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March/April 2021
News
Natural world unfazed by pandemic worries By Sara Messenger of the Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group
T
hat’s one of the amazing things with nature – she doesn’t seem fazed by a pandemic, she cares not one bit who resides at No. 10 and she certainly has no interest in what we think she should be doing. Instead, she quietly and resiliently goes about her business, keeping her head down when it benefits her, then seemingly overnight leaping forward and blowing us all away with her blousy exuberance and her wholehearted commitment to bringing on the next generation as best she can. I guess that’s why this season is called spring! I certainly hope to take a leaf (no pun intended) out of her book and put behind me the chill of both winter and Covid and focus on what we all can now do
to build on the ruins of 2020, creating a lasting legacy, and to manage and enhance all those wonderful green spaces which so improved our well-being and lifted our spirits during all those interminable lockdowns. But to do this we are going to need help (you knew there would be a catch didn’t you). When restrictions permit, we would love to have a few more of you on our workdays so that you can see how we manage and protect your green spaces. And then, at 7pm on 8th July, you can join us at the Jubilee Centre for our slightly overdue AGM. To join our workdays, just email us at info@three-brooks. info and we will add you to the list. You don’t need to be very knowledgeable or green-fingered to join us, all that is required are a pair of stout boots and an interest in doing your bit for nature.
Heritage trees?
What seemed like an age ago, leaves from our fruit trees were sent for testing to the company NIAB-EMR and we have now received the results. The apple tree in Primrose Cottage garden is a Blenheim Orange, or a relation of it, but the two nearest the old Bowsland Farm are unknown. This implies they are not in the National Collections and may be a seedling, or a lost heritage variety. In order to preserve these rare fruit trees, a member of SGC staff will be taking grafts to establish a new stock of trees which can then be planted out on the reserve and elsewhere in South Glos. They will also be working with other local friends groups to help establish an orchard network so we can share our knowledge and experience. This does also give us the very rare opportunity to be able to name these two new varieties. If the committee can’t decide on the new names, we may open it to a public vote so get your thinking caps on!
Good connections
For childredn age 18mthss to 6yr
In further good news, we have made it onto the Bristol Greenground Map which shows the connecting parks and open spaces in and around Bristol. You can download the map from the website of Helen Ilus Design (helenilus.com). We were also charmed by a Girl Guide into agreeing that she could, as part of a badge
challenge, install a geocache on the reserve. Several of the group have been busy attending online training sessions on topics that included ‘Ending Plastic Pollution’, ‘Ruins and Risk’, ‘Hedgehog Ecology and Care’, Introduction to Water Voles’ and ‘Amphibian Identification’. And right on cue our ponds have burst into life and are full of wannabe-Pavarottis ‘froggie-a-wooing’ – although I was a bit disappointed to learn that the male isn’t serenading his love, he’s warning the other chaps that he is a chap too and not to be messed with. And not to be outdone, we have the male newts emulating John Travolta in a 1970s disco, waggling their tails in an attempt to impress the ladies!
Around the lake
As I’m sure you all know the desilting project has been put back and is now scheduled to take place this autumn. Nonetheless, some preparation work has taken place in recent weeks. An external tree team was employed to coppice and pollard a selection of willow trees around the north edge of the lake, trees to the west of the main viewing area, and others to the west of Juniper Way stone bridge. To widen the path around the lake, the Robocut machine was brought in to cut back the encroaching scrub from the bottom of the Tump. They were told to take it slow and steady in case there was anything lurking in the scrub. I’m
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