Fritillary Counting with Floodplain Meadows Partnership
We will once again be running the Lugg Meadows Fritillary count this year, combining it with the Herefordshire Nature Trust Family Fritillary Day.
Details for the day are as follows:
NB: Because of the late flowering of the fritillaries we have changed the Fritillary event date from 13th April to 27th April.
Conserving traditional orchards
Traditional Orchards are a valuable yet declining part of the Herefordshire Landscape. Orchard Origins is working hard to halt this decline by working with private orchard owners and volunteers. Since autumn 2012 we have been running activities ranging from pruning and mistletoe management to harvesting the fruit and turning it into products which we have been selling at local farmers markets. If any groups are interested in hearing more contact Orchards@herefordshirewt.co.uk.
The project will be running a series of orchard management training days covering all aspects of orcharding including orchard design, selecting varieties, and different pruning techniques.
› Click here for more information about Orchard Origins.
Orchard Maintenance Pruning: Formative
Tuesday 2nd April
The first in a series of training sessions on the care of apple trees, this session will be a practical opportunity to prune young trees (3-10 years). This is a great opportunity to learn and put into practice pruning techniques under the supervision of Tim Dixon, an experienced and qualified tutor. For more information and booking contact Orchards@herefordshirewt.co.uk (please note: outdoor session).
Members: £25 | Non Members: £30
› Click here for more information about Orchard Origins.
Scrumptious Apple Recipes wanted!!
Have you got any well-loved apple based recipes that you would be willing to share with Orchard Origins? We want to expand our range of delicious appley products and we are sure that there is a wealth of handed down family favourites out there.
We plan to hold a couple of “cook-ins” in the summer to try out different consumables. If you have a recipe you would be happy to share or would like to get involved in the kitchen experience please contact Julia on 01432 356872 or email Orchards@herefordshirewt.co.uk.
› Click here for more information about Orchard Origins.
Herefordshire Parklands Project News
Volunteers with the Herefordshire Parklands Project have been on the ground, both in and around Herefordshire, over the past few months.
Moth News and Moth Night 2013
The National Moth Recording Scheme is having its annual celebration of moth recording in August this year. We will be holding a moth trapping night on Friday 9th August with the trap being opened and species identified on Saturday morning 10th August, starting at 9.30am. Please contact robinhemming@btinternet.com (Robin Hemming) for more information.
Cards for Good Causes
Although it is definitely too early to be thinking of next Christmas, the Trust is looking for a volunteer who would be willing to keep the Cards for Good Causes centre in Leominster supplied with stock from Lower House Farm as and when required. The centre is usually open from about the middle of October to the second week in December.
If any volunteer is willing to do this, please send names and contact details to either betty@bettywinser.eclipse.co.uk (Betty Winser) or ginny.garman23@hotmail.co.uk (Ginny Garman) or contact the Trust office on 01432 356872.
Dormice Diets
For a number of years the Trust’s warden, Liam Bunce, has been monitoring dormice using wooden nestboxes at Wessington Pasture. In 2012, he collected mouse droppings from animals both in May and in October, which he sent off to be analysed by a year three student studying animal ecology at the University of Worcester and verified by members on the National Monitoring Project Forum, managed by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species.
The results showed that they had been eating the pollen from clover and either moth caterpillars or moths in May, and hazel, blackberry and midge in October. A comment on a national forum also backed this up quoting a scientific paper indicating that “May was the most diverse month for foodstuffs in their diet which can include bird eggs”.
