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2013
Copse & hedge management
1st December
Several members of the group met for a morning of tasks in the meadow. We coppiced a number of trees in the copse beside the cycle path and continued with some hedgelaying, using some of the cut trunks as stakes to weave the hedge around. Some of the deep ruts created by the vehicle damage last month were filled and smoothed over with top soil.
Vehicle damage in the Meadow
28th November
It would appear that contractors, about to deal with electricity cables across the river, have driven through the meadow, creating muddy ruts through some of our best quality areas of flowers ! It is a pity that some people are so insensitive. See the latest photos in our Gallery (and click on General). The group hopes to repair some of the damage with extra top soil.
Clearing brambles and nettles
3rd November
The workday this morning consisted of cutting back some of the brambles and nettles from encroaching on the top path, clearing nettles from the edge of the copse to allow the primroses to flourish, and freeing the stunted hawthorns in the new hedge from being throttled by vegetation. Also, two bags-worth of litter were collected from the meadow and plenty of small branches and twigs, blown down in the recent high winds, were picked up.
10th AGM
30th September
A majority of the active members of the group met to hear about progress in the meadow and to discuss plans for the future. Here is a list of the past year's activities, together with a spreadsheet detailing the wildflower plugs planted.
We hope to continue to manage the area, maintaining a variety of different habitats. The idea is not to allow any particular species to dominate, so stinging nettles and brambles in moderation, but not spreading further into the grassland. We continue to reduce the fertility of the meadow by removing cut grass, and then planting more wild flowers into the finer grasses. We plan to lay more of the hedge and to increase woodland and hedgerow species beside the hedge and copses.
After the hay cut ...
30th September
Once the farmer had cut the hay on the 2nd September and baled it and removed it two days later, we had plenty of work to do. The loose bits of hay left behind were raked up and then nearly 900 plug plants of the wildflowers, we had grown from seed gathered from the meadow last year, were planted out.
Tidying up before the hay-cut
1st September
Half a dozen members of the group spent a pleasant hour and a half in the meadow on various tasks. These included trimming brambles, nettles and tree branches back from paths, removing litter, gathering the last of the seeds from some of the wild flowers, and releasing a section of small hawthorns in the hedge from the clutches of bindweed. The next day the farm machinery moved in to cut the meadow for hay.
August workday
4th August
A good session - tasks included collecting seeds, cutting back brambles, scything nettles along the hedge and picking up litter.
Big Butterfly Count in the Meadow
26th July
Michael walked round the meadow counting butterflies as part of the Big Butterfly Count, organised by Butterfly Conservation.
He recorded the following:
15 Small Skipper
1 Brimstone (see the latest photo on our Gallery page)
1 Large White
7 Small White
2 Green-veined White
2 Small Tortoiseshell
2 Comma
4 Peacock
7 Marbled White
7 Gatekeeper
63 Meadow Brown
18 Ringlet
2 Six-spot Burnet (Day-flying moth)
That's quite a colourful variety ! We must be doing something right, managing the meadow for wildlife.
Sunshine, butterflies and wild flowers
7th July
The July task day was blessed with warm sunshine and several of the group met to carry out various jobs. Paths were mowed, nettles were scythed, small hawthorns in the hedge were released from the suffocating embrace of bindweed and nettles, dock heads were chopped off before they could release their seeds, and unsightly litter removed. In the afternoon Michael Sammes led a Wiltshire Wildlife Trust walk around the meadow, during which he chatted about the colourful flowers and butterflies in the meadow at this time of the year. Several small tortoiseshell, ringlet and meadow brown butterflies were on the wing. The meadow cranesbill, bird's-foot trefoil and field scabious provided a colourful show, though the long cold spring had delayed most of the knapweed.
Wrens in the new hedge
18th June
A family of an adult and 5 newly-fledged wrens was seen in part of the hedge that has been layed. Earlier in the month small tortoiseshell caterpillars were photographed on young stinging nettles.
Attacking the hogweed
2nd June
On the June workday we had quite a few people along to help remove hogweed and nettles from the meadow, giving the wildflowers a chance to flourish.
Trays and trays of wild flowers
5th May
A good turnout of people on Sunday morning and fine weather meant that we managed to plant 300 wild flower plugs into the meadow and 255 wild flower seedlings into trays. Plants included cornflowers, marigolds, yarrow, bird's-foot trefoil and knapweeds. We hope the work will be rewarded with a colourful display in the summer and future years. On other days group members have been mowing the grass, raking up and scything nettles. It was good to see a Brimstone butterfly laying eggs on the Buckthorn bush we had planted several years ago.
Planting and tidying
7th April
We had a productive morning in the meadow as there were plenty of people and many tasks ! The last of the branches that were coppiced in March were cut up and moved to a habitat pile for invertebrates and small creatures. More bramble was cleared from near the top path to stop it encroaching. Some undergrowth was cleared from under the trees by the cycle path so that primroses and snowdrops could be planted there. The ones planted last year have been flowering recently. More primroses and snowdrops were planted along the base of the laid hedge and 120 corncockle plants that were grown from seed last autumn were planted out in groups across the meadow. Hopefully, the latter should add more colour to the summer show of wild flowers.
More winter activities
3rd March
On a cold morning several of the group braved the weather to cut brambles back from the top path to stop them encroaching too far onto the meadow. We did a little more of the hedgelaying but will now be leaving that task until the late autumn as the trees are starting into growth. The appearance of the area was improved with some litter-picking. It's surprising how much rubbish is dropped or blown in, and litter always seems to encourage more litter. See the Gallery for more photos of our activities.
Winter Activities
3rd February
The group continued with hedgelaying during the January and February workdays, and has completed several more metres this season. The stakes that the hedge is woven between were obtained by coppicing some of the trees beside the cycle path. That area of trees is now more open and varied, so allowing woodland flowers like promroses to flourish. We have left several piles of brash there as habitat for invertebrates. The flimsy tops of the cut branches are used as 'heathering', plaited along the top of the hedge to secure the laid parts in place. The grass around the scattered trees and shrubs in the Baydons Lane corner has been cut and removed so that the cowslips can flower in the spring.