The wildflower meadow is the largest part of the Wildlife Area so this was the logical place to start this year’s activities. The growth surprised us a bit and there was a lot to do. Luckily we got a group of corporate volunteers from Eversheds out for a day (and they even made a donation to help us buy some of the tools we needed).

It threaten to rain all day but it stayed dry and the cool weather was welcomed. We were there for a full day and we completely filled the 2 black bins at the gardens plus a bunch of large bags.

A special thanks to Eversheds for all the help!

The next day, a groups of us were back in the Wildlife Area finishing up a section of the meadow so that we could seed it.

One of the last steps was to compact the soil by doing the “penguin” walk.

One of the bat boxes that were restored by some of our volunteers.

The willow dome that we worked on last year seems to be growing back nicely.

A few of us went into the Wildlife Area to do a bit of spring cleaning.

The willow dome was looking a bit sad so we decided to try and make some fixes while the weather was colder.
We tied some of the branches into place and cut some of the shoots which we planted in places that were bare.

Another thank you to everyone who came along to the clearing sessions as we had a great turn out. The sun was shining, local resident Ulla guided us through the sessions and we made a great start – everyone left feeling invigorated and relaxed after a good bit of hard work.

I think this picture best describes the amount of work that was done (and this isn’t all of it!!).

We do need a little rain to soften the ground and as soon as that happens, we will be scheduling some more sessions. If you are interested in helping out (come along no matter how much time you can give – every little really does help and it is a genuine case of many hands making light work) let us know and we will add you to our email list. We’re partnering with the Time Credits scheme so you’ll be thanked for your time with credits that can be used in the Queen’s Park area.

Here are some more pictures from the days.