Merry Xmas from Wapley Bushes!

We wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Listen to your nearest hedge!

Listen to your nearest hedge! This birdsong was recorded at Lilliput Park last week

Lilliput Park work mornings for January - Tue 3rd and Sat 21st

A small band of enthusiasts - the Lilliput Conservation Group - is spending a couple of hours on the first Tuesday of each month, and also some Saturday mornings, tidying up the hedgerows and plantings in Lilliput Park.

Our next work mornings are Tuesday 3rd January and Saturday 21 January. At the moment we are preparing areas in the Quiet Corner for planting in the Spring.

Please come along and help us improve this historic park. We shall be meeting at the Kingfisher Road gate at 10.00 am. Please wear suitable footwear and bring gloves if you have them.

You can check out the Lilliput Conservation Group on Facebook for more information.

Lilliput Park work morning - Tuesday 6 December

A small band of enthusiasts - the Lilliput Conservation Group - is spending a couple of hours on the first Tuesday of each month tidying up the hedgerows and plantings in Lilliput Park.

Please come along and help us improve this historic park. We shall be meeting at the Kingfisher Road gate at 10.00 am. Please wear suitable footwear and bring gloves if you have them.

You can check out the Lilliput Conservation Group on Facebook for more information.

Friends of Ridge Wood Woodland Work Morning - Sunday 20 November

Sunday - 20th November - Work Morning
10:00am to 12 noon
Meet at Melrose Close entrance to woods. (see map here)
Gloves & tools provided

Heritage fruit trees planted at Wapley work morning 12 November

The ladies discovered a hidden talent,
using a post whacker

Our team of volunteers after a good morning's work

Now, which tree goes where?

We had a great work morning on Saturday at Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve, planting heritage varieties of apples and pears along the hedge at the bottom of the Lower Meadow, where there are already two very large mature pear trees.

It really started the previous day when two of us went to collect the trees from a specialist nursery. We thought they were going to be about 4 feet high but found that most were nearer 8 feet. they just fitted in the car, with the tops almost out of the front passenger window.

We had selected types of fruit that used to grow around here but are no longer available in the shops, for example beetroot pears - red leaves and red flesh inside. We planted two of these and four apples of several varieties. They are all on vigorous root stocks so they should take root quickly.

We had eight volunteers, just the right number for the job in hand including a lot of litter picking. The weather was kind and the threatened showers didn't materialise.

Wapley Bushes work morning - Saturday 12 November

This workday will be a morning of general maintenance work and tidying up the reserve prior to the winter season. Please wear walking or wellington boots and bring some gloves.

Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland (opposite the road entrance to Cherington), south Yate, BS37 8US, 10.00am.

Lilliput Park work morning - Tuesday 1 November

A small band of enthusiasts - the Lilliput Conservation Group - is spending a couple of hours on the first Tuesday of each month tidying up the hedgerows and plantings in Lilliput Park.

Please come along and help us improve this historic park. We shall be meeting at the Kingfisher Road gate at 10.00 am. Please wear suitable footwear and bring gloves if you have them.

You can check out the Lilliput Conservation Group on Facebook for more information.

Spoilt for choice of work mornings this Saturday, Yate Common and Lilliput Park

There will be two local environmental work mornings this coming Saturday (15 October) -

Friends of Yate Common - meet 10 am at the Community Orchard. For more details about the group check out the FOYC Facebook Group.

Lilliput Park Conservation Group  - meet 10 am at the Kingfisher Road gate. You can find out more about Lilliput Park on the LPCG Facebook Group.

Blooming good results for local nature groups

All five local entries for the 2016 South West In Bloom awards have been given the top grade of 'Outstanding' in the Neighbourhoods category. This recognises the effort put in by our dedicated groups of volunteers and the support given by Dodington Parish Council and Yate Town Council.

Charlie Watson (Dodington Allotments Association), Pat Cotterell (Friends of Lilliput Park) and Paul Hulbert (Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve, Wapley Common and the Orchard for the Future) receiving their certificates from Lady Emma Fellowes, joint patron of South West in Bloom

The award winners are:

• Dodington Allotment Association (Dodington)
• Friends of Kingsgate Park (Yate)
• Friends of Lilliput Park (Dodington)
• Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve (Dodington)
• Wapley Common and the Orchard for the Future (Dodington)

Representatives of the groups were presented with their awards at the South West In Bloom ceremony in Taunton.

Judith Cameron (Friends of Kingsgate Park) and Paul Hulbert (Avon Wildlife Trust) receiving the Kingsgate Park certificate from the Mayor of Taunton Deane, Cllr Vivienne Stock-Williams

Second Friends session for popular Lilliput Park

Lilliput Park, between Heron Way and Chipping Sodbury, is very popular with people of all ages. The Lilliput Conservation Group run work mornings in the park on the first Tuesday of each month (e.g. Tuesday 4 October), but they have had requests for local people to organise a weekend session.

The first weekend work morning will be on Saturday 15 October from 10 am until 12 noon, meeting at the Kingfisher Road gate. All ages are welcome, but children need to be accompanied by responsible adults. Suitable footwear should be worn, and gloves would be useful.

Dodington Parish Councillor Paul Hulbert, who is a regular at the work sessions, said "There will be something for everyone - digging and tidying, cutting back the bushes, and litter picking. People can work at their own pace"

For more information please check out the Lilliput Conservation Group page on Facebook, or contact Paul Hulbert on 07771 562505.

Kingsgate Park Nature Reserve Workday - Saturday 8th October 10.00 am

Discover the natural beauty on your doorstep. Enjoy a day with others helping to care for this popular park. Spend a day in the outdoors helping manage this important amphibian haven. Please wear suitable outdoor clothing including gloves and wellies or walking boots.

Cost: Free. No booking required.

This event is part of Discover Festival 2016 - your chance to discover and enjoy something new in South Gloucestershire. Click below to find out more.

sites.southglos.gov.uk/discover

Kingsgate Park Nature Reserve Ponds Workday Saturday 8 October

We shall undertaking maintenance of this important amphibian site including the cutting back of vegetation. Please wear gloves and wellington boots.

Meet at the Scott Way entrance to Kingsgate Park, Scott Way, Yate, BS37 4NW, 10.00am (parking is available at the entrance of Shackleton Avenue)

Lilliput Park work morning - Tuesday 4 October

A small band of enthusiasts - the Lilliput Conservation Group - is spending a couple of hours on the first Tuesday of each month tidying up the hedgerows and plantings in Lilliput Park.

Please come along and help us improve this historic park. We shall be meeting at the Kingfisher Road gate at 10.00 am. Please wear suitable footwear and bring gloves if you have them.

You can check out the Lilliput Conservation Group on Facebook for more information.

Abbotswood Autumn Apple Day Saturday 1 October

This is a seasonal celebration of autumn and apples with the Abbotswood Action Group community.It's loads of fun and there will be interesting and creative activities for all ages. Admission is free and refreshments will be available. Well behaved dogs on a lead are welcome to come along too.

Location: St Nicholas Family Centre garden and Abbotswood precinct, Chargrove, Abbotswood, Yate, BS37 4LG, 11am - 3pm.

Stream works, toad, and more - report from work morning 11 September

Cutting the vegetation

There is a stream down through the middle of the wood that only flows when it's been raining heavily, but we need to clear it every year to make sure that it doesn't overflow and alter the surrounding habitat. So on Sunday we cut our way through the vegetation and dug out the leaf mould and other debris from the stream bed.

The stream going up through the woodland

As we were clearing the stream we first saw something jump away very quickly - a frog, we think - and then we saw a toad ambling its way away from the area where we were working. We're not sure that we've seen a toad in the wood before.

The wood definitely seems to be getting wetter. In the summer the bed of the stream usually develops deep cracks, but only the upper part of the stream had cracks this time.

Lady fern or similar species

Hart's tongue fern

Ferns are also much more widely distributed in the wood than a few years ago. It will be interesting to see what other species changes occur.

Bracket fungi

One tree near the stream regularly has spectacular bracket fungi, some as large as dinner plates.

13 people came on the work morning, so we were also able to do a lot of litter picking and our regular maintenance of the fruit trees.

A big thank you to everyone who helped!

Kennedy Way Pond Workday Sunday 25 September

We shall be carrying out general management works on the reserve including vegetation clearance at this local wildlife haven.
Meet at the Kennedy Way Pond, Link Road, Yate Shopping Centre, 10.00am (parking is available at the Yate overflow car park also on the eastern side of Link Road, BS37 4AY)

Brilliant bat walk!

 

A brilliant Wapley Bushes Bat Walk this evening - loads of bats, three species - pipistrelles, soprano pipistrelles and a few noctules. 67 people came, including quite a lot of children enjoying being in the dark woods at night. The photo shows some of the children experimenting with their bat detectors.

The bats were flying surprisingly low - down to a metre above the ground and weaving their way between groups of people. We think they were after insects that were flying low along the woodland edge to shelter from the wind.

Thanks to everyone that came - please come and join in our other events at Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve and around the area. Reminder - we've got a Wapley Bushes Work Morning on Sunday, 10.00 am at the Shire Way gate.

Friends of Ridge Wood bat walk - 21 September

Bat Walk
7:00pm to approx. 9:00pm

Join the Friends of Ridge Wood and Avon Bat Group for a twilight stroll in search of bats. Bat detectors provided. Wear warm clothes and boots and bring a torch.
Meet at Quarry Road entrance, Chipping Sodbury, BS37 6AX.
No dogs allowed - except guide dogs....

This is a free event in the Discover Festival program organised by the Council.
However please register your intention to attend, on the South Glouc website.

Click Here to book your free place. Run by Eventbrite.

Getting ready for the bat walk

Two of us spent a couple of hours this morning cutting back overgrowth on the route we'll be using for the bat walk this coming Friday 9th September (7.30 pm at the Shire Way gate)

The worst part was near the top of the Ride - we're investigating having the Ride cut back mechanically during the autumn, now that the bird nesting season has finished. If we don't, we'll have the Ride growing over every summer.

Friends of Ridge Wood informal meeting - Wed 14 September

To be held at Tesco Extra, Yate Community Meeting Room
Parking in public car park
Meeting starts 7:30pm All welcome

Friends of Ridge Wood Woodland Work Morning - Sunday 4 September

Sunday - 4th September - Woodland Work Morning
10:00am to 12 noon
Meet at Melrose Avenue entrance
Gloves and Tools supplied

Lilliput Park work morning - Tuesday 6 September

A small band of enthusiasts - the Lilliput Conservation Group - is spending a couple of hours on the first Tuesday of each month tidying up the hedgerows and plantings in Lilliput Park.

Please come along and help us improve this historic park. We shall be meeting at the Kingfisher Road gate at 10.00 am. Please wear suitable footwear and bring gloves if you have them.

You can check out the Lilliput Conservation Group on Facebook for more information.

Wapley Bushes Workday, Sunday 11 September

This workday will be our annual stream clearance where we hope to clear the central watercourse through the main woodland. This work is required to preserve the habitat of the rare local thin-spiked wood sedge. There will also be lighter work for people who prefer it!

You are welcome to come along and please wear walking or wellington boots and bring some gloves.

Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, 10.00am.

Wapley Bushes Bat Walk Friday 9 September

Join us for a twilight stroll in search of bats. Bat detectors provided. Wear warm clothes and stout shoes or boots and bring a torch. Meet at the Shire Way entrance to Wapley Bushes (opposite Cherington), Yate, BS37 8YA, 7:30 - 9:15pm.

Family Nature Day and Picnic at Says Court Solar Farm Tuesday 30th August

Avon Wildlife Trust are holding a Family Nature Day and Picnic at Says Court Solar Farm from 10am to 12 noon on Tuesday 30th August.

The event will offer a morning of nature based exploration including bug hunting, blackberry painting and much more. You can bring a picnic to enjoy in the wildflower meadow that’s been created by the solar farm. There will be a mix of led and free play activities available that will be suitable for all ages, though children must be accompanied by an adult. Booking is essential – please email nicole.daw@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk

Find out more about trees - family tree measuring day 17 August

Do you:

• Want to learn to identify and measure trees?
• Want to find out about the environmental benefits trees provide?
• Want to find out what happens to trees when water is in short supply?

Join in a Tree Measuring Day and find out more!

This Wednesday 17th August 2016, 10.30 am - 4pm
The Ridings, Wickwar Rd, Chipping Sodbury , Bristol BS37 6BQ

An interactive, family event giving you the chance to help with a large-scale scientific project.

Have tea and cake and talk to researchers from the University of the West of England about your memories of local droughts, and how drought can affect our everyday life.

To get involved or find out more...

• Visit: www.dryproject.co.uk
• Email: dry@uwe.ac.uk
• Call: 0117 32 87024

Foragers and fungi

Green woodpecker

Rook

Now that the meadows have been cut, medium to large birds are a common sight pecking their way through the meadows looking for insects or other food. Today a pair of green woodpeckers were active near the Top Pond, and other birds such as rooks and magpies were also foraging in the Top Meadow.

The haymaking hasn't totally driven away the butterflies. There are quite a few left, mainly feeding in the hedgerows.

If you know where to look in the main wood, there are bracket fungi larger than dinner plates:

Bracket fungi

... not to mention some interesting ground fungi:

Ground fungus

As summer goes on, our orchard trees are getting on well, but it's worth looking at the couple of very mature crab apple trees on the Reserve. The one on the edge of the wood looking over towards the Picnic Area is going to have a bumper crop this year.

Crab apples

Ridge Woods Forest Fun Time Thursday 18th August

Get out and discover this local woodland this summer holiday on the family forest trail at Ridge Wood Local Nature Reserve. There will also be an opportunity to try out various woodland crafts.

Free entry and refreshments provided, this event is suitable for accompanied children up to age 11.

The trail starts at the Jubilee Gardens entrance to the woodland from 2.00pm. Sorry, no dogs allowed.

Further details and a map can be found on the Ridge Woods website

The Friends of Ridge Woods are also running a Photography Competition:

Calling all budding amateur photographers! Grab your camera and head to your local nature reserve to capture your favourite images of summer in the woodland! Photographs can be of anything – plants, birds, animals, landscapes – as long as they are taken in Ridge Wood.

Prizes will be awarded for the best photograph in each of the following categories:

• Under 10s
• 10-16
• Adult

Email your entries to info.forw@gmail.com by 31st August with your name, age and contact details.

Photo from Wapley Bushes Green Flag Community Award presentation

As we reported a few weeks ago, Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve has won the prestigious Green Flag Community Award for the fourth year running. We've just received this photo from the South West award presentation event in Cheltenham.

The picture shows Malcolm Stephen and Paul Hulbert accepting the award from the Mayor of Cheltenham Cllr Chris Ryder and representatives of Keep Britain Tidy.

Report back on the grass transplant!

Isabel and Bert "making hay while the sun shines"
in the Lower Meadow

Wapley Bushes Conservation Group is trying to enhance one of the popular local meadow areas by transplanting wildflower seeds from another part of the Local Nature Reserve.

We're working on a project to improve the biodiversity of the Upper Meadow. We've transplanted seeds from the herb-rich Lower Meadow, which is spectacular when the flowers are in bloom, to the Upper Meadow. When the grass was cut we collected some sacks of the cuttings, complete with seeds. We raked our target area and then spread the cuttings on it so that the seeds can take root.

Malcolm, Reuben, Tim and Paul spreading
the flower-rich grass in the Upper Meadow

We took some of the grass home and spread it out to dry. It was surprising just how much seed was produced. Hopefully the seeds will germinate next spring - we'll come back to this patch to see how much of a difference we've made.

Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve is managed by the Conservation Group on behalf of landowners Dodington Parish Council. This is just one of the projects we are undertaking to improve the area for the local community. We always welcome visitors and new volunteers. Our next public event will be a family bat walk at 7.30 pm on Friday 9 September. Bat walks are always popular with families - children love exploring the 'creepy woods' in the dark!

For further details of events please contact Paul Hulbert on paul.hulbert@gmail.com or 07771 562505 - further details will also appear on this blog in a couple of weeks.

Quick extra work session this Friday (5th August)

One of the things we said we would do is collect some some "arisings" (cut trass) from the sloping Lower Meadow and then transplant the arisings (and the seeds in those arisings) to the flat Upper Meadow to enrich the flora there.

We have been told that the cut will take place on Friday (tomorrow) with the grass being bailed on Saturday. Therefore, if anyone is free to help out with arisings collection, please meet at 2pm tomorrow afternoon on Friday at the Shire Way entrance to the reserve. Items required will be bin bags, gloves and it may be worth bringing some secateurs along too.

We appreciate that it is very short notice but the very variable weather meant that a snap decision had to be made about the cutting day. Thank you for your help and understanding.

Ridge Wood - Forest Fun Time Thursday 18th August

Once again, the Friends of Ridge Wood are planning a FREE family trail and woodland crafts to encourage kids to get out and about during the school holidays.

Check out the Friends of Ridge Wood website for more details.

Wapley Bushes wins major environmental award for fourth year running

Wapley Bushes has just won the Green Flag Community Award, the only such award in South Gloucestershire. Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve, Wapley Common and the Orchard for the Future form one of the very best green spaces in the UK – and that’s official. The green space is among a record-breaking 1,686 places that have received the prestigious Green Flag Award – the mark of a quality park or green space.

A Green Flag is a sign to the public that the space boasts the highest possible standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent facilities. The Community Award recognises sites that are largely managed by community groups, in this case the volunteers of Wapley Bushes Conservation Group.

The award, now celebrating its 20th year, recognises and rewards the best parks and green spaces across the country. Wapley's Green Flag was presented yesterday at the regional Green Flag Award event in Cheltenham. This is the fourth year running that Wapley has succeeded in gaining this award.

Report from work morning 10 July 2016

We actually spread this work session out over a few days, because not all of us were available at the same time. There were five of us in all. On the 10th we had a group of three, clearing vegetation around signs and entrances, litter picking, cutting back of invasive blackthorn shrubs (sloe bushes) and summer fruit tree pruning.

Before...

After!

The climbing rose (Rosa Wedding Day) by the cottages has really grown well on the dead plum tree. It has put on a good flowering display this year and it is serving its conservation purpose since a number of bees were visiting the flowers (the idea is that the the summer flowering rose take over from the spring flowering fruit trees to ensure a supply of nectar and pollen for insects over a longer period).
	One of the deer-damaged young plum trees was experiencing lop sided growth and a number of dead branches. That tree had to be severely pruned back to its most promising young shoots which were then cable-tied to ensure vertical growth.
Finally, here is a picture of the healthy plum-like gage tree which had a significant standard prune back.

Two more colleagues paid a double visit on other days, gathering hay rattle seeds for transplanting (there will be more on this in a later post) and doing a litter-pick.

Wapley Bushes Summer Fruit Tree Pruning morning Sunday 10 July

Please come and join us for a pleasant summer work morning - nothing too strenuous!

As well as pruning stoned fruit trees such as plums and gages, we shall also be attending to odd jobs on the reserve. There will be something for everyone!

Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, BS37 8US, 10.00am.

Lilliput Park work morning - Tuesday 5 July

A small band of enthusiasts - the Lilliput Conservation Group - is spending a couple of hours on the first Tuesday of each month tidying up the hedgerows and plantings in Lilliput Park.

Please come along and help us improve this historic park. We shall be meeting at the Kingfisher Road gate at 10.00 am. Please wear suitable footwear and bring gloves if you have them.

You can check out the Lilliput Conservation Group on Facebook for more information.

National Meadows Day at Dyrham Park - Saturday 2 July

Join the National Trust for National Meadows Day at the Whitefield from 11am to 4pm, our wild flower meadow, to celebrate all things meadow! Get your face painted and take part in our bioblitz with lots of experts on hand. Meet our bee keeper, take part in craft activities, watch some scything action and learn all about wild flowers. You can even make some wild flower seed bombs, bee hotels and flower crowns with us. Children and assistance dogs are welcome and for more information call 0117 937 2501 or email: dyrhampark@nationaltrust.org.uk

Please wear suitable clothing for an outdoor activity. This event is at Whitefield, our wild flower meadow at the far end of the visitor car park

Please note that standard entrance charges apply: Adult £11.20, Child £5.80, Family £28.30

Swineford Summer Walk - Sunday 19 June

Our guides, Pauline and Richard Wilson, will be taking us on a walk from the Swineford picnic site on the A431 and taking in Upton Cheyney, North Stoke and the edge of Lansdown at Prospect Stile.

Please wear walking boots or other stout footwear. Ample free car parking is available at the Wickwar Road car park. Meet for a car share at the Clock Tower, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, 1.30pm.

This week's butterfly

Butterfly at Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve this week - not sure what species.

If you click the image you may be able to zoom in to see more details.

Lilliput Park work morning - Tuesday 7 June

A small band of enthusiasts - the Lilliput Conservation Group - is spending a couple of hours on the first Tuesday of each month tidying up the hedgerows and plantings in Lilliput Park.

Please come along and help us improve this historic park. We shall be meeting at the Kingfisher Road gate at 10.00 am. Please wear suitable footwear and bring gloves if you have them.

You can check out the Lilliput Conservation Group on Facebook for more information.

River Frome and Kennedy Way Pond Spring Clean - Saturday 14 May

We shall be carrying out a general spring clean by the River Frome and at the Kennedy Way Pond nature area.

Meet at the Kennedy Way Pond, Link Road, Yate Shopping Centre, 10.00am (parking is available at the two car parks on either side of Link Road, BS37 4AY).

Beating the Bounds of Yate Common - Sunday 1 May

Beating the Bounds is a traditional local activity for Rogation Sunday, walking round the boundaries of the Common so that people know what they hold as a community asset. In some places they beat the bounds of an entire parish, or ride round the boundaries of larger parishes.

The Common was nearly sold off for housing some years ago, but a determined campaign by local people (many now in the Focus Team) kept it in public ownership. This gives beating the bounds of the Common a special meaning. Please bring your children to show them what a lovely area we have just on the edge of the town.

Please come and join the walk, which starts from the kissing gate opposite St Briavel's Drive at 3pm on Sunday 1 May. Dogs are welcome, and if you can bring a small child even better.  As long as they are don’t mind (too much) they get turned upside down at each kissing gate/corner and then given sweets, which is our take on the original practice of beating them with sticks and then giving them a coin.

Bluebells at Wapley in full bloom

If you want to see the bluebells at Wapley, go in the next few days - they're really splendid at the moment. They are spread out around the path in the main woodland. The paths are good, easy walking.

Ridge Wood Evening Chorus Walk - Wednesday 4th May

Join the Friends of Ridge Wood for an interesting walk through the woodland led by Ed Drewitt and  learn how to identify the songs and calls of the common birdlife inhabiting Ridge Wood and the local area.


Meet at the Quarry Road entrance at 7pm.

Suggested donation: £2 adults, £1 children.

Lilliput Park work morning - Tuesday 3 May

A small band of enthusiasts - the Lilliput Conservation Group - is spending a couple of hours on the first Tuesday of each month tidying up the hedgerows and plantings in Lilliput Park.

Please come along and help us improve this historic park. We shall be meeting at the Kingfisher Road gate at 10.00 am. Please wear suitable footwear and bring gloves if you have them.

You can check out the Lilliput Conservation Group on Facebook for more information.

Ridge Wood Woodland Work Morning - Sunday 24 April

10:00 - 12.00, meet at the Melrose Close entrance.

Learn how to identify native British bluebells and help conserve this vulnerable flower in Ridge Wood.

Yate Common Spring Cleans

Please come and help tidy up this local beauty spot.

• Thursday 14 April 10.00 to 12.00
• Sunday 17 April 10.00 to 12.00

Litterpickers, bags and gloves will be supplied. There's a lot of it to clean!

South Gloucestershire Spring Walk - Sunday 24 April

This will be a guided walk in Westridge Woods between Wotton under Edge and North Nibley with Pauline and Richard Wilson. Please wear walking boots or other stout footwear.

Ample free car parking is available at the Wickwar Road car park. Meet for a car share at the Clock Tower, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, 1.30pm.

Lilliput Park Big Spring Clean this Tuesday

Please come and join members of Lilliput Conservation Group this Tuesday (4 April) from 10.00 am until 12.00. Litter pickers and bags will be provided - everyone welcome. Meet at the Kingfisher Road gate -  please wear suitable footwear.

Bluebells and bracket fungi at Wapley!

The ground is very wet underfoot - wellies or walking boots advised - but there's plenty to see at Wapley as the Nature Reserve wakes up for the spring.

The bluebells have started to appear around the woodland paths:

And do you know where at Wapley you can find these strange bracket fungi?

Report from Wapley Bushes work morning - Saturday 19 March

The cold weather, and several of the regulars being away, meant a reduced turnout - only five - but two teams went round clearing the public paths of obstructions and picking up litter at the same time. Meanwhile, the fruit trees on the common area were given a "full service" - they were pruned back hard to encourage future growth and the right shape of branches in the future, as well as loosening the tree straps to provide growing room as appropriate.

Goose Green Workday - Saturday 9 April

As part of our commitment to this local grassland and wetland nature reserve, we shall be undertaking reserve maintenance such as path clearance and a general reserve tidy up. Please wear walking or wellington boots and bring some gloves.

Please meet at the bridge on the reserve, west of Oak Close, north Yate, 10.00am.

Lilliput Park work morning - Tuesday 4 April

A small band of enthusiasts - the Lilliput Conservation Group - is spending a couple of hours on the first Tuesday of each month tidying up the hedgerows and plantings in Lilliput Park.

Please come along and help us improve this historic park. We shall be meeting at the Kingfisher Road gate at 10.00 am. Please wear suitable footwear and bring gloves if you have them.

You can check out the Lilliput Conservation Group on Facebook for more information.

The Orchard for the Future is five years old today!

It's hard to believe, but it's exactly five years ago today that we got together to plant the Orchard for the Future at Wapley. It was very much a joint effort - funded by South Glos, sited mostly on Dodington Parish Council land, planted by local volunteers, and looked after ever since by Wapley Bushes Conservation Group. 

Virtually all the trees have survived, and we're gradually getting a modest crop each year. All the fruit varieties are traditional and local to the area - there used to be lots of small orchards around here, but almost all have disappeared over the years. This is our small effort to roll back the trend.

Quiz Night Live! - Friday 1st April

This is your chance to have some fun and pick a team of Eggheads and bring them along to our general knowledge quiz in aid of Avon Wildlife Trust. You are most welcome make up a team name and bring your own snacks and beverages. We will also be serving tea and coffee for you in the break. Quiz teams are usually made up of four players at a cost of £2.50 per individual team member. Please contact Malcolm on 01454 310328 to book your team's place.

Venue: The Old Grammar School, High Street, Chipping Sodbury.

Wapley Bushes work morning - Saturday 19 March

We shall be undertaking general management tasks, including a spring clean, that will help to enhance the biodiversity of this precious nature reserve. We anticipate doing some work on the top pond and a general spring clean.

Please wear stout footwear. Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland (opposite the road entrance to Cherington), south Yate, BS37 8US, 10.00am.

Ridge Wood work morning - Sunday 13 March

10.00 am - 12.00
Meeting at Melrose Close entrance
More details about Ridge Wood available here

Happy 10th birthday to the Wapley blog

It's hard to credit it, but we started this blog exactly ten years ago, on February 24th 2006. Our first blog post was about the Top Pond - you can check it out here

We've been advertising our work mornings and events, and reporting what's happened on the Reserve - you can explore our archive by clicking the links on the right hand side.

More recently we have been putting up details of work days on other local Reserves, so watch out for opportunities to get out in the fresh air and do your bit for the environment. Everyone is welcome!

Damp but a good work morning at Wapley

Despite some light drizzle, on Sunday 21 February eight of us - including two new volunteers - tackled the winter fruit tree pruning in the Orchard for the Future. We were dealing with apples, pears etc (stoned fruit like plums needs to be pruned in the summer)

We also planted a strawberry tree in memory of Wendy Mayo, the Clerk to Dodington Parish Council who died last summer. Wendy and her family were frequent volunteers on the Wapley Bushes Local Natire Reserve. Arbutus unedo is a bushy evergreen shrub with red strawberry-like fruits. It's not related to real strawberries, and it's not a citrus species - strangely it's a member of the Ericaceae, in other words the heaths and heathers. Bilberries (European "blueberries") are also members of this unusual family.

In addition we planted some dog roses in the fence alongside the road, and litter-picked around the Common and the picnic area. Our next Wapley work morning will be on Saturday 19 March.

Lilliput Park work morning - Tuesday 1 March

A small band of enthusiasts - the Lilliput Conservation Group - is spending a couple of hours on the first Tuesday of each month tidying up the hedgerows and plantings in Lilliput Park.

Please come along and help us improve this historic park. We shall be meeting at the Kingfisher Road gate at 10.00 am. Please wear suitable footwear and bring gloves if you have them.

Friends of Yate Common - AGM and General Meeting Tuesday 23 February

Come and meet the group - 7 pm at the Pop Inn Cafe, Yate Shopping Centre

Ridge Wood work morning - Sunday 21 February

10.00 am - 12.00
Meeting at Melrose Close entrance
More details about Ridge Wood available here

Wapley Bushes work morning - Sunday 21 February

We shall be undertaking general management tasks at the reserve including the pruning of the assorted historic variety fruit trees. Please wear walking or wellington boots, bring some gloves and a pair of secateurs if you have them.

Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland (opposite the road entrance to Cherington), south Yate, BS37 8US, 10.00am.

Yate Common workday Thursday 4 February

The Friends of Yate Common are having a work morning on Thursday 4 February from 10 am. Please wear suitable footwear and bring gloves. More details will appear on the Yate Common Facebook Page

Lilliput Park work morning - Tuesday 2 February

A small band of enthusiasts - the Lilliput Conservation Group - is spending a couple of hours on the first Tuesday of each month tidying up the hedgerows and plantings in Lilliput Park.

Please come along and help us improve this historic park. We shall be meeting at the Kingfisher Road gate at 10.00 am. Please wear suitable footwear and bring gloves if you have them.

Ridge Wood work morning - Sunday 24 January

10.00 am - 12.00
Meeting at Melrose Close entrance
More details about Ridge Wood available here