Our first community group venture of '24 was held under blue skies with only a chill wind making it less than a perfect day. However, hot soup and hand-made sausage rolls were the tempting treats on offer once our tasks for the afternoon were complete.
With the pond itself too wet (and therefore too deep) to safely venture into, our exercise was to bundle up all the loose willow which had been cut from the trees back in December. Although we had carefully piled them up at the edge of the pond we had considered using willow bundles to float and capture loose Crassula when we eventually entered the water to begin removing the invasive species.
The willow was carefully sized and placed within stakes to help contain the bundles, before being bound with twine.
The slimmer bundles were then stored within a wooden crate, ready for our Crassula work later in the year.
Thicker and longer willow stems were then stored at the edge of the pond with stakes to keep them safely in position.
A selection of the longer stems were used to build up our dead hedge.
Some of the shorter pieces, together with an old stump, were used to top up our wood pile - a home for mini beasts and bugs.
Our next task will be to rid the pond of the Crassula and Parrot's Feather which is causing a headache, and, given a dry summer, will mean we lose a considerable amount of water. This, in turn, will mean hardship for the biodiversity in the area.
Our work continues ...
Comments