A Winter's Activity

We hope to have another hedge laying session in the new year and will have an instructor to hand, to remind previous participants and help novice workers!

We had positive feedback from our first two workshops and the growth along the new hedge is thick and strong, making a good, protective habitat for birds and other wildlife.

Please contact the management group if you are interested in joining us, before Christmas, if possible.

Flutter by, Butterflies

Mark Nowers, the RSPB Warden at Wolves Wood, has suggested that we should monitor the number and species of butterflies that have been attracted into our woodland. The best way to do this would be to carry out a butterfly transect between the Months of April to October next year and he has given us the link below for more information.

http://www.ukbms.org/(S(ercfnombnc1w0cuekhhlzm55))/methods.htm

The survey is done once a week, so we are looking for some volunteers, with sufficient knowledge, or willing to learn more about butterflies, who could undertake this. Mark has offered to advise us and help set this up, so please contact me if you are interested.

Ready for winter

This year has been rounded off with the completion of a number of projects.
Hilary Furlong liaised with James Buckle, who offered to lend us a couple of his men and some logs to create our outdoor classroom in the school's planting area.
The small areas of ground that we prepared earlier in the year were filled with a large selection of wild flowers.
The school's tree nursery was emptied, to make room for seeds and small saplings, to be garnered this later this term. The sturdy trees from the nursery were used to replace dead trees in the wood and the remainder will be heeled in, to over winter in our vegetable patch.
We have done a bit of tidying up. Everything is looking good AND the barn owl is back!
Thanks everyone for your help.

Bring rakes and wheelbarrows too.

The plants are ordered. The rides have been cut. The young trees in the school's tree nursery have grown well and the strongest ones will be used to replace the dead trees in the wood.There will be lots to do-- planting the wild flowers, raking the rides and gathering up the cut grass and replacing the dead trees. Members of the Management Group will prepare for all the activities beforehand so that when the helpers can start working when they arrive at 10 o'clock.

Our Next Working Party

On Saturday 8th November we shall have 300 wild flower plugs to plant.
As usual we shall start at 10 o'clock and our Refreshment Team will provide delicious, homemade soups and other tempting offerings to boost our spirits and energy!

The plants have been ordered from British Wild Flower Plants, using grant money that the Green Light Trust gave us earlier this year. We have created bare patches in the wood in shady, semi shady and sunny areas. All we need is plenty of helpers with trowels!

We also hope to raid the School's tree nursery for trees to replace those that have died in the woodland. Other activities are planned, but more about those nearer the day.

Kestrel chick

The owl box erected in Buckle's Wood to provide a nesting site for barn owls has been occupied by a pair of kestrels that raised two chicks. This one was ringed for BTO records.

Photo (c) Roger Horne.

A.G.M

Our third A.G.M will be held at Elmsett School on Thursday 25th September.
The meeting will start at 7.30 and everyone is welcome.

Animal Habitats

The pupils at Elmsett School have always been involved with creating and developing our woodland. In the early stages, they helped to name our scheme and designed the woodland's layout.

They were asked to think about and suggest what they would like in their wood. Many children wanted it to be a safe place, where all kinds of animals can live.

With this in mind, and the fact that many species are struggling with diseases and unseasonable weather, we shall be introducing different habitats to improve the biodiversity in Buckle's Wood.

The photo shows caterpillars on some nettles in my garden. They will turn into Peacock butterflies. We have nettles in the wood , but not many flowers for the butterflies to complete their life cycle, so this autumn we shall be planing wild flower plants, to attract more butterflies, insects, birds, and bees.

Frogs and their plight

Last week, the press covered a news item about the global plight of frogs and other amphibians. The two deadly illnesses have reached the UK and the public are being asked to report cases of sick or dead animals to Froglife so that they can track the extent of the diseases.

A pond was included in our original woodland plan and we shall be considering when, where and how to achieve this in the near future. I hope that there won't be too many obstacles and objections to our plans. It could be a challenging time, for us, the frogs and their watery friends!

Good News for our Environment

It was great to be woken up with good news this morning. The Woodland Trust has bought 850 acres near St Albans in Hertfordshire in order to create a native woodland, the largest of its kind in the country.

I didn't realise that half of the ancient broadleaved woodland that had survived until 1930s has now been lost and the UK is one of Europe's least wooded countries.

Buckle's Wood Bags

The bags arrived in time and they are super. The weather on Saturday could have been better, but the promised arrival of the Sea King search and rescue helicopter attracted the crowds and despite the drizzly start, the day was thought to be a great success!

EGGS at the School's Fete. Sat 21st June.

We shall be launching our EGGSELLENT sustainable shopping bag at the Village Fete.

Made from the world's best natural jute, printed on one side, by a small company in West Bengal, the Buckle's Wood Bag is fairly traded, sturdy, and will last a long time.

We would like to thank Lesley Mabon for her generosity and her her diligent workers at the Good Bag Company. We asked the impossible and they came up trumps!

Progress report

On a scorchingly hot day, the last working party did a magnificent job in the woodland, followed by demolishing the home made soups and cakes that were provided by our Refreshment Team.

There is a well worn path around the edge of the wood, made by all people who enjoy the peaceful surroundings. Most trees are doing well, although we do seem to have a few non-native ones amongst our oaks and ashes!

As Elmsett School's P.T.A. is holding a Summer Fete for the village on the 21st we decided to abandon thoughts of another Woodland Fayre this year. Instead we are planning to have an eco-friendly stall at the fete, when there will be lots for adults and children to see and do.

Homes for Wildlife

Last Friday, Hilary, Alison and children from years 3, 4 and 5 spent an enjoyable and very productive morning in Buckle's Wood.

They put mulch round trees, planted small plugs of celandine, cowslips, snowdrops and bluebells at the base of the hedgerow near the school's trees and arranged hedge cuttings and logs in heaps, in order to attract more wildlife into our woodland.

We hope that the log pile shown in the photo, will attract Stag Beetles which can be found in Suffolk, but are becoming quite rare.

Our Next Working Party

Everyone is invited to come and join our next working party on Saturday 10th May, starting at 10 o'clock. There will be plenty of homemade refreshments and a soupy lunch to keep your energy levels up! Stay for a short time, or keep going until the work is done--we don't mind.

Please bring a fork and wheelbarrow if you would like to put mulch around our trees, or loppers and and a pair of secateurs for alternative activities.

We have received grant funding from The Green Light Trust to spend on introducing wild flowers into the woodland. We need to prepare small suitable areas, so that we can plant in the autumn. We shall start this work on Saturday as well.

OUr Next Working Party

Wild Flowers

The original plan for our woodland included thoughts and suggestions from the children at Elmsett School. One of their ideas, a wildflower meadow for the insects, butterflies and bees, might become a reality, with the offer of a grant from the Green Light trust. It will involve a lot of work to prepare and maintain a suitable area and it all has to be done this Spring!!
Meanwhile, two Barn Owls were spotted hunting over the wood and everthing has survived the storms and snow.

Another good day.

Men at Work

No seriously, everyone worked extremely hard, got a lot done and had time for refreshments and a soupy lunch.

Jim Wallden and Simon from Haskett Ltd, demonstrated the ancient art of hedge laying and then guided our group of novices. The bench near the Barn Owl box was re-located towards the back of the woodland. Two perching posts were placed amongst the trees, to encourage the barn owls to hunt over and make their home in our woodland. Another sturdy bench ( made by John Lee) was positioned on the west ride.

All the mulch that was donated by Eco -Sytems Ltd. was spread around the trees. The mulch that was donated by Ben Norwood, was collected and left in a couple of heaps, ready for the children to use round their trees.

We now have a seating area, to be used as an outdoor classroom, made tree trunk, which was cut up and donated by James Hitchcock.

So, THANK YOU to everyone who helped, especially James Buckle, who sponsored the hedge laying workshop and to prove that we really did work hard here's a photo that I took when the sun nearly came out!

A Date for Hedge laying

We shall be holding our hedge laying workshop on Saturday 23rd February. Those people who have signed up to do this will be guided by Jim Wallden, from Haskett Ltd, who manages James Buckle's hedgerows. Jim will prepare the selected length of hedge beforehand, so that members of the group will be able to start work at 10 o'clock! There is still time for more people to join us. Just 'phone 01473 658297 if you are interested.

We shall also need people to help with on-going maintenance work in the wood. Nothing too difficult, but there is quite a bit to do! Our Refreshment Team will be on hand to provide everyone with a selection of homemade soups and other delights.
See you there!

Hedge Laying

Last year a team of novice hedge layers had an enjoyable time turning this










into this.










No wonder they look pleased


We are planning to hold another hedgelaying workshop at the end of February/beginning of March. If you would like to join us phone me on 91473 657062