{"id":13429,"date":"2023-08-08T12:06:59","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T11:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=13429"},"modified":"2023-08-08T12:06:59","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T11:06:59","slug":"nature-notes-august-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=13429","title":{"rendered":"NATURE NOTES – AUGUST 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"
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AS \u00a0LOVELY AS A TREE\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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I think that I shall never see <\/em><\/span>
\nA poem lovely as a tree<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\nSo wrote the American poet, Joyce Kilmer. In Wenvoe we are lucky to have a wonderful collection of trees which, if you removed the houses, would make a respectable arboretum in its own right. Dominated by the massive Horse Chestnuts and Pines around Grange Park, many of our gardens also have an amazing variety and range of, often smaller, trees. You do not need a huge garden to plant a tree in – there are species to suit every size and taste. And each one will, in its own way, help the environment, capture carbon, cool its surroundings and provide shelter and, often, food for wildlife.<\/p>\n

\nTake Walston Close, for example. In the front gardens of this small cul-de-sac of 9 houses you can see Black Lace Elder, Eucryphia Nymanensis, several Acers, a couple of Cabbage Palms, Liquidamber, Weeping Purple Beech, Variegated Sycamore, Magnolia, two Apple trees, a Wedding Cake Tree (see below) and even a small Handkerchief Tree. One garden alone has 14 Acers and another 17 trees including Crabapple, Hop Tree, 4 Italian Cypress, Amelanchier, a Claygate Pearmain Apple, Silver Birch, two Blue Sausage Trees and a Judas Tree. Other trees known about in the Close include Gingko, Purple Beech and Indian Bean Tree. There are no doubt several others in back gardens which are known only to the householders. And not to mention all the conifers which are often not so easy to identify.<\/p>\n

\nThe Tree Trail covers many of the other interesting trees in the village such as Persian Ironwood, Laburnum, Walnut, Loquat, Clerodendron, Mulberry, Corkscrew Hazel and Bird Cherry. There is an ancient Yew in the churchyard considered already very old in 1700 and a Beech by the war memorial supposedly planted to celebrate the end of the Boer War. However, the trail does need updating as a number of trees have been removed for whatever reason and not replaced. These include Walnut, Tulip Tree and Balm of Gilead Poplar. Port Road is lined with a variety of mature trees including many Hornbeam which are not that common in the wild around here. The fields either side of the road to the Golf Club have some magnificent old oaks probably dating back to the Constable era.<\/p>\n

\nHow many new trees are being planted? Precious few, alas, although we were delighted to see those recently planted on the village green by a local family. The school has ambitious plans with 5 apples already in the ground and a hedgerow waiting for Autumn to enter the ground. Three new oaks went in on the fields on the way to the Golf Course. The Wildlife Group have planted around 200 fruit and other trees over the last decade. Looking out at the woodland around Wenvoe one could be forgiven for thinking that our level of tree cover is good but with England at 10% when the European average is 38%, we are near the bottom of the pile. TV presenter Iolo Williams has said more trees are needed to prevent a “collapse in wildlife”.<\/p>\n

\nWith Global Warming threatening, temperatures increasing and the countryside disappearing planting a tree (or two!) is one of the easiest ways in which you can make a difference. And please write to What\u2019s On and let us know how you get on.<\/p>\n

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AS \u00a0LOVELY AS A TREE\u00a0 I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree So wrote the American poet, Joyce Kilmer. In Wenvoe we are lucky to have a wonderful collection of trees which, if you removed the houses, would make a respectable arboretum in its own right. Dominated by the massive Horse Chestnuts and Pines […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-3uB","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8218,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=8218","url_meta":{"origin":13429,"position":0},"title":"Commentaries On Nature","author":"Alan Williams","date":"4th September 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Nature Notes Commentaries on Nature will always be something of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. So let's start at the grimmer end of the spectrum. Neonicotinoids are a form of insecticide widely used in the 1990s but when evidence became clear that they were killing bees they were\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=49"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Gabalva-8-20-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13188,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=13188","url_meta":{"origin":13429,"position":1},"title":"NATURE NOTES","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd July 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"NATURE NOTES \u00a0 We are often asked about the effects of artificial lawns on wildlife. The benefits in terms of maintenance etc. are understood and promoted in advertising by plastic grass suppliers. However recently the Royal Horticultural Society published an article summarising the less welcome effects these can have on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=49"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture3.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture3.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture3.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":734,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=734","url_meta":{"origin":13429,"position":2},"title":"September Nature Notes.","author":"Alan Williams","date":"31st August 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Wander into the countryside and you can easily spot birds and wildflowers. Even if you cannot see the birds you can often hear them calling despite being hidden in trees and undergrowth. But how many mammals will you see? Deer are not yet seen around Wenvoe but you might spot\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=49"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/SEPT-Field-Vole-head.jpg?fit=817%2C569&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/SEPT-Field-Vole-head.jpg?fit=817%2C569&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/SEPT-Field-Vole-head.jpg?fit=817%2C569&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/SEPT-Field-Vole-head.jpg?fit=817%2C569&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8019,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=8019","url_meta":{"origin":13429,"position":3},"title":"Discover our 5 Community Orchards","author":"Alan Williams","date":"11th August 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Nature Notes Discover our 5 Community Orchards With more and more people discovering one or more of our 5 Community Orchards, all designed and planted by the Wenvoe Wildlife Group, the question is often raised - What has this got to do with wildlife? Orchards are a priority habitat in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=49"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-300x283.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8845,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=8845","url_meta":{"origin":13429,"position":4},"title":"Private Gardens In The UK","author":"Alan Williams","date":"28th December 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Nature Notes Private Gardens In The UK Private gardens in the UK cover an area bigger than all the Nature Reserves combined, estimated at over 10 million acres. 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