown from seed from the meadow in the spring. There were nearly a dozen of us there planting, collecting litter, removing the last of the hay and cutting back brambles. About 300 Black Knapweed, Field Scabious and Mallow were planted out - that's just over half of those needing to be planted out this autumn.
A busy September task morning
3rd September
Nearly a dozen of us set to this morning mowing the paths and the grass beside the cycle path, removing nettles from overhanging various paths and from the middle of the meadow, cutting back overhanging brambles, trimming our hedge and clearing bindweed from the small hawthorns there. Then a heavy shower scattered us but at least we had more or less finished and it was lunchtime!
Bat & Moth Evening
30th August
We held a successful Bat & Moth Evening on the 30th August in the meadow during which Paul lent us several bat detectors so that we could listen to the various clicks made by bats as they foraged for insects around the trees and under the blue bridge. Bat species included pipistrelle and daubenton. At dusk Michael set up a moth trap with a bright light and a white sheet under the trees and showed us other moths that he had caught over the previous night at home. Later he identified 42 moths of 17 species in the trap from the meadow. The star of the show during the evening was an Old Lady moth that fluttered among us. It was an impressive size - see the photo under Fauna on our Gallery page.
Collecting wild flower seeds amidst the butterflies
5th August
Eight of the group spent a pleasant morning in the summer warmth of the meadow where we saw several butterflies and other invertebrates e.g. Common Blue butterflies, Cinnabar moth caterpillars, shield bugs and grasshoppers. We collected seed from our wildflowers, including knapweeds, scabious and mallow, and mapped out where we can plant the resulting plug plants next year into the areas needing more flowers. More nettles were pulled up from the centre of the meadow, together with ragwort where they were not supporting the stripey caterpillars of the Cinnabar moth.
One job, not restricted to the Sunday task mornings, is mowing the paths when the grass grows quickly in the hot and occasional showery weather of late.
Wonderful flowers and butterflies
7th July
Today a dozen of us tidied up alongside our hedge, pulled up some nettles from within the meadow and mowed some of the paths. Then Michael led the group around showing off the flowers that are doing so well and we watched the many butterflies flying about in the warm sunshine and nectaring on the blossoms. There were the lilacs and purples of scabious, knapweeds, mallow and betony, blue of Meadow Cranesbill, and yellow of Birds-foot Trefoil. Several ladybirds and a few damselflies were seen. Above all these were mainly Meadow Brown butterflies plus occasional Common Blue, skippers, Marbled White and Comma.
At lunchtime we enjoyed our picnic, sharing out many different dishes of delicious food. Thanks go to Daphne and John for welcoming us into their riverside garden.
Off with their heads ...
2nd June
The main task was cutting off the white flowering heads of Hogweed, because, although they are pretty and attract some insects, we don't want Hogweed plants dominating the meadow. Over recent years we have reduced the number of them. As there were nearly a dozen of us in the meadow this morning we also tackled more cleavers and nettles choking our hedge and mowed the paths.
Several insects were spotted including a pair of Common Blue butterflies, various ladybirds and some Cardinal Beetles.
Plenty of Spring tasks
5th May
We split into two groups this morning: one at Michael and Angela's place and the other in the meadow. At the former over 460 seedlings were pricked out, including Field Scabious and Common Mallow, while at the latter cleavers and nettles were removed from beside our hedge, the paths and verge were mown, and some ox-eye daisies were planted out. A good morning's work!
A lot of weeding
7th April
Over a dozen of us joined in for varying lengths of time to reduce the amount of cleavers (it has many regional names e.g. goosegrass, stickyweed...) from the copse areas of the meadow. It tends to spread easily if left to seed and envelops everything, including the violets and primroses. We also pulled up plenty of young stinging nettles before they take over. We admired the snakes-head fritillaries and cowslips flowering on the southern side of the meadow.
Sowing, planting, hedging and clearing
3rd March
Ten of the group spent the morning on a variety of tasks today, after last month's workday was cancelled due to snow and icy conditions. At Angela's nine species of seeds collected from the meadow last summer were sown, including Agrimony, Lady's Bedstraw and Common Mallow. Many Snowdrops and Greater Stitchwort were planted along the base of the hedge in the meadow. The hedge-laying progressed a few more feet and more work was done on the dead hedges adjacent to the cycle path. Branches were cleared from the meadow and stacked at the edge. It was a productive morning at the end of the winter activities in the meadow.
A busy New Year in the meadow
6th January
A dozen of us were busy in the meadow this morning with several different tasks. Coppicing was completed on two trees in the copse near the cycle path, resulting in stakes to strengthen the dead hedges beside the cycle path. Another section of hedge-laying was worked on and more bramble pulled and gathered at the far end of the meadow. A whole sack of refuse, mainly cans and bottles, was filled: sacks at this time of year should be filled with presents not rubbish! It's a shame when there is a refuse bin provided in the meadow, close to the blue bridge.