Wed 28th July 2021 - Steephill Down, Upper Ventnor. GG # 845.

The pre-session "Team Talk".

A VERY overgrown fence / hedge line.

Giving it a short back and sides.

Everyone is still social distancing.

Alison photographed this beetle, can anyone identify it..?

Although GG has worked in this area a few times in the past, it was many moons ago. We were tasked to cut back the very overgrown verges on the track leading up to the golf course. Somewhere underneath that foliage was the original cattle proof fencing, all we had to do was find it 😏. Although there was a heavy rain shower on the drive out there, the weather remained dry for our session but it was rather breezy. As can be seen in the above photos, good progress was made along a considerable length of the track so well done everyone 👍.

Mark thinks we will be back to pulling pesky plants next week and the venue will be announced by e-mail once the details have been finalised. 

Wed 21st July 2021 - Brading Downs. GG # 844.

 This is where we held our session this week....

Wonderful views across the Island....

until you start to see just how much ragwort needs pulling 😒.

It has certainly grown since we were here just a few weeks ago..!

After just ONE hour we had pulled this much.

Before we had even started this week's session we had a problem..

Just the small matter of the first ever amber extreme heat warning issued by the meteorological office. In light of this, Mark decided that we should start at 9 am and finish early... thereby avoiding work during the hottest part of the day 👏. After a bit of a mix-up over which car park we were meeting at 😂 we were soon tackling the copious clumps of ragwort whilst making sure we had frequent breaks to top up our fluid levels. The photo of the well filled trailer above shows just how much we managed in just the first hour, well done everyone who braved the heat to attend. Although I had to leave early, I do believe that a GG Team outing was arranged to have ice creams from the near-by vendor 😀👍.

Wed 14th July 2021 - Stone Farm, Blackwater. GG # 843.

 Terry's Photographs.

"Welcome to Stone Farm...."

Not the easiest access.

Everyone was soon hard at work.

Himalayan Balsam has huge root balls..!

Working our way into the jungle.

"Hey..this one is taller than I am..!"

Tea time team talk.

Then back to work.

Above and below, just two of the MANY

piles we left to dry out.

Not only were we outdoors again this week but at a new venue too! Following Mark's excellent directions, most of us got there without getting lost (what happened Mick..?😀). A big thank you to the farm owner for letting us park in the livery yard which was just yards away from where we were working. It is always difficult to assess just how much Himalayan Balsam is there until you start to work your way in, today there was plenty. Possibly due to the torrential rain we had recently, certain areas were VERY wet underfoot so wellies were a definite plus. Once pulled then the plants are piled so they dry out in the sun.

With two teams working from opposite sides, it took quite a while for us to meet up somewhere in the middle and others worked on the surrounding foot paths. A well attended session and the weather was warm and sunny, just right.

It seems that next week we will possibly be back up on Brading Down to have another go at the Ragwort but Mark will be sending out e-mail details closer to the time.

Many thanks to Terry for the photographs.

Wed 7th July 2021 - Bodster Equine, Godshill. GG # 842.

 Terry's Photographs.

Terry's Nature Corner.

We are not sure what this is....any suggestions?

 The caterpillar of a Cinnabar moth.

One of the five young kestrels that had recently fledged.

A rabbit that should be keeping a good look out for the parents

of the one above...!

A couple of photos from Bob the Blog.

Showing the area we were hoping to de-ragwort and the glorious view.

One of the several dump spots around the area we covered.

This week we were back at the Bodster Equine Centre on the outskirts of Godshill. Over the years we have had several visits here, doing all sorts of tasks, but this time it was to try and control the ragwort that was growing across their horse paddocks. We know that ragwort and horses is not a good mix but if you would like a more detailed explanation, then click this link  https://www.bhs.org.uk/advice-and-information/horse-health-and-sickness/the-dangers-of-ragwort

There really isn't a whole lot you can say about pulling ragwort (that I haven't said MANY times before!) but the photographs above give a good indication of what is involved - namely a lot of backbreaking work😅. The sky was rather overcast but the session remained dry and was well attended.

For those of you who might be interested in what they do there, try this link   https://eaqbodster.co.uk/

Still lots of uncertainty about our future program but Mark assures us that we will hear, by email, when things finally are confirmed.

Many thanks to Terry for his photographs this week.