A May bank holiday Saturday, West Wales, and it was drizzling. Probably like most people I had preconceptions of scything as an activity performed by farm labourers in blazing sunshine, when the hay would dry best. Not the full Poldark maybe, but something similar. Like most preconceptions, it proved to be wrong in all important respects. I had long hankered after developing two traditional skills: dry stone walling and scything. I met my needs for dry stone walling a few years ago, courtesy of the National Trust, but this May bank holiday was my opportunity to address the other. My particular need that encouraged me to move this year was planting 1300 willow and poplar as short rotation coppice, and the need to keep the grass down during year one. Scythe Cymru, based at the Dyfed Permaculture Trust land in Penboyr, about 16 miles north west of Carmarthen run courses in scything, and sharpening and maintaining scythes, as well as providing a sharpening service used by scythe owners across the country. Read more...

It is that time of year, when many of our plants are looking a bit past their prime. The flowers on many have turned to seed heads, much of the new growth of Spring is now yellowed or dried, and the assorted flora of meadow, woodland and garden alike are succumbing to fungal pathogens such as powdery mildew. Another dramatic manifestation of the changing seasons around this time is the appearance of Tar Spots; peppering the leaves of sycamores and maples. Caused by the fungus Rhytisma acerinum, these brown-black blotches with yellow borders will be equally familiar to urban-dwellers, as they are commonly to be seen on that most ubiquitous of city trees, the London plane (Platanus acerifolia). Read more...

At Tortworth Arboretum we are restoring a 20-acre woodland for community use – clearing an abandoned woodland of ten years of neglect while making it accessible for people to come and learn about nature, as well as improve their mental and physical health and wellbeing. We manage the woodland mostly with hand tools and an ever-evolving team of volunteers who give their time freely to the project.   The woodland is host to hundreds of exotic trees from around the world, planted from the 1850s onwards by the local Earl, as well as some stunning veteran oaks and sweet chestnut trees. And we have goats.  Read more...

Woodlands throughout the U.K. currently support very large populations of various species of deer.  The indigenous deer species are Roe Deer and Red Deer.   Fallow Deer were introduced by the Normans but in the late C19th / early C20th Chinese water deer, Reeves Muntjac and sika deer arrived.  The three most widespread and abundant deer species now are Roe deer, Fallow deer and Reeves’ muntjac. The total deer population is currently at a very high level  Read more...

The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula ) is a carnivorous plant found in  the wetlands of North and South Carolina in the United States.  The Venus flytrap is also popular as a cultivated plant and an 'object of interest' and can be found in many a garden centre. In the wild, the fly trap is found in areas with nutrient-deficient soils (often low in nitrate and phosphate).  The plant makes up for the ‘edaphic* limitations’ by trapping and digesting insects (and spiders) in their specialised leaf traps. By doing so, they are able to extract nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen which are in limited supply in the soil - from the bodies of their prey.   The ‘Dionaea diet’ is, in fact, 33% ants, 30% spiders (which are arachnids - not insects), 10% beetles and 10% grasshoppers - only a small percentage are actually flying insects. Read more...

Many parts of the UK have recently experienced the driest October to March period for a long time.  This was followed by two relatively dry Spring months - April & May.  The Met Office Map of the UK found here - shows the rainfall pattern across the country as a percentage of the average rainfall for a 30 years period. This has not only affected gardeners and farmers but river systems across the United Kingdom.  This is bad news as many rivers have already had too much water taken from them (abstracted) - for farming & industry.  The problem of over-extraction of river water is not helped by the fact that one fifth of all piped water is lost through leaks.  Thames water was recently fined millions for failing to reach its leak reduction targets. Read more...

Recent research work at the University of Exeter (by Dr A Higginson) has suggested yet another reason for the decline in some bird and bumblebee populations - namely the loss of suitable nesting sites.  Clearly birds build nests but bumblebees establish colonies or nests too. Bumblebee nest sites vary from species to species. The more common species prefer dry, dark cavities / holes but nests can turn up in a surprising variety of places.; for example - in abandoned rodent holes, or under sheds, or in compost heaps.  Some nest above ground making nests in long, thick grass, while others make nests in trees, bird boxes, and even lofts   Bumblebee nests vary considerably in size depending on the time of year and the species; a well-established nest can contain up to 400 bees. Read more...