Why not join us this weekend for an hour or two to help remove some dominant plant species from the Haverfield (aka Climbing Wall) Wood? A great opportunity to get out in nature and get some gentle exercise.
We’ve done lots of work in the Haverfield Wood over the last year clearing some of the dense carpet of ivy that had taken over. We then planted thousands of native woodland bulbs (such as bluebells, snowdrops, winter aconites, snake’s head fritillary and wild tulips) which has produced a wonderful succession of colour over the last few months.
But with April comes the April Spurt – cleavers/stickyweed and cow parsley have bolted up. This weekend we want to remove lots of these two plants before they set seed. Each Cow Parsley plant produces around 1,000 seeds. The aim is to increase the biodiversity in the wood by not letting any one species predominate. There are lots of plants hidden beneath the cleavers such as wild violets which are an important source of nectar for woodland butterflies.
What will the volunteering involve?
The cleavers can be pulled out quite easily by hand, though a border fork might be needed. With the cow parsley we’ll use border forks to lift mature plants, making sure to insert deep enough to get below the taproot and lift it out whole. Doing this in late spring, when plants have begun to develop the tall flower stems but haven’t yet started flowering, gives us good purchase without the risk of spreading seed.
Where: Haverfield Wood (by the Mile End Climbing Wall) (See MAP)
When: Sunday 4th May and Ban Holiday Monday 5th May
Time: 11am onwards (till around 1 pm)
Equipment: We will have 10 spades and forks, and plenty of gloves; but please bring your own kit if possible.
Other Info: We suggest you wear long trousers, a long sleeve shirt, and no open toed shoes as there are nettles!
Here’s a quick gallery of the journey so far. Definitely a work in progress.
