20130414 WildLife Area Clean Up

This has been and still is a difficult, year. The late and prolonged cold spell has been a disaster for all the early flowering plants. most manage to get them out but the lack of pollinators has made the season mostly a failure.

Again the near zero C°temperature of the last few weeks have stunted the growth of new green shoots, now more than overdue.

Inevitably the winter have to release its grip and now the time has arrived. In the WildLife Area all its ready for the delayed spring explosion.

So this was one of the last chance to clean up and doing a little maintenance before the vegetation takes over and make it difficult and damaging to go in the area heart.

.

The last winter removal of one of buddleja clumps and the still mysterious (no Council department has owned up to it) bramble cutting and cleaning of the Kinglake estate side of the WLA have left some scars that a more gentle springtime would have already gone a long way to heal but both will benefit the place in the long run.

As it turned out it was one of those days when everybody had something to do so it was a mostly solitary on going :-(

But not completely, I met a lovely senior lady, Julia, that lives across Albridge Street and that has been putting up all the coconut-half that puzzled me. We infact managed to to put one up high enough for the little finches and tits to be undisturbed and secured of predators. She could not part without giving the Friends of Surrey Square Park a full bag of bird-feed.

Still even in this severe year and on your own a visit to the WLA is still heart warming. Plenty to see and to appreciate.

The oak sapling, in its third year, is about to put out leaves and second generation daffodils, dandelions, Pentaglottis, white deadnettles, etc.

At the end all was well. A good day out with sunshine and Coro showed up after her chores to see if I was still at it and give some support.

A few more delights from the area are always welcome to be seen:

Some turkey tail growth and jew's hears but most interesting is how mosses, better suited to survive the weather vagaries, is managing to digest the hard conglomerate of concrete and brick left on the site. Nature conquers all!!