What a day today. It has literally not stopped raining all week, proper raining cats-and-dogs weather.

It was so bad first thing, that I was forced to make the executive decision to meet under the Cawston Bridleway bridge, which would provide us with a bit of cover. However, the rain stopped at about 9:55am and started again at about 12:15pm.

How unbelievably amazing is that!

What is even more amazing is that six of us trail-warriors turned out for the workday. Reece, Martin, Andrew, Mark, Ian, and Paul.

We had skipped a bit northbound from this point a couple of weeks ago, and pushed southwards, again because of the rain, so I was quite happy to go back and just kinda get it done.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but that missed bit just plays on my mind, kind of like we’re a bit out of sequence.

You can see how wet it is from these photos.

Not a good day to realise that my shoes are no longer waterproof!

We stacked up the brash and made more habitat piles.

Loads of little nooks and crannies for insects and things to crawl about in. But the main objective is to push the scrub back to allow wildflowers to grow.

At half-time, we had a welcome coffee and ginger crunch biscuits.

Apparently, this is the last week of it being reasonably warm. 13 degrees C, or 55 degrees F. Reece was saying that next week temperatures will drop to low single digits…

The end result looks like this.

That transition from path to scrub is the absolute “hot zone” for wildlife next spring and summer. What we need to do is not strim right up to the scrub edge, which is quite difficult because it seems like the natural thing to do.

Next week, we have to move southwards, so the canopy will have to come out if the rain persists.

Lastly, I litterpicked the whole of this trail and the Dunchurch trail over the weekend.

Well done to everyone who has made it over these last few weeks. I really expect to turn up and be on my own when it is so wet. I’m absolutely bowled over by you guys.

Fungi Feature

Chicken of the woods is an easy-to-spot bracket fungus due to its distinctive sulphur-yellow colour. It grows high up on the trunks of standing deciduous trees, such as oak but can also be found on beech, chestnut, cherry and even yew. It can often be found growing in tiered clusters in woods, parks and gardens.

Scientific name: Laetiporus sulphureus

How to identify: It is a bright sulphur-yellow fungus comprising several thick, overlapping brackets. The individual brackets are soft and spongy when young and exude a yellow liquid if squeezed. They are fan-shaped with an undulating margin. The upper surface is velvety and yellow-orange with a zoned margin, while the underside is yellow and covered with pores.

Where to spot: Woodlands, towns, parks and gardens

When to spot: June to November

Did you know? It gets its name from the texture of its flesh, which is said to resemble cooked chicken!

That’s about it for this week. Great progress, and everything that we do now is for next spring and summer, so we have to have a huge amount of vision to make it worthwhile turning out in the weather like we are having.

Thanks for reading if you got this far.

Until next time!

Paul