Wapley meadows are at their best now

The flowers, butterflies and other insects are at their best now. Pick a dry day and walk through the long grass on either meadow or the strip alongside the Common. Here's a small selection of what you can see at the moment.

Interesting species identification walk (with a rhyme)

We had a very good species identification walk today, led by Pauline Wilson. We walked around both meadows, trying to identify trends in the species we saw.

There was a marked range of colours in these Common Spotted Orchids. It was a pleasure to walk though the grassland and to be suddenly surrounded by a flock of butterflies.

We also found out a bit about distinguishing green things:
Rushes are round
Sedges have edges
And grasses have knobbly knees!

Shire Way Conservation Group Meeting Tuesday 20th June

The next Shire Way Conservation Group meeting will be at 7.00pm on Tuesday 20th June 2017 at Shire Way Community Centre.

The aims of the meeting will be:

• To adopt a Constitution and elect a committee
• To agree several policies that are needed so that the Group can apply for grants
• To plan future project and events

There will also be a short talk on Solitary Bees.

Lilliput Park - July work mornings

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.

We've recently weeded the rockery and nearby shrubs (see above) and started clearing overgrowth on the stream (supervised as usual by our local robins), but everything is growing really quickly now - especially the weeds! Our wildflower seeds have germinated and the perennials are coming up well.

We've entered for South West in Bloom again, so there's lots of work to do to prepare for judging.

The July work mornings will be on Sat 1 July and Tue 4 July.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.
You can check out the Lilliput Conservation Group on Facebook for more information. 

Wapley Bushes Plant Identification Session Sunday 25 June

We shall be taking an afternoon tour of this wildlife-rich local nature reserve to look at, and identify, many of the wildflower and grass species which are in the meadows. Anyone is welcome to join us. Please wear stout footwear.

Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, BS37 8US, 2.00pm