Category: Nature

The Ivy Bee

 

Spotted in early October on some ivy growing near the Village Shop was this bee, the Ivy Bee – our first record in the parish although it has probably been around for a while. Amazingly this bee was new to Science in 1993 and first recorded in Britain in 2001 in Dorset since when it has spread out steadily. New species are always of interest although some, unlike this one, bring their own problems such as the Harlequin Ladybird.

 

Whatever Brexit may bring or not bring the news on the wildlife front overall is not good. England (we have no comparable figures for Wales but it is improbable that they are any better) has the largest membership of wildlife-protection organisations in Europe but has amongst the smallest amount of land protected as nature reserves. France has 2,750,000 hectares protected; England has 94,400. Even Estonia manages 258,000. America has its National Parks where wilderness is sacrosanct – in all of our National Parks large areas are intensively grazed by sheep or in England and Scotland, managed as grouse moors. In an earlier issue of What’s On we noted how far behind their own targets for tree planting Wales and England were.

For whatever reasons, wildlife is very low on the political agenda at the practical level. Look at the minutes of Council meetings or coverage in the Gem to see how often wildlife features. Twenty years ago the Cuckoo could be heard in Wenvoe every Spring. It is now extinct in the parish. This may all seem quite dispiriting but there are things that we can all do. For instance, planting wildflowers helps pollinators. If you cut a tree down, replace it with another – still better, plant more. Make sure your garden is hedgehog-friendly with spaces for them to travel around – an adult hedgehog may roam 2 kilometres each night. There are many other small practical things that can be done but also consider letting your elected representatives know your views on these topics so that conservation is prioritised and some funding allocated. To end on a more positive note a future issue of What’s On will cover what is emerging as a real success story – the Knepp Estate.

 

 

Fungi Competition

 

At the time of writing we had been inundated with photos of fungi for the competition and it has been great to see how many people are out there snapping toadstools and mushrooms which are popping up everywhere with the damper weather. Somewhat disappointing is that we have not received any entries in the craft or painting and drawing sections. Hopefully there will be a last-minute rush as we know there are plenty of artists and craftspeople out there. Look out for the December edition of What’s On to see the final results.

A good harvest from the orchards has been enjoyed by many and this means that next year we can celebrate an Apple Day where you will be able to come and sample the fruit as well as try pressing some fruit juices. More on that next year. Work continues at Goldsland where we hope to add some more fruit trees in the Farm Orchard. The benefits to wildlife are becoming more apparent and this year seems to have been particularly good for Hornets and small mammals.

If you would like to help out in any way, do contact the Wildlife Group.

 

 

 

 

 

Fungi Competition

 

With the Wildlife Group fungi competition ongoing until the end of October it is worth reflecting on what fungi are and why they are so important to us. Most people think of fungi as the familiar mushroom or toadstool sticking out of the ground and, so far, competition entries have followed this line. But just as an apple is a small part of the whole tree, a mushroom is simply the fruiting body of a whole organism stretching out for many metres under the ground or through a tree.

These filaments are called hyphae – they release enzymes and absorb food. They can link to tree roots and greatly increase the spread of nutrients that a tree can get access to which is why gardeners and horticulturalists add Mycorrhizal fungus to the roots when planting trees or shrubs as we have done with the fruit trees in the Wenvoe orchards. The fungi take sugars from the tree and in return give them moisture and nutrients.

There are many 'amazing facts' about fungi. They provide us with medicines (and not just Penicillin) and were being used in the shape of yeasts to make mead 9,000 years ago. Think how many types of food use yeast! Truffles, Marmite, Quorn and cheese all depend wholly or partly on fungi. A fungus has been found which breaks down plastics in weeks rather than years and they are used to make bioethanol from crop waste. They are even being used to extract cobalt and lithium from old batteries. Synthetic rubber, even Lego, are made using an acid from fungi. But they do have a darker side wreaking havoc across the world to trees and crops.-,Honey Fungus can often be found in our local woods where it kills trees and shrubs.

So there is a lot more to fungi than the occasional pretty red and white spotted mushroom growing under a Birch tree or the punnets in your local supermarket. They deserve respect and we hope that the competition will help all of us to be more aware of what they can do for us

 

 

 

October Tasks

 

RHS tips for the month.

1. Divide rhubarb crowns.

2. Cut back perennials that have died back.

3. Divide herbaceous perennials.

4. Move tender plants into a greenhouse

5. Plant out Spring cabbages.

6. Harvest apples, pears and nuts.

7. Prune climbing roses.

8. Finish collecting seeds to grow next year.

9. Keep cutting the grass and trim the hedges.

10. Still a good time to repair lawns.

The grass cutting season seems to get longer. If it's dry enough, keep cutting with the height of the blade raised. This will make the first cut in Spring a lot easier. If reseeding bare patches remember to spread an extra handful to account for what the birds will consume.

Plant wallflowers, primula, forget-me-nots and Winter flowering pansies in prepared ground or containers. Any pots not raised should be done so now or they will become water logged over Winter.

October is the best time of year to move trees and shrubs. Bare root trees and shrubs start to become available now. These are a lot cheaper to purchase and planted now will soon establish quickly. When looking at gardens you will see some where the plants are struggling for space, so be careful how many you put in as it's easy to get carried away and fill in all the gaps, leaving no room for future growth. Over the years plants do out grow their space even with careful planning and decisions have to be made. It can be quite refreshing to start over, although some plants will have memories attached to them. If you do decide to remove some plants, take cuttings and grow on. Hardwood cuttings take very well at this time of year.

Some of the larger Wyevale garden centres have been taken over by Blue Diamond group based in the Channel Islands so you will need to swap over cards when you visit one of their garden centres. The nearest one is at St Mellons.

The new Grange development has proven a difficult area for new home owners as clay is quite near the problem, organic material and garden lime put in to the soil at this time of year will break down the clay and help the soil to hold on to nutrients.

Some members of the library volunteers organised the Village show this year. Hopefully they will continue to do so because without their willingness to rise to the challenge the show would fade away. If you could help I'm sure you would be welcomed.

Leaf mould is the material to grow your bulbs in. Now is the time of year to start making it for next year. Just fill some bin bags with leaves, of which Wenvoe has plenty, add a little water if dry, make a couple of holes in the bag and leave till next year. That's all you need to do.

Happy gardening.

 

 

RHS tips for this month

 

RHS tips for this month:-

1. Divide herbaceous perennials.

2. Pick Autumn raspberries.

3. Collect and sow seeds of perennials and hardy annuals.

4. Dig up remaining potatoes before slug damage.

5. Net ponds before leaf fall gets underway.

6. Keep up with watering of new plants.

7. Start to reduce frequency of house plant watering.

8. Clean out cold frames and greenhouses ready for Autumn.

9. Cover leafy vegetables with bird proof netting.

10. Plant Spring flowering bulbs.

We need to be sowing Sweet Peas in a cold frame now for early blooms next year.

Take Pelargonium cuttings now. These plants often do better grown this way. A window sill is a good place to bring them on and keep them away from frost.

If you have Crocosmia, now is a good time to divide them which will improve next year’s display.

Climbing Roses can be pruned once they've finished flowering. Side shoots from main branches can be cut back to one or two buds and take out any weak or diseased growth. Take hard wood cuttings of roses, choosing well ripened, healthy shoots.

September is a good month to plant new shrubs and move established ones as they will have all Winter to settle in. Do not forget to stake these.

Work on the lawn this month if you can. If sowing seed or laying turf this is the best time of year to do it. Make sure to use the right lawn feed for this time of year. The fertiliser should have less nitrogen so as not to encourage too much growth which can weaken the grass leading in to Winter.

A really tedious job at this time of year, especially in Wenvoe as we have a great number of trees, is raking up leaves or, as some do, blowing them around the garden until they get giddy. Just rake the leaves from borders and paths onto the lawn and mow them up along with a bit of grass as this makes excellent compost material. A small space in your garden is all you need to make compost and save money in the process.

Using a mulch on borders is something that can be done all year round. It helps with moisture retention, acts as frost protection and cuts down on a lot of weeding. Buying enough to do this properly can become expensive. So the next time you see a tree surgeon working in the area, ask them for some of the wood that they have put through their shredder. They will be more than willing to let you have it as it costs them to tip it.

Local wildlife enthusiast Peter Ferris, whose back garden attracts as many birds as his car did in his misspent youth, has grown the most prolific tomatoes outdoors this Summer. If forecasters are right then drier Summers will mean rethinking what we plant. Gardeners who concentrated on Pelargoniums this year had great displays as these plants need a lot less water.

This month brings some good events to celebrate harvest time. The Village Show shows off the many and varied skills of Wenvoe folk – no tinned veg on display there! Around at the church the Scarecrow Festival takes place. It has been said that this is not a competition but a festival where parishioners turn up with their creations and praise each other on their masterpieces. In reality, this is where the Reverend needs all his skills of diplomacy to keep order and stop any skullduggery. Can't wait.

 

WILDLIFE GROUP COMPETITIONS

WILDLIFE GROUP COMPETITIONS

Are you a photographer, artist or craftsperson? If so, here is a competition that might be of interest. To celebrate our fungi, mushrooms and toadstools the Wildlife Group have organised some competitions with funding and support from Grow Wild. These are the categories:

Category 1. Take a photograph of any fungi you come across

Category 2. Do a drawing or painting of any fungi

Category 3. Use craft skills to make a model of fungi. This could be stitched (see photo), carved or constructed.

You can either attach the photo or a scanned painting and email your entry to bruce7@ btinternet.com or you can leave your original piece of artwork (no bigger than A3) or model with a member of staff at the Wenvoe Village Library on opening days. Please ensure your name, age and contact details are associated with your entry. Images of your entries may be used by the Wildlife Group for publicity purposes.

You can submit entries anytime between 1st September and the end of October. We then hope to create a display at the Village Library. Entries are open to everyone and there are no age restrictions. First prize in each category will receive tokens to the value of £30 but there will also be some £10 prizes for runners up. To follow how the competition is going, please visit our Facebook page – Wenvoe Wildlife Group.

 

 

The Heatwave Challenge

 

It has been a challenge to all gardeners trying to keep all their plants alive during the heatwave and the community plants are no exception, but some devoted members of our team are managing to do a bit of watering. This lovely weather has its’ downside for we who long for some good solid rain. Watering is hard work, especially at the allotments where hosepipes are not allowed.

At our July meeting all the roses were pruned. No meeting in August.

Our team were saddened to learn of the death of Len Currie, known to us all as Len 2. A long time member of the team, he turned out when his health permitted and it was a privilege to have known him

 

 

Tree Mallow – To Grow or not to Grow?

 

So what might connect a Wenvoe garden with the small island of Craigleith in the Firth of Forth? The answer – Tree Mallow. Gardeners will be familiar with the various Mallows grown in gardens and sold by Garden Centres. Or you might have tasted Marshmallow flavoured originally with an extract from the root of the plant that grows on our coasts, particularly Gower. The Tree Mallow is quite unmistakeable growing typically to 2 metres and even reaching 3. If you are visiting Gower there are a few near the Youth Hostel at Port Eynon and these are around 3 metres. One turned up unannounced in our garden so out of curiosity we let it grow. It is currently 1.40 metres and still shooting up vigorously but not yet in flower. It is native to the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, in Britain mainly in the South and South West.

But why Craigleath? This small island near North Berwick and others close by are a haven for sea birds, especially puffins but in the early 2000s it was clear that the numbers were plummeting and the cause was – yes, you've guessed! – Tree Mallow. The plant can grow out of control forming a thick mini-jungle and preventing birds like puffins getting to their nesting sites. Few other plants can survive under the dense foliage. But the good news is that as volunteers have started clearing the Mallow the puffins are returning.

But how does a plant associated with the South West end up on remote islands in the North East? In this case it was introduced by soldiers serving on nearby Bass Rock because it was used to dress wounds. Also lighthouse-keepers elsewhere have planted it for similar reasons, to use in poultices and in ointments to treat burns. So there is your conundrum – if one turns up in your garden do you let it grow and risk it taking over and keeping out the puffins or remove it and lose a useful ingredient in nature's medicine chest?

 

 

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