Resulting from the recent extremely wet weather the Fernery Paths have inevitably suffered heavily from the footfall of our many visitors. With our eyes on the current adverse weather streams approaching the country the Friends of Danesbury Fernery Committee have reluctantly agreed with the Borough Council that we should close the Fernery with immediate effect […]
News
Work Parties re-commence
The Borough Council have given us permission to re-commence Work Parties on the Danesbury Local Nature Reserve, but it will take time for us all to settle into new Protocols for safe working, including the necessary sanitisation of shared tools, as well as social distancing. These protocols have been circulated to all regular Friends of […]
A Time to Reflect
The Talking has to stop! On Thursday 5th March 2020 John and Colin gave a Talk ‘Recovering and Restoring Danesbury Fernery’ to the Ashwell Horticultural Society (Chris James’s own). This is turning out to be the last for long time as next month’s scheduled Talk at the Ryde & District Gardening club has had to […]
Notice – All Work Parties cancelled
We have received a directive from Ann MacDonald, the Landscape & Ecology Manager, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, that due to the spread of Covid-19, no more volunteer Working Parties are to operate on the Borough’s nature reserves and gardens for the time being. From Tuesday 17th March 2020 all work parties must stop until further […]
More bulb planting
As forecast in our Notice of the 20th February Work Party we took delivery of a large order of Spring and Summer Bulbs after the date of the Work Party. This photo shows 3000 x single snowdrops, 3000 x double snowdrops, and 1000 x aconites, all ‘in the green’ and laid out before planting to […]
Report of Working Parties – Thursday 20th February 2020
We had a good turn out of 14 volunteers working on the Nature Reserve, and in the Fernery. The weather forecast was just about right, and we managed to undertake some good work in cold and gusty conditions before the rains came down at 11 a.m. just as we started to make our exodus. Work […]
Notice of Working Party – Thursday 20th February 2020
Dependant as we are on the constraints of the weather, and the number of volunteers on site, we are planning to operate two Work Parties on the 20th February: Local Nature Reserve – Leader Andrew Beattie The Fernery – Leader Harry Ward Weather Forecast- long range Gusty winds and hail showers! If we have to […]
Gymnogramma chrysophylla Parsonsii Or Pityrogramma austro-americana?
The title might sound like a mysterious and, frankly, academic question but the significance may become clear in this article. In the Pteridologist magazine in 2000 Patricia Watt mentioned that Anthony Parsons (AP) was honoured by having a fern, Gymnogramma chrysophylla parsonii , named for him. This is a Victorian name, no longer in use, […]
Report of Working Parties – 16th January 2020
The weather forecast was just about right, and before a sharp wind from the South blew up, a beautiful clear and crisp morning encouraged a large turnout of 19 volunteers. Work Party No 1 – Local Nature Reserve – Leader Andrew Beattie No work was undertaken on the Park Field as Chris James (WHBC Landscape […]
Notice of Working Party – Thursday 16th January 2020
Dependant as we are on the constraints of the weather, and the number of volunteers on site, we are planning to operate two Work Parties on the 16th January: Local Nature Reserve – Leader Andrew Beattie The Fernery – Leader Harry Ward Weather Forecast- long range Light rain showers and a moderate breeze, but the […]