Reports

The team worked very hard to prepare the site for the Welwyn Festival Open Garden Evening on Thursday 20th June 2019.

Extra scheduled working parties had been operating on Thursdays for many weeks, together with many other ad hoc meetings to complete the planting, particularly of Jenny’s Wild Flowers on the Northern Bank.

Organised by Andrew, the Sherrardspark Wood Wardens donated two fine oak logs which were installed as benches with Alan and Harry’s help.

They have been fixed facing each other on the Northern Bank and Southern Banks, and they provide magnificent views across the dell. They are already very popular and in regular use.

The following photos were take at the Scheduled Working Party on the morning of Thursday 20th June when 23 volunteers turned out to help with final preparations.

On a bright Spring-like morning 16 volunteers split into two groups.

Nature Reserve Working Party

Led by Andrew, 5 volunteers continued their work clearing the ancient track pathway and scrub on the Park Field leading down to the B656 Codicote Road.

Fernery Garden Working Party

Led by John and Sarah, 11 volunteers continued the work of planting and weeding.

Bexit

We are grateful to Mike Smith for donating a teak bench that had become redundant since his recent house move. Harry had rubbed it down and treated it with teak oil ready for installation.

However, although the 11 volunteers present had agreed unanimously where the bench should be sited, our two representatives Harry and Alan, after extended negotiations with Chris, the WHBC Officer, failed to meet her demands for securing it.

With some loss of dignity a backstop agreement was nevertheless reached, and our two cross benchers, Harry and Alan, wearily took the unwanted concrete posts back to the hardware store, and replaced them appropriately with chains (!)

In doing so they missed their Tea Break and flapjacks, and the (above) photo-shoot.

Rabbit rabbit rabbit…

The WHBC have secured the large hole on the South East corner with very strong galvanised wire, and a rabbit proof board has been placed directly beneath the field gate on the North west side.

But, the rabbits still cause us problems, and they are enjoying Jenny’s wild flowers more than they are supposed to.

We have tried laying chicken wire flat on top of the flowers to stop rabbits accessing the roots, but suspect that they will simply wait for the tops to show through and try nibbling them instead of pulling the roots out of the ground.

In the short term, apart from continuing to screen off planting areas with chicken wire and posts, we will probably delay cutting the grass on the banks until later in the summer, in the hope that the rabbits will prefer nibbling grass to wild flowers.

Flora and Fauna

The planting beds are beginning to show their colours and contrasts, and bees are beginning to get busy pollenating.

This bee found just inside the Entrance Gate is a bit of an unknown, and has been referred to the County Recorder for his opinion.

Since identified as Apis mellifera Linnaeus – Western or European Honey Bee | Caste: Worker

Identified by Steve Lings, Bees & Wasps Recorder for Herts Nat Hist Soc.

Weather

Sunny and mild as forecast. The ground was dry underfoot.

Tasks Completed

Nature Reserve – Park Field

Andrew led a team that continued last months work to clear the Ancient Track from the bottom (Codicote Road) end.

Brash was half hidden on the North Side of the bank, but will probably need to be burned off at some future date to keep things tidy.

The Fernery Garden

John led a team that planted more perennials in the Parsons Bed under Sarah’s supervision, and more wild flowers on the North Chalk Bank under Jenny’s supervision.

Alan dug out the shape of the Jigsaw bed at the North end of the Dell ready for grass seeding next month.

Weather and attendance

The 7-day weather forecast was proved correct and it was as cold as it was bright with a chill factor from the light breeze. We had a turnout of 15 volunteers and we split into two groups as follows:

• Nature Reserve

• The Fernery

Tasks Completed

Nature Reserve

A group of 6 volunteers led by Andrew, and joined by Chris James (WHBC), started at the bottom of the track: cutting back scrub, tidying up around the ferns which are growing naturally on the bank there, and clearing leaves with the aid of a leaf blower.

The Fernery Garden

A second group of 9 volunteers led by John, gathered up fallen leaves and stored them in the compost cage, weeded the planted beds, planted more of Jenny’s cultivated wild flowers on the North Chalk Bank, and cleared grass and weeds away from the young tree whips around the perimeter.

Weather and attendance

The 7-day weather forecast was quite wrong and we met on a beautiful bright day but with a very cold wind blowing from the East, which picked up as the morning progressed.

We welcomed new member Andrew Moffatt, and had a turnout totalling 17 volunteers

We also welcomed Ann MacDonald and Chris James from WHBC.

Tasks Completed

Planting

On the North Chalk Bank we planted more of Jenny’s wild flowers, and this group worked hard weeding out various strains of the dandelion family.

Sarah and another small group worked on the edgings of the formal beds, planting Hearts-Tongue ferns (Phyllitis Scolopendrium) that Harry and Hilary had brought along.

Weeding

Small groups under Sarah’s direction carried out weeding on the Planting Beds and on pathways.

Gathering fallen leaves and tree detritus

Andrew and Colin ploughed their way through the pathways with leaf blowers, accompanied by a small fleet of volunteer rakers and leaf gatherers.

The leaf mulching cage was soon filled up and a second cage was immediately constructed, adjacent to the first, and this too began to rapidly fill.

Plant Protection

The Tree Fern (Dicksonia Antarctica) in the Central Bed had received Harry’s straw protection last month but this task was finished off with a total wrap for complete winter protection.

Publicity

• On Monday 3rd December Lucy gave a Presentation to the WGC WEA, who generously donated £50 to our funds.
• On Wedneday 12th December 2018,  the Welwyn Hatfield Times Magazine published a full article about the work of the volunteers at Danesbury Fernery.
• Ann Macdonald announced that the Organisers of the Anglia in Bloom Competition (the FODF won the 2018 Conservation Award) have expressed a direct wish to re-visit the Fernery in 2019.

Xmas Celebrations

We broke off at 11 am and enjoyed home-made hot sausage rolls and a selection of home-made cupcakes, minced pies, Stollen Cake and other traditional sweet things, washed down with piping hot Mulled Wine. This was an enjoyable break, well planned by Hilary with help from Sarah and contributions from many others.

Xmas Greetings

Eight volunteers who were not able to attend, sent their best wishes, and all the Friends of Danesbury Local Nature Reserve/Fernery join together in sending all readers of the website our best wishes for a Happy Christmas and a Successful New Year.