Wed 24th June 2009 - Rew Down, Ventnor.

Helping the Rangers at Rew Down, Ventnor was this week’s venue for the Green Gym, and we had various tasks to undertake. These were building a new stile, entailing the removal of the old broken one, digging out the existing holes to a depth of about three feet, tamping in the new posts using the excavated soil and a few stones, (which amazingly took four of us most of the morning), then attaching and cross members and step; removing and bagging up for later collection any ragwort that could be found; and cutting back some small areas of cotoneaster (having a quick check for any nesting birds first of course).

Carrie’s Nature Lesson

Two interesting finds this week were Wood Spurge and Creeping Thyme (see pictures). Wood Spurge (Euphorbia Amygdaloides) is the only common spurge found usually in English woodlands, and recognised by its hairy, erect stems and yellowish, branched flower heads. It is a spreading and clump forming plant which can also be found (as here on Rew Down) in open, humid areas. Its flowers are very odd, lacking as they do both petals and sepals. Each cup-like structure contains one or more male flowers and a female flower, and some spurges are pollinated not by bees but by ichneumon wasps. Creeping Thyme (Thymus Serpyllum) is an evergreen subshrub that spreads to form a carpet, giving off a strong aroma when trodden on. It has tiny, finely hairy, mid-green leaves on wiry trailing stems and is covered in masses of tiny purple flowers in summer, which are loved by bees. Interestingly in the centre and slightly to the right of the picture, you can also see the elongated pink seed pods of a birdsfoot trefoil, so called because they are shaped like the foot of a bird.

Thanks to Carrie for the editorial and some of the pictures, the other pictures are from Richard the Ranger.