May Volunteer Day

Yesterday was another wonderful day at the arboretum, we got loads done and also had time to relax in the sun a little. Everything is so green at the moment, with most of the leaves now out and the vegetation starting to reclaim the woodland floor.

The hedgerow saplings were beginning to disappear in nettles, so these were pulled out to give the fledgling trees less competition. On the other side of the site more volunteers were also doing the same thing, but on a larger scale, this time freeing some of the older specimen trees from rhododendron, which was entangling their bases and blocking out all the sunlight.

Throughout the day we also checked some of our new reptile mats and found two slow worms sheltering underneath! A potentially active badger set was also spotted, so a motion sensor camera was set-up to try and capture some footage of it’s occupants. There was also chance to finish the roadside rill, to help stop water from flooding across the road.

A big thank you to everyone who came along and made the day such a success. It’s amazing how much we can get done in such a short space of time!

Our next volunteer day is going to be on the 19th of June, when we will be doing more surveying, bramble clearing and rhododendron removal – hopefully see you then!