Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve, near Yate and Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire.


The Nature Reserve is run by the Wapley Bushes Conservation Group, a small group of volunteers.

Thursday, August 19, 2021

"History and Honey Walk" - Saturday 11 September

Come and join us on a guided walk organised by Wapley Bushes Conservation Group for Abbotswood Action Group. Everybody welcome!

We'll be starting at Abbotswood at 10.30 am, and returning about 1.00 pm.

This walk from Abbotswood to Wapley and back will look at Fruit and History, Pollinators and the Future.

  • Find out what was here before the estates were built, and learn about the importance of "home orchards" to local people.
  • Learn about the role of pollinators and the importance of encouraging small mammals.
  • Find out what the Orchard for the Future project at Wapley Common is doing to encourage them.
  • Discover why the railway was a key route to South Wales, its role in wartime and how it created an important wildlife corridor.


 

Thursday, August 05, 2021

South West In Bloom assessor visits Wapley

We were very please to welcome the South West In Bloom assessor to Wapley this week. Each year we put in two entries, one for the Nature Reserve:

 and one for the Orchard for the Future and Wapley Common, because they are such different areas.

Our assessment visits are always interesting - they give us a chance to hear outsiders' views of what we're doing, and to get feedback on our latest improvements and changes.

This year we highlighted our new interpretation boards and the work we've been doing on Ash Dieback Disease. We also talked about how much local people have valued Wapley Common and the Nature Reserve during COVID.

We're looking forward to getting our results and our feedback.


Good "Love Parks Week" walk on 31 July

 

Nine of us explored the Woodlands and the Upper Meadow for the second of our summer walks. In particular we looked at how Dodington Parish Council and Wapley Bushes Conservation Group have been tackling the problem of Ash Dieback Disease. 

It was good to see how most of the monolithed trees are already throwing out new shoots. These will provide habitat for insects (so bird food), bats and lichen over the next few years while replacement trees are growing.

On the way back we stopped to watch the bees and other pollinators enjoying the buddleia on the bridge over the railway.