Last Sunday saw another very well attended volunteer session with over a dozen committee members and volunteers tackling this month’s tasks.

It was disappointing to see that all the pears and apples had been taken by, we assume, local squirrels. Last month we saw around a dozen potential fruits which were looking good, but others got there first!

Pear tree, but without the pears!

One of the main tasks was the weeding of The Mound area, which had become very overgrown with bindweed, plants working their ways around the small tree saplings. You can see in the photos the impact of 2 hours’ work on the area.

Tim Barnes and Richard Sylvester taking on the bindweed

At the entrance area, some of the branches from the immediate area were moved and, if required, cut in to smaller pieces to create a new dead-wood habitat, while making the area tidier too.

A new dead wood habitat creation

With all the work taking place, it’s often we forget to appreciate the inside of the woodland, even the footpath in the dappled shade offering a little quietness despite housing being no more than 30 feet away from the paths. And it’s always appreciated that a coffee break allows us to chat and discuss new ideas and projects, especially with next month’s open day.

An internal footpath looking towards The Glade

Volunteers enjoying a mid morning coffee break

Finally, just before leaving, in the pond area, we saw what we think is a Southern Hawker Dragonfly, one of the more common dragonflies in Southern England and commonly associated with small ponds.

Southern Hawker Dragonfly