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To look at the Isle of Wight Green Gym web page (contains details of sessions etc) please use the following link :- www.iwgreengym.org.uk.

The link to Twitter is https://twitter.com/iwgreengym

If you would like to leave us any comments then please use this link iwgreengym@gmail.com

Wednesday, 15 July 2015

Wed 15th July 2015 - Wetland Walk, Adgestone. GG # 593.


Sue's Photographs.


The pathway as we started..


Some fruit from the trees.
(Note from Sue - Anyone know what type of apple this is?)


Wood sculptures - "discovered" in the undergrowth.



Sawing up the leaning tree.


Mind that wasp's nest…..


The ditch by the cycle track.


Yes, the weeds were THAT tall..!


The pathway, on completion.
Carrie's Photographs.



Mark's Photographs.


Team GG having a cuppa.


The leaning willow - the bow saw was just big enough...




Timber….!


After the area was trimmed back.


The reason we cut the leaning willow tree - split trunk.


A cricket.


Marsh bedstraw.

Similar to last week's GG session, this one started and ended with a light shower but fortunately remained dry from 10:00 until 13:00. First impressions of the site were not good, looking from the gate, by the road, it was impossible to see the picnic area, such was the height go the grass and weeds. Even some of the smaller trees had "disappeared" in the undergrowth - so all the work we had done here in the past seemed to have been negated. With some 30 plus GGmers working hard, we need not have worried as the whole area received a very speedy makeover and looked as good as ever by the time we had finished…! Part of the team were asked to deal with tree that leaned over the lower footpath, so this was felled, cut up, then piled up to the sides of the path. Hopefully this week's photographs will show the extent of the work undertaken across the site. Well done to everyone who attended and have made this site accessible for the start of the school holidays when it is used by many families.
Thank you to the Golf Club for allowing us to use their staff parking area for the van and overspill parking.

Carrie's Nature Natter.


Two items this week, the first being Fleabane (kindly identified by Mark), which has medicinal properties, and though in England it has never had much of a reputation as a curative agent, it has ranked high in the estimation of herbalists abroad. Our old authors call it 'Middle Fleabane' which is derived from the fact that, if burnt, the smoke from them drives away fleas and other insects.

It is a rough-looking plant, with soft, hoary foliage, and large terminal flat heads of bright yellow flowers, single, or one or two together. They are large in proportion to the size of the plant, with numerous long and narrow ray florets being paler than the florets in the centre or disk.
The plant is in bloom from the latter part of July to September, having silky fruit crowned by a few short, unequal hairs of a dirty-white, with an outer ring of very short bristles or scales, a characteristic which distinguishes it from Elecampane and other members of the genus Inula.



Our second find was a bush cricket (kindly identified by Steve) happily sitting on Marion's hand to have his picture taken – crickets sing by rubbing their wings together, while their front legs detect surrounding sounds.  The parts that are rubbed together are called the file and the scraper, the file has little ridges so the effect is rather like rubbing a comb along a piece of card.

Most crickets are crepuscular – meaning they come out at dusk, and although mostly eat grass, are also partial to animal matter as well.

A message from Mark.

I've tweeted about another IWGG news item - dating from pre blog years! https://twitter.com/iwgreengym/status/621387202283577344

White-letter Hairstreak butterflies have been spotted on Elm trees at Towngate Pond.  These butterflies are certainly not common, with only a handful of sightings each year on the Island.  They've suffered the decline due to loss of Elm trees to Dutch Elm Disease.
Back in January 2004 we were involved in planting disease resistant Elms for Island2000 Trust on this site, some have survived and along with others planted elsewhere there by contractors they are now home to this rare species.

As you might see I've now a few more grey hairs since that photo was taken by Simon. I'm on the far left, and on the far right is young Michael when he used to come with the school, shown here working with Pam (Martin's wife).

Wondered if it might be of interest to everyone.

Mark Russell

Many thanks to Sue, Carrie and Mark for the photographs and to Carrie for the Nature Natter.

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