May blooms (and more) at Wapley Bushes

There are cowslips galore on the Lower Meadow

Wild Garlic in the Ancient Woodland

Bluebells throughout the woodland

Primrose among bluebells

Yellow archangel and bluebells

Ragged Robin

Hartstongue fern

And the traditional buttercups and daisies, of course!

Book Sale & Coffee Morning in aid of Wildlife, Saturday 18 May

You are most welcome to come and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, a slice of home made cake and have a browse through our varied selection of books that we shall be offering for sale. All monies raised will go to wildlife conservation projects in the Avon Valley area. If you can provide any books or cakes for this day, please contact Malcolm on 01454 310328.

The Baptist Church, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, 10.00am to midday.

Report from Work Morning, Saturday 16 March

A rather belated report from an excellent work morning. Around 18 volunteers, including a number of children, split up into three groups. One group tackled some very muddy planting, putting in 50 extra trees in the Jubilee Hedge.

Another team cut back some overhanging branches, while a very industrious group did a deep spring clean of the reserve, including some of the approach areas that hadn't been tackled for ages.

Well done everyone!

In the meantime, the buds on the horse chestnut tree we transplanted last year are showing nicely. Maybe Spring WILL come this year after all!

Wapley Work Morning, Saturday 16 March

We shall be undertaking a range management tasks that will help to enhance the biodiversity of this precious nature reserve. We'll be clearing back some vegetation on the main Ride between the woodlands and use any excess offcuts to build up the dead hedge at the edge of the Western Wood. We have about 50 small trees to be planted to infill gaps in the Centenary Wood hedge, and we'll be doing spring cleaning by litter picking around the reserve. Something for everyone!


Please wear stout footwear. Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, opposite the entrance to Cherington in South Yate, 10.00am.

Quiz Night Live, Friday 8 March

This is your chance to have some fun and pick a team of Eggheads and bring them along to our general knowledge quiz. We have found this to be a very popular event and 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 each per person. Please contact Malcolm on 01454 310328 to book your team's place.

The Old Grammar School, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, 7.30pm.

Avon Wildlife Trust's Southwold Group is very active and would very much welcome more like-minded people to join them. They organise workdays, walks, surveys, fundraising events and it only takes a couple of hours every other month. If anyone wants to help out and try something new then please call Malcolm on 01454 310328 and you will be made very welcome.

We came, we sawed, we pruned...

Having lost two workdays in a row due to bad weather, we decided to hold a mini-workday today. People who had attended the pruning workshop last summer, plus a couple of others who had viewed the DVD we made of the event, gathered to do some light pruning of the young trees. We were happy to find that they were in good condition, and we're hoping for a vigorous year's growth ahead.

Our next Wapley Work Morning will be on Saturday 16 March - details will follow here.

Snow makes Wapley look like Narnia

A few photos from Wapley today.

Burn off those holiday calories! Wapley Bushes Workday, Saturday 19 January 2013

Update: This work morning has been now cancelled because of the snowy conditions. It's likely to freeze overnight, and it would be unsafe doing the work we intended using cutting tools.

This is your chance to burn off some of those Christmas calories by joining us for our first workday of the new year. We shall be undertaking general management tasks that will help to enhance the biodiversity of this precious nature reserve. Please wear walking or wellington boots and bring some gloves if you have them.

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

Avon Wildlife Trust's Southwold Group is very active and would very much welcome more like-minded people to join them. They organise workdays, walks, surveys, fundraising events and it only takes a couple of hours every other month. If anyone wants to help out and try something new then please call Malcolm on 01454 310328 and you will be made very welcome.

Merry Christmas from Wapley Bushes!

Just three more days to enjoy Westonbirt Enchanted Christmas 2012

The last three days of Westonbirt Enchanted Christmas 2012 will be Friday 21st, Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd December. It's better than ever this year - here's a slideshow of photos from last weekend with a taste of what to expect:



Adults £9, concessions £8, children £5. No dogs please except assistance dogs.  Westonbirt Arboretum, A433, 3 miles south west of Tetbury, Gloucestershire, GL8 8QS, 5.00 pm to 8.30 pm with the last entry at 7.15 pm.

The Spectacular Westonbirt Enchanted Christmas 2012 - Fri, Sat & Sun evenings from 30 Nov to 23 Dec 2012

The Enchanted Christmas will return this year with a spectacular new illuminated trail and more exciting festive activities, foods and stalls onsite. The costs are adults £9, concessions £8, children £5. No dogs please except assistance dogs.  Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening from 30 November to 23 December 2012 at  Westonbirt Arboretum, A433, 3 miles south west of Tetbury, Gloucestershire, GL8 8QS, 5.00 pm to 8.30 pm with the last entry at 7.15 pm.

Planting despite the rain!

When we were rehabilitating the old part of the Orchard for the Future earlier in the year, we started thinking what to do with a the trunk of a dead plum tree. We decided that we would make it a "feature". Despite having to cancel the work morning yesterday, members of the Wapley Bushes Conservation Group were able to plant a climbing rose in memory of a local Dodington resident, Mrs Molly Turner, later on in the afternoon.

This rose, Rosa "Wedding Day", will eventually produce a large display of flowers in the summer and hips in the autumn. The scented single flowers are wildlife-friendly and will be benefit pollinating insects such as bees and hoverflies. The summer flowering season will also complement that of the adjacent spring flowering fruit trees to provide a longer nectar and pollen season for insects. Similarly, the autumn hips will be of benefit to foraging birds. Not only good to look at, but ecologically useful!

Jane Giddings gets down and dirty planting the new rose

Meet our new friend Rosa...

Workday Sunday 4 November CANCELLED - have a squirrel instead!

We've had to cancel today's work morning due to heavy rain overnight making the ground unsafe for working. It's still raining and sleeting out there, so in case you need a wildlife fix to make up for it, here's a short video of a squirrel that Paul saw yesterday:

Wapley Bushes Workday, Sunday 4 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 if you have them. We will provide the tools.

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

Owl Prowl at Ridge Wood Nature Reserve, Wednesday 31 October

We shall be joining our guide, Ian McGuire, for a twilight owl prowl through Ridge Wood and hear him call for the resident tawny owls. Please wear warm clothes and boots and bring a torch. This event has been organised in cooperation with South Glos Council.

Meet at the southern Quarry Road entrance to Ridge Wood, Chipping Sodbury, 7.00pm (until 9.00pm).

Kingsgate Park Ponds Workday, Sunday 28 October

We shall be 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 10.00am (parking is available at the entrance of Shackleton Avenue).

Avon Wildlife Trust's Southwold Group is very active and would very much welcome more like-minded people to join them. They organise workdays, walks, surveys, fundraising events and it only takes a couple of hours every other month. If anyone wants to help out and try something new then please call Malcolm on 01454 310328 and you will be made very welcome.

Wonders of the Universe - Star Gazing, Thursday 25 October

This free presentation by Callum Potter of the Cotswold Astronomy Society will be an opportunity to learn more about the wider universe. If the skies are clear we will also walk to nearby St John’ Park to view the night sky. Please wear warm clothes, strong footwear and bring a torch. This event has been organised in cooperation with South Glos Council.

The Old Grammar School, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, 7.00pm (until 9.00pm). 

Fungus Foray at Tytherington, Monday 22 October

Our guide, Justin Smith, will help us get to know the difference between mushrooms and toadstools on this autumn mycological adventure. Please wear warm clothes and boots. This event has been organised in cooperation with South Glos Council.

Meet by the Village Shop at the junction of The Nurseries and Itchington Road, Tytherington, South Gloucestershire, 2.00pm (until 4.00pm).

Ridge Wood Conservation Day, Sunday 21 October

This will be a bit of practical voluntary work to help manage the reserve. and please meet at the northern Greenways Road entrance to the woodland, north Yate, 10.00am (until midday).

Kennedy Way Pond Workday, Saturday 20 October

Following on from the major pond restoration works at the start of the year, this pond has now become a wildlife haven again full of newts, pondskaters, water beetles and other wildlife. We shall be carrying out general management works on the reserve including vegetation clearance.

Meet at the Kennedy Way Pond, Link Road, Yate Shopping Centre, 10.00am (parking is available at the Yate overflow car park also on Link Road).

Tree Life Centre Open Day, Saturday 13 October

Join us for an Open Day at the BTCV Tree Life Centre. The Tree Life Centre is a community project based at Grimsbury Farm in Kingswood where people from many different backgrounds come together to grow trees, shrubs and wildflowers.  There will be a range of activities for people of all ages which may include harvesting, preparing and sowing seed; potting up plants; wildlife and tree identification walks; pond dipping.

Access: Wheelchair access around parts of the site is limited but the area close to the entrance of the nursery is flat and accessible and there will be a fully accessible activity set up in the covered potting shed area. This event has been organised in cooperation with South Glos Council.

Meet at the BTCV Tree Life Centre, Grimsbury Farm at the junction of Grimsbury Roadand Baden Road, Kingswood, 11.00am (until 4.00pm).

A celebration and a successful workday

Our work morning last Sunday started with a celebration as Cllr Gloria Stephen, Chairman of Dodington Parish Council,  presented the volunteers of the Wapley Bushes Conservation Group with the Green Flag Communities Award. The Green Flag Community Award is the national award scheme for high quality green spaces in the UK that are managed by voluntary and community groups. Wapley is is one of just three sites in South Gloucestershire to receive Green Flag awards this year.

We were very pleased to see so many at our work morning - around 30 people, many of them children. Our numbers were boosted by a community work party from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

With so many willing hands we accomplished a lot of work. The key objective was our annual task of clearing the ditch down through the wood - this year it wasn't as clogged up as usual. When (if?) we have dry summers the ditch fills up with early leaf fall, but this year it was just a case of clearing some excess clay and removing fallen branches.

Another major task was cutting back fast-growing vegetation along some of the paths. This was of course more onerous than usual. We also cleared some young blackthorn that has shot up among the unmowed part of the orchard grass, and did a litter pick throughout the Reserve.

Our next Wapley workday will be at 10 am on Sunday 4 November, meeting at the Shire Way gate - call Paul Hulbert on 01454 315851 for more details, or just turn up.

Don't forget that we have a Bat Walk at Yate Common on 19 September and a Wild Food Foray at Wapley on 24 September, and there's a whole list of local wildlife events shown in Dates for Your Diary. Full details of each event appear on this blog a couple of weeks before the due day.

Wild Food Foray at Wapley Bushes, Monday 24 September

Come along and enjoy an autumn walk with our guide, Justin Smith, and see what nature's free larder has in stock for you to take home, cook and eat. This event has been organised in cooperation with South Glos Council.

Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, opposite Cherington Road, south Yate, 2.00pm (until 4.00pm).

Scenic South Gloucestershire Walk, Sunday 23 September

We shall be going on a walk to look at the autumnal delights that nature has to offer at this time of year at Wick and Doynton in the Golden Valley. Our walk leaders will be the experienced guides Richard and Pauline Wilson and please wear walking boots or other stout footwear as this walk will be about four miles or so.

Meet for a car share at the Clock Tower, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, 2.00pm. Please note that ample free car parking is available at the Wickwar Road car park.

Wildlife dates for your diary

Here's a quick glimpse of local wildlife events coming up over the next few months. We'll post details of each a couple of weeks before the event.

• Wednesday 19 September - Bat Walk at Yate Common
• Sunday 23 September - Scenic South Gloucestershire Walk
• Monday 24 September - Wild Food Foray at Wapley Bushes
• Saturday 13 October - Tree Life Centre Open Day, Grimsbury Farm
• Saturday 20 October - Kennedy Way Pond Workday
• Sunday 21 October - Ridge Wood Conservation Day
• Monday 22 October - Fungus Foray at Tytherington
• Thursday 25 October - Wonders of the Universe - Star Gazing, Chipping Sodbury, 
• Sunday 28 October - Kingsgate Park Ponds Workday
• Wednesday 31 October - Owl Prowl at Ridge Wood Nature Reserve
• Sunday 4 November - Wapley Bushes Workday
• Fri, Sat & Sun evenings from 30 Nov to 23 Dec 2012 - The Spectacular Westonbirt Enchanted Christmas
• Saturday 19 January 2013 - Wapley Bushes Workday
• Friday 8 March - AWT Quiz Night Live!

Avon Wildlife Trust's Southwold Group is very active and would very much welcome new members and volunteers. If anyone wants to help out and try something new then please call Malcolm on 01454 310328 and you will be made very welcome.

Bat Walk at Yate Common, Wednesday 19 September

Avon Bat Group’s Laura Plenty will be taking us around this green open space for a twilight stroll in search of bats. Bat detectors will be provided and please wear warm clothes and boots and bring a torch. This event has been organised in cooperation with South Glos Council.

Meet at the Westerleigh Road entrance to the Common opposite St. Briavel’s Drive, 7.15pm (until 9.15pm).

Work morning and presentation of Green Flag Award, Saturday 8 September

We will be pleased to welcome the Chairman of Dodington Parish Council, Gloria Stephen, who will be presenting the Green Flag Community Award at the start of the Wapley Bushes Work Morning on Saturday. Gloria has of course been a frequent volunteer at Wapley as well, so she knows the Reserve well. We thought it would be more appropriate to do the presentation to our volunteers on site rather than at an artificial event in the Parish Hall.

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. We will also have a range of lighter tasks - there will be something for everyone!

Please wear walking or wellington boots and bring some gloves if you have them - we'll provide all the tools. Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, 10.00am.

Avon Wildlife Trust's Southwold Group is very active and would very much welcome more like-minded people to join them. They organise workdays, walks, surveys, fundraising events and it only takes a couple of hours every other month. If anyone wants to help out and try something new then please call Malcolm on 01454 310328 and you will be made very welcome.

Orchard for the Future - update

Malcolm masking up ready for spraying

The Orchard for the Future is going well, apart from a minor problem with the quince trees and a few others others which have had to be treated for quince leaf blight fungal infection using traditional Bordeaux mixture and flowers of sulphur. Both of these chemicals are traditionally used in organic agriculture. Thanks go to  Isabel, Malcolm and Tim for carrying out the spraying. At least two further retreatments will be required - one in winter and one before leaf burst in spring.

Tim points out the blackthorn that
we'll need to eradicate from the
long grass

You will have seen that the grass around the young trees on the Common has been left uncut apart from the wide pathway where people walk. This is to provide a habitat for mice and voles, which will hopefully entice owls to nest in the woods. In future years the grass will be cut in sections on a three-year rotation. We've noticed that there is a patch of young blackthorn shrubs growing in the long grassland where the apple trees are on the common and this matter needs to be addressed at some stage. Off with their heads!

Major award for local beauty spot as Wapley Bushes wins Green Flag

We are pleased to announce that Wapley Bushes has won the Green Flag Community Award 2012, the national award scheme for well-managed, high-quality public and community parks and green spaces.

Our entry combined Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve, including our recently-planted Jubilee Hedge, with the new Orchard for the Future, which aims to restore heritage varieties of fruit in a public orchard.

We are particularly happy to have gained the Community Award because it recognises the efforts of all our volunteers.

The award will be presented at the next Wapley Work Morning  on 8th September – meet at the Shire Way gate at 10.00 am.

Orchard for the Future - successful tree pruning workshop

Click arrow for slideshow

We had an excellent workshop this morning pruning the old plum trees in front of the Wapley cottages. The trees hadn't been tended for many years, but we've managed to make a visible difference.

The workshop was led by local expert Graham White - Mr Fruit - and paid for by Dodington Parish Council. Graham explained to us that stone fruit should be pruned in the summer. Other fruit such as apple trees should be pruned in the winter, and Graham explained what we will need to do to look after the trees we planted last year.

The old trees in this small area are local varieties such as as Frampton Magnum plums. The new trees - most of which are on Wapley Common - are also local heritage varieties of apples, plums and other fruits.

Last year's new tree planting was financed by South Gloucestershire Council, organised by Wapley Bushes Conservation Group, and carried out by local volunteers - a real community project.

Free Fruit Tree Care Workshop Sunday July 1

First fruit at the Orchard for the Future!

As part of the Orchard for the Future project, Dodington Parish Council and Wapley Bushes Conservation Group are running a free Fruit Tree Care Workshop on Sunday from 10am to 1pm.

We will be learning about pruning and about how to care for the young trees we planted last year, and starting to rehabilitate some very old fruit trees.

This is an open event, so it could be useful to people who perhaps have a tree or two in their gardens. If you're interested, just turn up!

The meeting point is the Wapley Rank cottages that are opposite the southern entrance to the Wapley Bushes Nature Reserve, Besom Lane, Westerleigh, South Gloucestershire (satnav postcode: BS37 8RW, OS Grid ref: ST708803). Limited parking is available at the southern entrance to the Wapley Bushes Nature Reserve at Besom Lane.

Grand Duck Race, Chipping Sodbury Sunday 24 June

As part of the Wildlife Trust's contribution to Chipping Sodbury Festival Week, we will be holding our annual duck race along the River Frome.

Why not come along, have a flutter, and join us for an afternoon of races, a cup of tea and a doughnut? You are very welcome to come along and bring a picnic to enjoy in the park. The races start from 2.00pm.

Meet at Jubilee Park, Quarry Road, Chipping Sodbury, 2.00pm.

Update 25 June: The river was running so fast and deep yesterday that we had to postpone the Duck Race. Yes, it CAN be too wet for ducks! But don't worry if you've paid for a duck, we'll be running the races one in the near future.

Great guided walk at Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve this morning

Many thanks to our experts Pauline Wilson (plants) and Alan Daniels (birds). It was nice to see some new faces, including visitors from Patchway and from Leap Valley Nature Reserve. We spotted many varieties of flowers, several types of fungi, 16 species of birds and a steam train!

Wapley Meadow Flower Walk, Saturday 12 May

We shall be having a spring walk around the meadows and woodland to have a look at the different types of wildflowers that are on display. Do come along and learn more about our native flora. Please wear walking boots or other stout footwear.

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

Ridge Wood Wild Flower Walk, Sunday 29 April

Discover this local woodland in Spring with this guided walk, starting at 2.00pm at the northern Greenways Road kissing gate entrance to Ridge Wood, Yate.

Ecologist Rupert Higgins will lead the walk through Ridge Wood Local Nature Reserve to discover bluebells, wild garlic and primroses. Walkers can also discover more unusually named woodland plants such wood anemone and dog’s mercury.The walk has been organised by South Gloucestershire Council and the Friends of Ridge Wood.

The route is just under a mile and follows the main path through the woodland. There will be a chance to find out more about how this site is managed through the council’s management plan. 

Help survey our Heritage Orchards!

Traditional orchards are a much loved part of our British heritage and countryside providing fruit and peaceful places to enjoy, as well as food and shelter for hundreds of rare plants and animals.

Since 1950 Natural England estimates that overall orchard area in England has declined by 63%, and it's probably higher in our area because of all the building developments.

The People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) recently carried out an England orchard inventory, listing 321 potential traditional orchards in South Gloucestershire covering an area of 127.9 hectares. So far, owner questionnaires have revealed that 8% of traditional orchards in South Gloucestershire are in excellent condition, 40% in good condition and 52% in poor condition. 12 traditional orchards were in Environmental stewardship comprising 9.10 hectares. Further information about the national survey can be found at www.ptes.org.

The South Gloucestershire Orchard survey will now build on the work undertaken by the national survey and aims to fill the gaps, where survey data has not been verified and by identifying orchards that have been left out.

South Gloucestershire Council currently have a work placement volunteer who is looking at the 1915 maps to find out just how many orchards have been lost locally. It's early days but the losses for most parishes look to be around 90% which represents an area of anywhere between 3ha (Bradley Stoke) and 60ha (Thornbury).

Could YOU help with this community project? South Glos is currently looking for volunteers to take part in the survey and help verify the orchards in the parish.

You can find out more about the survey here. If you are interested in helping with the orchard survey  please email Sarah Wells sarah.wells@southglos.gov.uk or John Morris johnv.morris@southglos.gov.uk, or call 01454 863581.

South Gloucestershire Council offer small environmental grants for community groups or landowners wishing to restore or create traditional orchards, just like the one created at Wapley last year. Contact John Morris on 01454 863581 or email johnv.morris@southglos.gov.uk for more information, or download details from: www.southglos.gov.uk/environmentalgrants.

More photos from the extra March workday at Wapley

Lovely photos here from Isabel Ryan, showing work on the Orchard for the Future at Wapley.

Gluttons for punishment - more planting the week after!

Only a week after the mass planting on Mothers Day, we were back at Wapley for a "bonus" workday on 25th March. We put up some bird and bat boxes...

We planted some replacement fruit trees in the Orchard for the Future, plus a horse chestnut tree donated by a local resident...

And we put the finishing touches to the Jubilee Hedge!

Mass planting marks the Jubilee

Wapley Bushes' Jubilee project is complete! 800 trees have been planted to produce a new hedge on Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve.

The hedge was planted by a combination of volunteers and local contractors. More than twenty local people and Wildlife Trust members got together on Mothering Sunday (18th March) and planted a hundred yards of hedge in less than three hours.

This hedge will be an excellent wildlife habitat and food source in the years ahead for mammals, birds and insects once it has become fully established. All the plants in the hedge mix are native species such dogwood, hazel, hawthorn, etc. and they will ensure that the hedge has a high wildlife value.


Click arrow for slideshow

This project shows what can be achieved when lots of organisations and individuals get together. Wapley Bushes Conservation Group coordinated the work, which included preparation work funded by Dodington Parish Council. Local contractors Landcare Tree Nursery supplied and planted half the trees, paid for by a Biodiversity and Landscsape Grant from South Gloucestershire Council.

The trees planted by our volunteers came from the Woodland Trust’s Free Tree Packs scheme. That initiative was jointly funded by the furniture group IKEA and three volunteers from the IKEA Bristol store also turned up to help with the planting and with putting the rabbit guards around the plants.

The new Jubilee Hedge marks the boundary of the Centenary Wood, which was planted by volunteers in 1994 to mark 100 years of Dodington Parish Council. The Woodland Trust scheme aims to plant six million trees to mark the Queen's Jubilee.

Spring clean, and a "brand new" pond!

A major project comes to fruition this weekend with the reopening of the Kennedy Way pond (opposite the petrol station). The Wildlife Trust, working with South Glos Council, secured a large grant from Viridor the waste recycling company to totally refurbish this pond as a valauble wildlife resource.

The pond will be opened at 10 am on Saturday, and the event will be followed by a Spring Clean litter collection along the River Frome, organised by Yate Town Council and Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church.

South Glos are providing bags, litter pickers, gloves etc., but feel free to bring your own if you have them.

Plant a Jubilee Hedge for Mothers Day!

This splendid woodland in Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve was planted by volunteers in a single morning on Mothers Day in 1994. Eighty people took part, half of them children. The trees are now over twenty feet tall, and now they need a hedge to mark the border between the woodland and the Upper Meadow.

Please come and help this Sunday morning, March 18th. We would love to see some of the parents and particularly the children, now grown up, who took part in the original planting so long ago. Who knows, maybe they could bring along some of the next generation too?

Everyone is welcome - we will be meeting at 10.00 am at the Shire Way entrance to the Nature Reserve, near the zebra crossing opposite Cherington, South Yate. Please wear wellies or similar, and bring a spade if you can.

The trees for the hedge planting morning are being provided by the Woodland Trust as part of their Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee Year Project to plant 6 million trees nationwide. A second length of the Jubilee Hedge has been funded by South Gloucestershire Council's Biodiversity & Landscape Grant scheme and by Dodington Parish Council's annual grant to Wapley Bushes Conservation Group.

We are very grateful to all our partners and supporters. Without the necessary funding and advice we wouldn't be able to improve this lovely area for future generations.

Great January work morning!

It was good to see so many people at the workday on Sunday 22 January - we had 18 volunteers, so we were able to tackle a wide variety of work. We planted 20 trees in the gaps in the laid hedge at the bottom of the lower meadow, cut back overhanging trees and brambles, and did a lot of tidying-up. As a bonus, one of our groups of volunteers saw two deer at fairly close range! Here are a few photos from the day:

Clearing overhanging branches from popular paths

Derek taking a swing at the undergrowth with a slasher

Malcolm cutting back brambles and dragging them away

Quiz Night Live! Friday 3 February

This is your chance to have some fun and pick a team of Eggheads and bring them along to our general knowledge quiz. We have found this to be a very popular event and 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 each per person. Please contact Malcolm on 01454 310328 to book your team's place.

The Old Grammar School, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, 7.30pm.

Wapley Bushes Workday, Sunday 22 January 2012

This is your chance to burn off some of those Christmas calories by joining us for our first workday of the new year. We shall be undertaking general management tasks that will help to enhance the biodiversity of this precious nature reserve. Please wear walking or wellington boots and bring some gloves.

Meet at the Shire Way entrance gate, South Yate, 10.00am.

Excellent Guardian article - Confusing year of weather for Britain's wildlife

We thought our readers would be interested in this review of the year from  a wildlife perspective. Apparently it's been a boom year for the grey seal, large blue butterfly and mining bee but bad news for frogs, toads and newts.

We know we've seen butterflies still active locally within the last month, but unlike the Guardian report, fungi at Wapley are doing well.

Season's greetings to all our readers

Best wishes to all our readers from everyone in the Wapley Bushes Conservation Group.

Thank you for all your help this year that keeps the Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve thriving and such an asset for local wildlife.

Report from Wapley Work Morning 19 November

Our November workday allowed us to tackle a range of planting. 14 volunteers took part, and we The group planted over 60 climbing plants of two types, ivy and wild clematis, on the reserve boundary. These plants will provide food, shelter and nesting material for birds when the climbers settle in and grow larger.

The group also planted 4 species of wildflowers on the woodland floor in the Western Wood including 50 native bluebell plug plants, 30 wild garlic bulbs, 30 wood anemone bulbs and 40 wild snowdrop bulbs. In addition to providing a spectacular display of flowers in the late winter and spring, these plants will also provide an early source of nectar and pollen for native insect species.

The Spectacular Westonbirt Enchanted Christmas 2011

Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from 25 Nov - 18 Dec 2011

The Enchanted Christmas will return this year with a new illuminated trail route through the Old Arboretum and more exciting festive activities, foods and stalls onsite. The costs are adults £9, concessions £8, children £5.

You can book in advance online or call 03000 680400 (booking fee applies). You can also buy tickets onsite from the Forest Shop.

The hard paths are accessible for wheelchairs and electric scooters and these can be booked in advance by calling 01666 881218. Please note that dogs are not allowed on the trail.

On Fridays, Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum will receive a 50% discount on the full ticket price. Children (under 19s) accompanying parent/guardian members go free. 

Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening from 25 November - 18 December 2011 at  Westonbirt Arboretum, A433, 3 miles south west of Tetbury, Gloucestershire, GL8 8QS, 5.00pm to 8.30pm with the last entry at 7.15pm.

Click the links to find out more about Enchanted Christmas  and the National Arboretum in general.

Wapley Bushes Workday, Saturday 19 November

This workday will be a morning of planting bluebells and clematis in the Western Wood, plus some 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 gate, South Yate, 10.00am.

A lovely autumn day at Wapley Bushes

Pears at bottom of Lower Meadow

What a lovely Sunday we had! It had all the signs of our mixed seasons - on a walk round the Nature Reserve I saw ripe pears and apples, as what must be the last butterfly of the year fluttered past.

And then, at the top of the woodland, I caught a brief glimpse of a deer, leaping away into the undergrowth. About chest-high on me, it was too big to be a muntjac. I was close enough to get a reasonable look, but it was too quick for me to photograph. Based on the size and colour of its coat, I think it was probably a roe deer.

Apples at top of Lower Meadow, near Chris's Bridge

Ridge Wood Owl Prowl, Thursday 27 October

This popular family Owl Prowl event is back again in 2011 with bird of prey expert Ian McGuire who will guide us round the woods. Please wear warm clothes and bring a torch. Please do not bring any dogs to this event (even if on a lead).

Meet at the southern Quarry Road entrance to Ridge Wood, Quarry Road, Chipping Sodbury at 7.00pm.

Lower Woods Guided Autumn Colour Walk, Sunday 23 October

A seasonal guided walk around Lower Woods nature reserve, taking in the different aspects, landscapes and wildlife of this huge, fascinating and diverse ancient woodland. The route will be about 2.5 miles long, and will follow the narrow and occasionally steep paths along the stream. The woods will be muddy and slippery in places so please wear suitable footwear.

Meet at Lower Woods Nature Reserve, Inglestone Common, east of Wickwar, South Gloucestershire (OS Grid Reference: ST 746881, postcode: GL9 1BY), 2.00pm - 4.00pm.

Kingsgate Park 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 10.00am.

The rooks are getting territorial again!

Our local rooks tend to get very protective of their territory when it gets close to the nesting season, but they've started extra early this year.

Walking round Wapley this afternoon, I was out on the Common when I heard the rooks calling and saw the full squadron launch. I immediately thought "Buzzard alert!", and I was right - a few seconds later a pair of buzzards appeared above the wood, being mobbed by the rooks.

One buzzard fled immediately, but the other was inexperienced enough to try to stick around. It soon realised the error of its ways! A rook is very agile and can very nearly turn within the wingspan of a buzzard. An outnumbered buzzard is not going to be successful.

Actually this was slightly different from previous occasions - the rooks were using different tactics. I normally see the rooks zooming up towards high-flying buzzards, but this time they got above the buzzards and were forcing them down towards the tree canopy where they wouldn't be able to manouvre easily. Isn't nature fascinating?

Go batty with the BBC!

A BBC Autumnwatch film crew are coming along next Wednesday to the bat walk at Goose Green at 7pm. They wish to film the walk and interview participants. They are hoping to get people to ask wildlife related questions to the camera which will then be aired during the Autumnwatch ‘unsprung’ show, where the questions will hopefully be answered by the team.

We are therefore hoping for a good turnout of local people and a handful of questions to ask. Here's what South Glos say about the bat walk:

"Walk around Goose Green Fields and along the River Frome in search of our magical native bats that can eat up to 3000 insects a night! Meet at the site entrance off Oak Close, Yate. 7pm to 9pm.

Free event! Children should be accompanied by an adult. Please wear sensible footwear and warm clothing. Bring a torch. No dogs allowed.

For more information call ✆ 01454 863592 text 07950 080 111”

Go batty with THREE local bat walks this month

• Tuesday 20th September, 7pm – 9pm. Ridge Wood & the River Frome - meet at Jubilee Park, Chipping Sodbury BS37 6BQ
• Thursday 22nd September, 7pm – 9pm. Yate Common - meet at main entrance of the Road to Nowhere BS37 8RZ
• Wednesday 28th September, 7pm – 9pm. Goose Green Fields, Yate

More details on the South Glos website here

Lower Woods Dormouse Safari - Sunday 25 September

This will be a guided two mile walk around Lower Woods nature reserve with dormouse surveyors Gef and Genny Lucena who have been studying the dormouse populations of Lower Woods. There will be the opportunity to learn about coppice management and to watch dormouse box inspections. Places are limited and so advance booking is essential on 01452 383333 quoting booking code 11SAF. Directions to the meeting point will be sent upon booking.

Report from Wapley work morning 4th September

We had an excellent work morning today. Around 15 of us pitched in and achieved a lot. Our main target was to clear out the leaf mould and debris from the small stream that runs down through the middle of the main wood. It may not look much, but when it rains hard the water really flows. If we didn't clean out the stream it would overflow and destroy the adjoining habitat, in particular affecting a very rare species of sedge.

We did a litter-pick right round the Woodland and the Common, and we were pleased to see that there was less litter than we expected. We checked out the new orchard trees, and these seem to be doing well apart from from some damage by wandering goats (!) - we've been assured that the goats have now been relocated toa field further away.

We cut back trees that have been intruding onto the woodland paths, which was very much needed due to the amount of growth because of the wet weather. We'll have to return to this task on another work morning because there are patches of dense bramble that will need to be attacked with slashers, rather than the croppers and bowsaws we were using today to clear the woody branches.

A big thank you goes to everyone who took part, both the regulars and the people who were taking part for the first time - we hope you enjoyed yourselves undertaking this very valuable work!

Our next Wapley work morning will be on Saturday 19 November - please watch this blog for details of Wapley and other events.

Please don't forget our work morning on Sunday!

10.00 at Shire Way Gate - please see our previous post for details

Work at footbridge over railway to Wapley Bushes

On Wed 31 August  Network Rail will be carrying out survey work for electrifying the railway line, so they will be digging a couple of test trenches in the approach slopes to Sergeant's Farm Bridge.

Despite the warning notices the footpath will not need to be closed, so you can still get across from Shire Way to Wapley Bushes. Network Rail will also attend to the sunken patches in the path near the Radar Gate when they reinstate the survey trenches.

How do you like our new design?

I thought it was about time this blog had a more modern design. Please let us know what you think (our contact details are in the right hand column)

Bat Walk on Yate Common, 22 September

Walk around the Common and its woodlands in search of bats. Meet at main entrance of the Road to Nowhere. Thursday 22/09/2011 7pm to 9pm.

And have you seen the new Friends of Yate Common blog?
http://yatecommon.blogspot.com

Wapley Bushes Work Morning - Sunday 4 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. 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.

Butterflies in the Meadow

Isabel Ryan took these lovely photos during the Wapley Wander:

This wide shot shows the richness of the meadow, which is what attracts the butterflies and other insects.

This close-up of a pair of marbled whites shows clearly that the markings on the underside of the wings are different from the tops.

Coastal Fossil Hunt Saturday - 23 July

A tour along our very own local Jurassic Coast at Aust with our expert guide Mr Chris Townson. As we are by the coast we might even see some of the descendants of dinosaurs themselves - wading birds! Bring a magnifying glass if you have one, and please wear stout footwear. Meet for a car share at the Clock Tower, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, 1.30pm (Parking available in the Wickwar Road car park)

Wapley Bushes Summer/Autumn Newsletter now online

Click here for the Wapley Bushes Summer/Autumn 2011 Newsletter with details of wildlife events on the Nature Reserve and in our area.

Update 22/08/2011: Please note that the Ridge Wood Autmn Quest event on 15 October has been cancelled.

A butterfly's eye view of the Lower Meadow at Wapley

Report from Wapley Wander 3 July 2011

Part of the group looking at the flora in the Top Meadow

An enthusiastic group of walkers met yesterday afternoon for a tour of the Nature Reserve. The meadows were full of wild flowers and butterflies - if you haven't visited them lately, catch them now before the flowers set seed and the meadows are mown shortly. There are over 70 wildflower and grass species present in the rich Lower Meadow including many species that are beneficial for insects, including black knapweed, devil's bit scabious and betony. We saw one species of orchid on the day, te common spotted orchid, but we know that there are others which have already gone over. The Top Meadow also had a great collection of grasshoppers and crickets - as we walked through the grass they would explode away from where we were about to tread.

The main Wapley Wood has just been declared an Ancient Woodland by English Nature, meaning that it's over 400 years old, so we talked about the traditional woodland management techniques that we still use today, such as hedgelaying, coppicing and dead-hedging. We also explored the importance of drainage - our ditches and the underground stream - and historic concepts such as the bank and ditch system, and people being able to take wood "by hook or by crook".

We showed off our big projects from the past year, as mentioned previously on this blog - the new path up the Ride, the hedgelaying in the Lower Meadow, and the Orchard for the Future on the Common. We also mentioned our long-term planning and some ideas we have for improving habitat to attract owls.

Thanks to everybody who came. Please follow the links above to find out more about what we've been doing on the Reserve.

Burnet moths doing what comes naturally on the Common

Wildlife and history walk at Wapley - Sunday 3 July 2pm

Natural England has recently declared that Wapley Bushes is an Ancient Woodland - that means it's more than 400 years old.

To celebrate, there's a guided walk through the woods and meadows on Sunday. The meadows are currently full of wild flowers and butterflies. The walk will also showcase some of the major projects that the Wapley Bushes Conservation Group has undertalken over the past year.

Everyone welcome - meeting at the Shire Way gate, next to the zebra crossing. Please wear suitable footwear.

Another successful Duck Race

A big thank you to everyone who helped maintain the ancient tradition of duck herding on the River Frome this afternoon, at the Chipping Sodbury Festival Duck Races in aid of the Wildlife Trust.

Report from work morning 8 May

A long overdue report from our last workday (pressure of work!)

Building up the dead-hedge

We carried out a variety of tasks. The big job was clearing up a quantity of branches that local vandals had chopped down in the Centenary Wood ready for setting fires, and tidying up the butchered trees. We then took the branches down to the edge of the main woodland facing the Lower Meadow, and used them to build up the dead-hedge.

Dead-hedging, in other words weaving branches between stakes driven into the ground, is a traditional way of creating a natural-looking barrier that also acts as a habitat for small creatures. In time ground plants may grow up over the dead-hedge.

We also cut back some vegetation on the paths, gathered up some litter and cut back the grass around the new fruit trees on the Common.

A fun afternoon at the races (duck races, that is!)

Please join us on Sunday 19 June for the annual Chipping Sodbury Festival Duck Race on the River Frome, in aid of the Wildlife Trust.

Why not come along, have a flutter, and join us for an afternoon of races, a cup of tea and a doughnut? Great fun for all the family!

You are very welcome to come along and bring a picnic to enjoy in the park.

The races start from 2.00pm in Jubilee Park, Quarry Road, Chipping Sodbury.

Evening birdsong at Wapley

Check this out on Chirbit

Wapley Bushes Work Morning - Sunday 8 May

This workday will be a general checking of the state of the woodland, meadows and paths before the summer. We will also be doing a litter pick round the reserve as well. You are welcome to come along on what we hope will be a warm and pleasant walk and please do wear walking or wellington boots
and bring some gloves.

Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the reserve at 10.00am.

Goose Green Spring Clean - Sunday 10 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.

Meet on the main Greenways Road, just north of the entrance to Oak Close, North Yate, 10.00am.

What were YOU doing on Mothers Day 1994?

Wapley Bushes Conservation Group is trying to locate local people who took part in a mass planting on Sunday 13 March 1994. In just one morning 80 people – half of them children – planted 800 trees to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of Dodington Parish Council. It was an event called ‘Plant a Tree for Mothers Day’.

“Many of the trees planted in 1994 are now twenty feet tall” said Cllr Paul Hulbert, a member of Wapley Bushes Conservation Group.

“We’re planning a very special planting on Mothers Day next year – March 18th 2012 – to create a hedge on the edge of the Centenary Wood, so we would love to locate some of the original parents and particularly children who took part in the original planting so long ago”

“We would be grateful if anyone who remembers taking part could contact us by phoning Dodington Parish Council on 01454 866546 or emailing dodingtonpc@southglos.gov.uk”

Wildlife Trust Coffee Morning & Book Sale - Saturday 9 April

You are most welcome to come and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, a slice of home made cake and have a browse through our varied selection of books that we shall be offering for sale. All monies raised will go to wildlife conservation projects in the Avon Valley area. If you can provide any books or cakes for
this day, please contact Malcolm on 01454 310328.

The Baptist Church, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, 10.00am to midday.

Kingsgate Park work day

The Friends of Kingsgate Park have recently been successful in winning a South Glos Council grant of £1200 towards replacing some of the fencing along the Scott Way end of the park.

The Friends are having a workday to bolt on some of the new pales on Saturday 26th March, 10.00am – 12.00, meeting at the double gates on the Scott Way side of the park.

Orchard planting a resounding success

Claire Young and Paul Hulbert with the volunteers of the Wapley Bushes Conservation Group

Wapley Bushes Conservation Group have called their latest planting day on Sat 12 March "a resounding success" as more than 40 trees were planted, forming a new Community Orchard on Wapley Common and nearby.

The trees on the Common are all local types of apple, plus a few plums of a rare local variety.

"It's good to do something so traditional yet so future-looking", said Dodington Parish Cllr Paul Hulbert, who organised the event. "We're very grateful to expert Graham White - known locally as Mr Fruit - who guided us through the planting"

South Gloucestershire Cllr Claire Young commented "This was a great way to spend a beautiful spring morning - fresh air, good company and exercise with a legacy that should last years"

The planting was jointly funded by Dodington Parish Council and South Gloucestershire Council.

Successful planting morning!

We had a very successful planting session on Saturday, planting 130 trees to fill gaps along the newly-laid hedge - half was hawthorn, and the rest was a mixture of dogwood, field maple, guelder rose, alder buckthorn, wayfaring tree and wild pear.

Many thanks to all the volunteers who came. Please remember that we've got another work morning next Saturday (12 March) planting our Orchard for the Future - we're meeting at 10.00 am at the Shire Way gate as usual. We hope to see you there.

Planting an Orchard for the Future - Saturday 12 March

Please come and help Wapley Bushes Conservation Group members and friends plant some groups of fruit trees on Wapley Common next Saturday, 12 March.

We aim to create a community orchard - an "Orchard for the Future", if you like - where in years to come our children and grandchildren will be able to come and pick delicious fruit straight from the trees.

The project is being funded by Dodington Parish Council and South Gloucestershire Council, but the labour is all being provided by local volunteers. The planting session will start with a workshop led by local supplier “Mr Fruit” (Graham White)

We shall be meeting at the Shire Way gate to the Nature Reserve, next to the zebra crossing near Cherington, at 10.00 am. It would be helpful if you could bring a spade and gloves, if you have them, and you should wear suitable footwear.