Next workday will be on Tuesday 23rd October at 11am.
Working on the section between the picnic clearing and the bird-box clearing.
What we will be doing is pushing back the scrub that is on the ridge of ballast and trying to create a dryer path.
Look forward to getting back into it.
Paul
We seemed to dodge the rain and had a pretty good session on the greenway today. We managed to get a fire going that needed little maintenance and allowed us to just get on with clearing.
Toasty fire…
Progress seemed slow as we cut back Hawthorn and Blackthorn trees that are so entwined within each other, but we pushed on up the bank. We also added to the log-pile that will be a fantastic host to all manor of mini-beasts as the wood starts to rot.
Slow progress..
If you look at the next shot, you can see the challenge. Basically we need to clear off the growth on the ridge to the left of the narrow path, and then clear the scrub to the left again, so that the flower growth can grow on the bank and the ridge becomes the new path. This will mean that the original path can become flooded and attract the water-borne insect life that it does, without hindering walkers.
The whole thing needs to shift to the left!!!!
Lots to do and we really need some new volunteers to dig in and help out.
But all-in-all we know where we are going and what we need to do.
Paul
Wednesday 12th September 2012 – cutting back the scrub between the two big clearings. 10:30 start.
Sunday 16th September 2012 – continue to cut the scrub back between the two clearings. 10:30 start again. cancelled
Probably work up until 1 o’clockish so that everyone can get other stuff done on the days 🙂
Look forward to seeing you there.
Paul
Good first proper workday today and it was a good one with lovely weather and we really got on with the task in hand.
The learning points from last season to this one are becoming apparent. The ground that we have cleared has become totally full of flowers and plants, while the banks are still covered in scrub and trees. We need to really bite the bullet and clear out the bottom of the cuttings and also clear the banks. There is no point in letting the new growth encroach onto the old and muddy path. We are just tramping through the same old mud and puddles.
The good news is that there is a ridge of ballast that must be a result of when the railway tracks were taken up. If we clear this, along with the rest of the scrub, we will have a natural path that is higher than the water-logged bits. It’s good that we have the wet bits because this increases the diversity, but we don’t want to be continually walking through these bits. I saw a lot of dragonflies today, along with all the usual butterflies, so the wet bits are useful.
As a pointer, this is a picture of Stockton Cutting. They had the same issues as us before they cut nearly all the trees down on the banks. I wish I had a picture of when it was first done, but trust me, it was bare earth. Now look..
Stockton Cutting
The reserve is literally buzzing with insects and wildlife, and the plant life is really varied.
I believe that our task this year is to totally clear out every bit of the greenway that is in cutting and brush-cut anything that grows on the ballast path over the summer of 2013. We can then work out what we want to do with the path that is on embankment next year.
To aid us in this task I am going to buy a chainsaw and just clear everything. Simple as!!
Anyhow, on to today. Reasonable turnout considering the workday was short notice. We started to clear between the two areas that have previously been ripped out.
Clearing the scrub.
You can see how tight the path is. We had to have the bonfire in the middle of the path!! Not good.
The area that we cleared.
As you can imagine, we need to push on forwards, but also up to the top of the bank! This little bit took 12 man-hours to clear – we really need that chain saw…
I made a log pile with a variety of new and old logs. This will be a wonderful home for a lot of wildlife.
I will put new workday dates on the blog very soon. As a final picture, we have paul taking a very well deserved break on the picnic bench. Great to see it being used and that we don’t have a litter problem around it.
Picnic clearing.
Thanks everyone who made it today. Good work!!
Paul
If you think back to when we started, we meekly trimmed back the scrub and treated the  it was a precious thing. Last year we were a lot bolder, but this year we really need to clear back savagely if we are to get the wild flower clearings that we need.
I suggest that we join the two main clearings together by clearing the scrub in between, and then extend each end whilst we remain in cutting.
Next workday is Monday 20th August at the picnic clearing, where the old bridge crosses the greenway, and push on southbound. Start at 12 o’clock.
The audit took place on Sunday 29th July and a lot of plants were found. This gives us great encouragement to keep clearing the scrub and letting wild flowers colonise the cleared ground.
The more wild flowers that appear means more insects, which means more birds and mammals, etc, etc..
Here is a link to the list:
Plants at Cawston 29 july 2012
Nothing particularly rare, but a massive variety and thank-you John, Monica and team for taking the time to do this audit.
Paul
This is a workday with a difference. Warwickshire Flora Group are doing a wild flower audit along the greenway and we can join them if we want.
They are parking up at The Bear and starting at the bridge and will be heading south towards Potford’s Dam. They start at 10am but we can join them at any time in the morning.
I will be taking the bag full of clippers so we can knock back the brambles that are starting to encroach onto the path.
It’s probably a better idea to walk down to The Bear rather than drive, because the Flora guys will be taking up a lot of car parking space.
Look forward to tomorrow.
Paul
We spent a bit of time cutting back brambles that are encroaching onto the path again today, but also had a really good look at what is growing on the cleared banks when we are in cutting, and also what was growing on the embankment sections.
The wild flowers are really fighting for space and the insect life is literally buzzing.
Bird-box clearing looking north.
Bird-box clearing looking south.
I think that it would be a good idea to simply clear all the scrub in all the areas that are in cutting. We can leave the quality trees on the edges and a few of the mature standard trees, but everything else is simply poor value and is stopping wild flowers growing, like they are in the pictures above where we have cleared to the edges.
The section between the bird-box clearing and the picnic clearing.
The biggest sections that are in cutting are the one in the picture above, and the one that runs from the new underpass, all the way down to The Bear pub. Where the greenway turns to embankment there are a huge number of mature trees so there will be no great loss of tree life on the edges and on the sides of the embankment.
In terms of the path, I think we need to keep a 2.5 metre wide strip that we keep short somehow, maybe get some swishers like what Aaron has? This will hopefully encourage people to not walk on the narrow muddy part of the path and give it change to recover somewhat.
Encouraging day today and things are going the right way for us.
Paul
Quiet day on the greenway yesterday with just a bit of cutting back any brambles that are encroaching onto the path and general maintenance.
Path all narrow again.
We cut back the path so much last winter and we are still struggling with the narrow muddy strip. But nice to see a lot of diversity along the greenway.
A new addition.
And this bank was completely covered in scrub two years ago. It now has so many plants and flowers competing with each other.
So much trying to grow on the cleared banks.
I went to the section past the underpass and pulled a load of nettles up. I have seeded this area with a seed mix but the nettles have taken over. Hopefully if we pull a load of them up we can make room for wild flowers as well as nettles.
Next workday is Tuesday 26th June. Pulling up nettles and general tidy up.
I planted a few winter bulbs in the picnic clearing in memory of Edmund. Probably a little bit self-indulgent but it will be good to remember him by them.
Thanks to all who made it yesterday!
Paul
It is with great sorrow that report that Edmund lost his battle with cancer this morning. Edmund was a popular volunteer on the greenway and touched a lot of us with his kind nature. I have sent my condolences to Sally, his wife.
In terms of today’s workday, it was all about trying to connect with the cycleway that runs along the Western Relief Road. This is part of National Cycle Network 41 and as soon as we connect with it we can then connect with the rest of the route at Draycote village.
After trying to work out how to put steps into the very steep slope by the bridge, we eventually gave up because it would be more of a ladder that steps. We then tried to make a ramp but with no retaining barrier it was just not possible with spades.
Eventually we went to the area where the field next to the greenway narrows, and cut a small tunnel through to the edge.
Small tunnel leading to the edge of the greenway.
From the edge is a small bit of land that hopefully the landowner will give us access over and then our connection with the outside world will be made.
View from the edge to the gate. Just twenty yards.
The rest of the workday was spent pulling up nettles around any other wild flowers to give them a chance to establish themselves and spread a bit.
The cows found our nettle pulling quite amusing!
And just as we were finishing we found a Kidney Vetch plant. This is the sole food-plant for the Small Blue butterfly. If we can get this plant to spread we can hopefully have a Small Blue colony establish itself. This would be fantastic because the Small Blue is on the endangered species list in Warwickshire and needs as much habitat creation as possible.
Kidney Vetch.
Good day today up to the point where I learnt about Ed. I will put some more workdays on in the next couple of days, but in the meantime, I hope everyone has a great Jubilee celebration.
Paul
Cawston Greenway 