Terry's photos
We spent a lovely autumnal morning working in the butterfly meadow
area of Play Lane Millennium Green helping to rake up cut grass and clear other
unwanted greenery. The grass was cleared
away (and the ground scarified) so that it would not compost and add nutrients
to the soil, thereby encouraging wildflower seeds to germinate. Bramble roots were grubbed out by mattock and
also cut back from the edges of the meadow.
Clumps of devil’s-bit scabious and hawksbeard were retained so that they
could set seed. Stalks of rosebay
willowherb had been cut, and their seeds were to be scattered over the ground after
our session.
Concern had been raised about the New Zealand pygmyweed growing
in the pond area. The springs over this
site vary their course over time and the pond is currently dry (exacerbated by
our hot summer) so this is a good time to remove as much as possible. See link -
New
Zealand Pigmyweed Invasive Species | Canal & River Trust
All removed material was put into a plastic sack where it
will rot down. This is a very invasive
non-native plant which can regrow from tiny fragments.
(Please note that spelling varies – pygmyweed or pigmyweed!)
Devil’s-bit scabious is so named (according to folklore)
because the root terminates abruptly as if bitten off, allegedly, by the Devil!
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Path update......
We last visited this site in April and worked along this central pathway through the woods - see link below.
