Work morning Sunday July 5th - dead hedging

Dead hedging is making a barrier entirely from natural material, as shown in this drawing from the BTCV. Stakes are driven into the ground at intervals, and longer cut branches are woven between the stakes.

We are planning to collect material that we have previously coppiced from the Centenary Wood (see earlier post) and bring it down to locations where we want to create barriers to protect sensitive areas.

Please come along and help us - you can also collect your FREE copy of the new Nature Journal, if you haven't already got one. You'll need to wear suitable footwear. Tools and gloves will be provided.

We look forward to seeing you at 10.00 am at the Shire Way gate.

Work mornings programme

Our next few work mornings will be as follows:

• July 5 - Dead hedging, collecting material from Centenary Wood
• Sep 20 - Stream clearance
• Nov 1 - Planting edge of Western Wood
• Jan 24 - Coppicing and using material as dead hedging
• Mar 14 - Hedgerow/boundary planting near Chris's Bridge

Meet at 10 am at the Shire Way gate in each case.

Report from May 31 Work Morning

This was a work morning with a difference, exploring the Reserve with the new Nature Journal.


Flora we spotted included hay rattle (a partly parasitic plant, drawing nutrient from grass), bird's foot trefoil (otherwise known as bacon and eggs), cowslip seed pods, campion, and twayblade (one of the orchid family)


We identified many different bird species including wren, song thrush and green woodpecker.