nature notes

[LadyA]

No opinions on what you should do with the poly tunnel but I love the sound of your field. Sounds like a wildlife paradise. Is it a closed canopy or do you have lots of woodland flower too?

Well, it started out as a sort of take on ancient "sacred groves". I mean, it's very small, for what he planted, maybe about 1/4 acre!)The hornbeam hedge is in a big circle around the area. As it's slightly to one side of our property, on the side bordering our neighbour, the dividing hedge has now merged with the hornbeams, willow, bramble & elder on that side, so now, it's maybe 6 or 7 feet thick on that side! If you bend down and look under the trees, you can see sort of clear lanes, where foxes, and who knows what, obviously use it as a highway. He used to have some flowerbeds out there too, but as he became ill, he couldn't keep them, and with caring for him for years, and since he died, I've been running in and out, caring for mum, so I couldn't keep them either, so they are now totally overgrown. But I do have intentions! Some day, it will get sorted.
There is a couple of areas where clump of daffodils come up and a couple of clumps of meadowsweet. But there's a lot of grass, that needs to be mowed regularly, too! I cut the hornbeam hedge a few years ago, which was, I think, a mistake, because I haven't seen any bats here since!

Out in the front garden, there's a clump of hazel in a corner, but I do need to cut those down regularly. Of course, they then come back thicker than ever! There are God knows how many apple trees, pear trees, cherry trees and a plum. I've never got to the cherries though. The birds eat them before they get ripe. And down at the far back, on our boundary, there's a mixed hedge of sweet chestnut, hawthorn, and some other stuff. It sounds like the place is huge. It's not. It's 7/10 of an acre! My husband packed a lot on to it! He also, down at the back boundary, as he cut branches and bits off trees, just laid them down in a sort of deep ditch at the boundary, and over time, weeds, nettles and grass have grown through the branches, and it gives a lot of shelter to little critters.

 

[bigyetiman]

I always say to people Lady A, that's the best way to make a hedge, layer bits you have pruned, and once everything grows through it, over it, you have a wonderful strong hedge which wildlife just loves. Much cheaper than fencing

 

[Hen-Gen]

Too true bym. And LadyA a patchwork of different mini habitats is better than a huge area all the same, unless you’re trying to conserve orangutans of course. If everyone with a bit of land did it the wildlife of the British Isles would be in a much better position. Lawns might give a source of worms and leather jackets for starlings and blackbirds but otherwise they’re close to useless.

 

[LadyA]

Too true bym. And LadyA a patchwork of different mini habitats is better than a huge area all the same, unless you’re trying to conserve orangutans of course. If everyone with a bit of land did it the wildlife of the British Isles would be in a much better position. Lawns might give a source of worms and leather jackets for starlings and blackbirds but otherwise they’re close to useless.

Sadly, I have way too much lawn. I would dearly love to make a wildflower meadow, but I'm more than daunted by having to get the sod off first. Because of all the trees and hedges, the only machine I can get to the lawn is the lawnmower, a walk behind model, as I couldn't use a ride on because of all the trees and bushes!

I'll try and upload some pics later.

This morning, I stood and watched a bird (couldn't see enough to see what kind, either a young sparrow or a wren, I would say) gorging itself on aphids on a rose bush, and several great tits who looked like they were just playing for fun around the top branches of a pine tree, and rabbits stuffing themselves with fallen apples.

 

[bigyetiman]

Our hedging, has a right mix, from hawthorn, blackthorn, oaks, bramble, ivy, crab apple, wild pear, and other bits and pieces. it is a riot of rosebay willow herb, at the foot of it, amongst other flowers. One side is part fencing with conifers . But they have lots of Goldcrest and Coal Tit in, so we have left them alone

 

[Icemaiden]

Sorry if I'm being a bit slow, but why are you concerned about things growing where your septic tank drains? I'd guess that they're taking advantage of all of the natural fertiliser that your septic tank provides?

We have cobnut trees & rose bushes around ours. The wildlife enjoy the nuts & we enjoy the roses!

 

[LadyA]

Sorry if I'm being a bit slow, but why are you concerned about things growing where your septic tank drains? I'd guess that they're taking advantage of all of the natural fertiliser that your septic tank provides?

We have cobnut trees & rose bushes around ours. The wildlife enjoy the nuts & we enjoy the roses!

Someone told me that eventually, the trees will break all the pipes. However, the trees are growing there now for around 20 years. No problems so far!
I've loads of hazels and cob nut trees. Never yet got any nuts, so I'm assuming the wildlife get them before I see them!

I've noticed the holly trees are covered in berries this year. Does that mean a hard Winter?? We will see! I planted another tiny holly tree this year. Wasn't sure it would take, but it's growing nicely. They're so slow growing though! I do want to get some more native bushes/trees for the wilderness at the back. There are hawthorns, willows and things, and I'd like to add a couple of elder trees, maybe some blackthorn and more holly.

 

[Hen-Gen]

It is possible to create a wildflower meadow without removing the sod though it might take a few years to become fully established. It also means you shouldn’t cut the grass so can be a bit unsightly at first.
It is done by broadcasting the seed of yellow rattle which parasitic on grass and severely weakens it. Then wildflower seeds can then be broadcast in the following March during rainy weather so it gets washed in.
Meadows are one of the rarest habitats in the U.K. and can only be found to any extent in just a few places. I wish I had some spare land to play with because this island was once known as the Garden of Shetland. Fertiliser and silage cutting put paid to that. A few years back I rented a couple of fields which had everything including orchids. Then my landlord moved away and the new guy took the land back fertilised it, silage cut and destroyed it in one year. The same guy was done for animal neglect early this year. Says it all really!

 

[LadyA]

It is possible to create a wildflower meadow without removing the sod though it might take a few years to become fully established. It also means you shouldn’t cut the grass so can be a bit unsightly at first.
It is done by broadcasting the seed of yellow rattle which parasitic on grass and severely weakens it. Then wildflower seeds can then be broadcast in the following March during rainy weather so it gets washed in.
Meadows are one of the rarest habitats in the U.K. and can only be found to any extent in just a few places. I wish I had some spare land to play with because this island was once known as the Garden of Shetland. Fertiliser and silage cutting put paid to that. A few years back I rented a couple of fields which had everything including orchids. Then my landlord moved away and the new guy took the land back fertilised it, silage cut and destroyed it in one year. The same guy was done for animal neglect early this year. Says it all really!

Aha! Thank you Hen Gen!! I saw a post from one of my FB friends just the other day asking if anyone had yellow rattle seeds! I shall try to find a supplier!

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[Marigold]

We decided to change the management of our grass this year. In the Spring we cut the grass short and then scarified it using a diabolically effective machine which reduced the whole surface to looking like an old threadbare carpet. Ideally you should remove all the old grass but we didn't go that far. We took out all the scratched out grass and moss and then sowed a special wildflower mix for lawns, containing seeds of plants which don’t grow very high. They’re all perennials, so the flowering should be better in the second year, but even so, a couple of months later the result was lovely. It’s been several years since I stopped using lawn food and weed killers, so on our chalky well-drained soil there were quite a lot of wild flowers already, including clover, daisies, cowslips, buttercups, self heal, violets, primroses and lots of yarrow and hawkbit. It all did particularly well because they had a good start in the short grass. You do need a fairly dry spell to scarify the grass because otherwise you just get the machine clogged up with mud.
This summer we’ve been cutting pathways round the edges and down to the bottom of the garden, and apart from that, the rest had one comparatively high cut a week or so ago. It all came through the hot summer much better than when we were cutting it shorter in the conventional way and although it was so dry it didn’t go brown like it had before. Our kind neighbour volunteered to cut our lawn for us at one point when he thought it was getting on top of us, but was receptive to the idea of benign neglect and I hope he will do the same next year perhaps.

(I’ve got the photos the wrong way round but you can see which was ‘before’ and which ‘after’!)

And here’s what the RHS says about it: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=436

 

[LadyA]

Oh, lovely! Last year, I did leave the lawn out in the "grove" without cutting it the whole Summer. I just cut it in the Spring and then in the late Autumn, after the grasses etc. had all done flowering. I do have quite a lot of Feverfew that turns up all over the place. In my neglected tunnel, I've just found what looks like a Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort), the small, wild kind that's used medicinally. That would make sense, because I know my husband did have one or two plants in a flowerbed that was on the site of the tunnel before he got the tunnel. But I don't know why, after not seeing any for several years, it should appear now!

 

[Hen-Gen]

Fantastic Marigold. It’s great to see it done and each year it should get better and better. I bet your local bees think all their Christmases have come at once.

 

[Margaid]

Great news. It's high time this was stopped.

Police take tougher stance on hare coursers

Lincolnshire Police say it is taking a tougher stance than ever on hare coursers.

It's joined with 20 other forces across the UK to tackle them together.

Drones, information from the public, and partners such as the National Farmers' Union will remain a large part of the effort too.

The big news for 2020/21 is bringing together the top 21 hare coursing forces across the country under the Op Galileo banner – we are now able to target offenders who cause greatest harm to our rural communities by sharing information and intelligence from across the whole of the UK." from Ch Insp Phil Vickers Lincolnshire Police

 

[Marigold]

I’ve just posted this on our local Facebook wildlife page. Bloody dogs. Actually, bloody owners.

“Yesterday I found a hedgehog wandering our lawn with really bad fly strike. The back and top of his neck were covered in thick clumps of yellow fly eggs, extending down deep into his spines and skin. He had a deep puncture injury at the back of his neck, crawling with fly maggots literally eating him alive. He was very hungry, so when I had fed him I spent a long time removing the eggs, which were individually minute but joined in sticky clumps, hundreds of them. Very difficult to get every single one but I think I managed it. Then I started fishing maggots out of the hole, using forceps - 27 of them. He remained stoic whilst I was doing all this although I thought he must have been in a lot of pain. Still, it had to be done. I then put him in a box with more food and water, and a snuggle safe heat pad. By 10.00 when I checked on him he’d had another large meal, drank his water, and did enormous poos.
I half expected him to die of shock overnight after his ordeal, but by this morning he’d eaten yet more hedgehog pellets and water and pooed again. I examined the hole, cleaned it out and removed 7 more maggots, after which it looked clear, so far as I could see. I then rang the vets who took him in for assessment and possibly treatment.
I’m sad that the vet just rang to say they had found his injury was too deep, and too infested with maggots, for him to recover so they had euthanised him. I am so angry to think that he was most probably the victim of a dog attack in the public field, behind our house, and that somebody wasn’t in control of their dog, probably walking around chatting or on their phone, and not even realising what their dog was doing. If you use this field for dog walking, please, please keep your dog on the paths and don’t allow him/her to go off hunting under the hedges or in the wilder parts of the field. If he/she doesn’t have perfect recall, keep him/her on the lead. This stomach-turning incident was entirely preventable, hedgehogs are an endangered species, (unlike dogs,) and we need to keep ours safe.”

 

[Margaid]

Poor little thing. Well done for trying to rescue him. Why can't people train their dogs and keep them under control?

 

[Icemaiden]

I don't suppose the vet would have spent as much time & trouble with the hedgehog as you did, Marigold. At least you tried...

 

[Marigold]

Yes I expect you’re right Icemaiden. They do treat wildlife for free, which must make a difference, although I had made it clear that I was happy to pay for treatment if they thought it would do any good. I was hoping that, with the eggs removed and the injury cleaned out, he might have responded to antibiotics and I would have been able to take him home for rehabilitation, as he seemed strong and was eating well. However, it was a relief to know that he had passed away painlessly after all he’d suffered, and if I hadn’t taken him to the vet I think he would certainly have died of sepsis even if I had managed to extract all the maggots. Probably the best outcome for him - and although I can, reluctantly, kill a chicken in quite a businesslike way, I wouldn’t know how to tackle a hedgehog.
It did make me update my chicken first aid kit, though. My antibiotic powder and spray were both well out of date. You never know when you’ll need them.

 

[dianefairhall]

03 Poor little fella! Well done for trying, Marigold. I don't think I could have done it, picking out maggots with tweezers. 03

 

[Hen-Gen]

03 Poor little fella! Well done for trying, Marigold. I don't think I could have done it, picking out maggots with tweezers. 03

Though they don’t like hedgehogs in your neck of the woods do they. SNC would be happy with extinction. As would the RSPB here.

 

[LadyA]

No idea if I can upload photos or not, but will have a go! First pic is looking under the hedgerow from a gap at the start. The sun was hitting the area, so it looks quite bright. The fifth pic is looking under the hedge at a different spot - you can kind of see the windbreak fence at the far side of the hedge. I think something uses this area, because of the gap.

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