Branchlines February Updates
BRANCHLINES and OLD SCHOOL WOOD
Working Party and Hedge Laying Course. Saturday 21st February.
The hedge laying course runs from 10am to 3.30pm and is restricted to 8 trainees. One place remains currently. Other volunteers will meet as usual at 9.30am. Help will be needed in parallel with the course and other tasks will continue.
Update. We planted a native Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) on January 14th in memory of David Hilditch. Money raised at the White Horse in his memory is likely to be used for another bench. Dead trees and branches in the forest school area have been dealt with. Wood chippings were laid on more sections of muddy path.
It is good to see the ponds full again. Another reminder please to not to enter the water or throw things in. I now have the complete up to date list from our local moth expert of what has been found at the wood; 346 moth species including 11 nationally scarce ones! NB Many of these are ‘micromoths’ that you are unlikely to see casually.
If you came to our AGM and talk last month, I hope you enjoyed the talk by Roxanne Clark about Monsters in the Wood. This was our 25th anniversary AGM. Branchlines was formed in January 2001 with the help of the late Grenville Clarke. It took 7 years to find a suitable site for the wood, but 140 people turned out on our first public planting day in February 2008.
FOOTPATHS
Update. It is good to see that the hedge has been cut back on the narrow section of path between the village and the church (FP11). This makes for a more pleasant walk. We are expecting more work on this path in the future. I sent out an email reminder to those who are interested, so let me know when you come on the walk if you would like to be added.
ST. LAWRENCE CHURCHYARD
Working Party. Saturday February 7th. This coincides with the annual Snowdrop Festival, when the church and churchyard hold an open morning. If you would like to help with ongoing general maintenance, meet 9.30am at the churchyard. No special skills needed and we stop for a chat and refreshments at 11am.
Update. Expect to see more information on display this spring. We have replaced one of the avenue of limes that died last year. Hedges have been trimmed and gaps replanted. The ‘apron’ around the church was cleaned and weeded. Dead branches have been collected up and tidied away. The compost bins have been refreshed.
I have heard the woodpecker drumming in the great oak. Birds are prospecting for places to nest and they may choose one of our nestboxes, trees or hedges. There should be plenty of natural food available for them in the churchyard and immediate neighbourhood.
David Taylor
