October 2011

It is such a pleasure to walk round the reserve making a few notes for this article.  Last week the potential for beautiful autumn colours was showing. The extreme temperatures of the last few days have taken a toll and made the trees look drier and I wonder if the leaves will just shrivel up before we get the blast of colour.  Despite this the crab apples, sweet chestnuts and other fruiting trees are laden with a store of food for the birds and small mammals.  The oaks seem to have a huge number of acorns which thunder down on the volunteers when they are working under them.   One of the treats that welcomes visitors is the striking Swedish Birch (Betula pendula cv Dalecarlica) in the West Meadow, probably best seen from the car park.  This tree is shown in one of Miss Willmott's photographs and therefore is well over a hundred years old.  We may be lucky to see it with its yellow autumn colours, but if the leaves fall very quickly it will still present a graceful outline with delicate pendulous branches.   Another favourite at this time of year are the Spindle bushes (Euonymus europaeus) near post 19a.  There are two varieties, one with coral pink fruits and one with bright red seed pods.  The coral pink one is covered with fruit this year and as they open up the tiny red seeds peep out giving a strong colour contrast.  Behind these is the Persian Ironwood (Parrotia Persica) which is gradually changing from a strong dark green into flaming red.   A plant which may have been brought in by Miss Willmott is the Pokeweed which is an intriguing plant although it is said to be very poisonous.  The tiny pumpkin shaped shiny black berries grow around the stalk but must be avoided – look but don't touch.  Interesting fungi are also thriving with the heat and the damp but identifying them is very difficult unless you are an expert, again they should be left to grow untouched.   We shall be saying goodbye to the heifers soon. They have done a splendid job of mowing the grass and fertilizing the two meadows.  They will be returning to their farm to give birth to their calves, and the meadows will be left empty over winter to prepare for the show of crocuses and daffodils that the reserve is so rightly known for each spring. The two newly dug out Ha Has have kept the cows out of the reserve this year, although I believe they paid a short visit to the Thatchers Pub during the summer!   Volunteers have spent time recently working in the Boating Lake to further reveal the original walls.  This gives a clearer idea of the size of the lake which must have given great pleasure to those who were able to paddle around in boats on a sunny afternoon.  Volunteers have been repairing leaf bins and packing up bags of leaf mould.  This wonderful soil conditioner takes several years to rot down, and bags of three or four year old vintage are available to purchase from the gate.  Once again we will start collecting fallen leaves from the paths in order to keep the cycle rolling.