With the heavy and what seems like continual rain over the last few weeks, you can see why we clear off the higher ballast path…

It gives people the option not to have to walk through the muddy puddles. It also removes the spent wildflowers, bramble and self-seeded tree saplings. If we leave these, the ground becomes more fertile so nettles and bramble will flourish and crowd out less competitive wildflowers and eventually, become dense scrub. I also litter picked between the quadrant benches and the bird feeder clearing.

Whilst I do enjoy working on this section of the greenway, I am starting to feel like we are a bit bogged-down here. What’s left to do? We need to cut deep scallops into the west side of the path, remove the overhanging tree branches, seed the butterfly bank with a meadow grass and wildflower mix, thin out the tree canopy on both sides, and fix the picnic bench.

I plan to do a session on Thursday morning and the same on Friday morning this week, just to crack on a bit. If anyone wants to pop along, feel free.

To keep us on the right track, I always try to visit a wood, or a forest, or nature reserve every week.

This week I was at a Butterfly Conservation site.

This area is absolutely buzzing with butterflies, bees, and loads of other insects in the summer due to the carefully managed grassland and wildflower habitat.

It’s what I hope our butterfly embankment starts to look like next year.

Usual mental wellbeing message – join in if you need company, bring biscuits and we will love you forever! Things seem very bleak for a lot of people at the moment. We always have a bit of a laugh doing what we do with purpose and vision.

Until next time!

Paul