Spring has nearly sprung!

Spring is almost with us, judging by a stroll at Wapley Bushes over Easter:

The first bluebells are just emerging...

A few primroses...

And lesser celandines on the woodland floor

Report from work morning 2nd March

We had a very successful work morning today. One work party thinned out a large number of surplus ash trees in the Centenary Wood to allow the main tree to grow without too much competition. It seemed perverse to be cutting down young trees, but it will be for the best in the long term. Following traditional woodland practices, we coppiced them - cutting them off at 10 to 15 cm from ground level so that they will regrow as bushes. This understorey will hopefully stop the brambles from invading.

Meanwhile the other group worked their way round the meadows, where the invasive growth has recently been cut back, trimming off stray saplings and gathering up litter. We were glad to be joined by several young people who worked hard to help us.

Work morning tomorrow (2 March)

A quick reminder that there's a Wapley work morning tomorrow, meeting at the Shire Way gate at 10.00 am. We're doing some traditional woodland management - coppicing - and litter clearance. The weather forecast is good, so come and join us for some fresh air and gentle exercise.

Report from work morning 27th January

On a bright but cold morning we tackled some very different jobs. First we planted some trees and bushes to fill in the gaps in the picnic area hedge.

Then we moved on to the lower end of the Western Wood...

... where we planted a range of native wild flowers - red campion, lesser celandine and bluebells. Notice that there are green shoots already poking their heads up through the leaf mould.

We also cleared a ditch on the side of the Lower Meadow to help the recent rain to flow away without spilling out into the field.

These photos were taken by Isabel Ryan - thank you, Isabel.

Effects of Global Warming

Springlike sunshine in Harry Stoke today

Here's an interesting post by a Canadian blogger writing about the effects of global warming in this part of our country, and quoting some recent press articles.

Look out for fungi

At first glance the Reserve looks pretty bare at the moment, but if you look carefully you'll see all sorts of interesting things. Here are some fungi near the bottom gate of the Western Wood.

Caught napping

Spotted on Friday on a path in the Western Wood - this rabbit (probably an escaped domestic one), fast asleep. It looked in very good condition.

A heron profits from the flooding

Spotted several mornings recently in the flooded field just Yate side of Frampton Cotterell - a heron staring intently into the water.

At first I thought it was being optimistic and looking for non-existent fish, but then I realised that it was looking for frogs - a tasty breakfast for a heron.

Workday this Sunday (27 January)

Just a reminder that the next Wapley Bushes Conservation Group is on Sunday, meeting at the Shire Way gate at 10.00 am. Please come along and help us. We will be doing some planting and general conservation work.

Please wear wellies or stout footwear and appropriate clothing. To find out more please ring Paul on 01454 315851 or Isabel on 01454 313055.

More on magpies

Spotted this week - an enterprising magpie checking out the rookery for anything of interest.

I don't think he'll get away with that when the rooks start the new nesting season...

Season's Greetings - a card from Wapley Bushes

Magpies everywhere

Is it just me, or has everyone been seeing magpies all over the place this week?

Any ideas why?

Looking ahead - future work mornings

Wapley Bushes Conservation Group holds regular work mornings on Sundays, meeting at the Shire Way gate at 10.00 am and finishing by 1.00 pm. It's not as strenuous as it sounds - please come along, do a little practical work and learn about the Nature Reserve.

Our provisional plans for the next work mornings are:
Jan 27 - Coppicing and general conservation
Mar 2 - Planting to fill gaps in picnic area hedge, general litter pick
May 18 - Survey of early woodland flowers, birds etc

Please wear wellies or stout footwear and appropriate clothing. If you want to find out more please contact Paul Hulbert on 01454 315851 or Isabel Ryan on 01454 313055.

Report from Work Morning Sunday 4 November

Another busy work morning, mainly planting oak trees along the edge of the Common near the picnic area. We have ideas of establishing an avenue of trees in years to come. Digging was hard going in places - when the track and drainage ditch were created, it looks as if the stones were mainly piled up where we were trying to dig!

The oak trees were all of local stock. A local resident grew them from acorns gathered at Wapley, and brought them on in pots.

We also did a bit more to the stream through the wood, sawing away some branches that were partly blocking the stream bed.

Dave and Ann finish planting an oak
Mary and Malcolm deciding where to put the next one
This small frog showed an interest in our progress

Photos by Isabel Ryan

Report from Work Morning Sunday 2 September

We spent this work morning clearing the stream through the middle of the wood, trimming back branches from footpaths etc. The stream only runs during periods of heavy rain, but then the water from the top ditches has to drain somewhere. It flows down through the wood and then dives underground, crossing the common towards the kissing gate (you can see a depression in the ground where the stream runs underground).

Paul clearing a section of the stream bed

A "team photo" for the day - Paul, Isabel, Mary, Dave, Tim and Malcolm.

Photos by Isabel Ryan

Comments welcome - "in moderation"!

Recently several comments have been left on this blog that are adverts for pharmaceuticals or have links to undesirable websites.

I've now switched "Comment Moderation" on, so when you submit a comment I have to check it before it will become visible. This will allow me to screen out unwanted comments but let through all the genuine ones.

I've also switch on "Word Verification" - when you submit a comment, you will be asked to read a some twisted-looking letters and type them it. The theory is that a spam robot won't be able to do this, but a person can.

Paul

Future Work Mornings - dates for your diaries

Wapley Bushes Conservation Group holds regular work mornings on Sundays, meeting at the Shire Way gate at 10.00 am and finishing by 1.00 pm. It's not as strenuous as it sounds - please come along, do a little practical work and learn about the Nature Reserve.

Our plans for the next work mornings are:
Sep 2 - clearing the stream, trimming back branches from footpaths etc
Nov 4 - Planting trees, native plants in the Western Wood, and honeysuckle in the hedge
Jan 27 - Coppicing and general conservation, more planting

Please wear wellies or stout footwear and appropriate clothing. If you want to find out more please contact Paul Hulbert on 01454 315851 or Isabel Ryan on 01454 313055.

Warning - squirrel working overhead!

I frequently see squirrels at Wapley, and I find their antics quite amusing. Some time ago I saw a young squirrel trying to learn to leap gracefully from tree to tree. It missed its target branch and fell through the tree clutching at branch after branch, and missing each time. Finally it caught hold of a branch about two feet from the ground, and hung there panting and looking very foolish. I refer to it as the "Idiot Squirrel".

I'm often accompanied by a squirrel when I'm walking the paths in the wood - it runs through the branches parallel to the path, about twenty feet in, watching me and keeping pace with my progress. If it's the same one it's learnt to do the Tarzan bit properly now.

While walking in Wapley Wood this week I heard the familiar scampering of a squirrel crossing the path a few feet above my head. Suddenly the fruit shown fell out of the branches and landed inches in front of me. There were tooth marks on the underside of the fruit where it had been bitten off.

Tim Fairhead says that from the toothed shape of the rounded leaf and the shape of the nut cluster it looks like the squirrel was trying to have some immature hazel nuts for lunch - they don't look to be completely ripe with a hard shell as they should be later on in the year.

So - walk the woods at your own risk, or you may get "nutted"!

Report from Work Morning Sunday 8 July

Dave and Isabel delve in the hedge, with Malcolm looking on while Tim directs operations in the background (Mary and Paul not shown)

Isabel clears the way to a tree affected by Dutch Elm Disease

Malcom and Isabel sawing down an infected elm

We tackled several main jobs today. First we removed fifteen or twenty elms affected by Dutch Elm Disease. They're easy to identify at the moment because they have no leaves, or the leaves are discoloured - you can see in the pictures above that the elms are virtually bare.

Next we removed a few strategic branches to open up the Top Pond to sunlight. It's pleasing to see that some of the aquatic plants we put in last year are now starting to spread.

Our final task was removing low-hanging branches from the paths. A good morning's work - a big thank you to everyone who took part.

Our next work morning will be on Sunday 2 September.

A very special place / Cutting dates

A recent survey has confirmed just how special the Lower Meadow is. Its wide range of species puts it in the national top grade of grassland - in fact it's SSSI standard (Site of Special Scientific Interest). However it won't be officially declared as an SSSI because that's only done if a site is at risk, which Wapley certainly isn't. One species that was recorded officially for the first time is the Bee Orchid (though we've seen it occasionally in previous years)

Several people have asked why the Lower Meadow has been cut earlier than usual. The answer is that we're trying to stop the spread of meadowsweet and other invasive plants, and the new cutting date is based on advice from experts. It's a compromise - some of the species we want to keep have only partly set seed, but we want to avoid them being strangled by meadowsweet and the like. Every third year we plan to have a second cut in September. The Upper Meadow will be cut later this month.