Cradley Wild 2023

Booklist and links

*LL available from Ledbury Library

Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, 1962, overview.

Edith Holden, The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady. Written in 1906 and a facsimile reproduction of naturalist Edith's diary. It covers a year month by month and contains daily sightings on her walks and bike rides into the countryside (which is now suburban West Midlands).  It's beautifully illustrated, which helps with identifying flora and fauna and also highlights what to see each month.  It is interesting to compare what she saw with what we see now.  She intersperses her sightings with poetry relevant for the season.  This book can be enjoyed by all ages - it was popular in the late 1970s/early 1980s and although it has been superseded by many other nature writings, it is worth revisiting for its beauty and simplicity.

Kate Bradbury, Wildlife gardening 

Chris Baines, RHS companion to Wildlife Gardening.

Chris Baines, How to make a Wildlife Garden.(1985 - perhaps one the first books on the subject and still an excellent illustrated guide)

John Lewis Stempel Meadowland

Roger Deakin Notes from Walnut Tree Farm.

Katherine Swift The Morville Hours. 

James Rebanks, "English Pastoral - An Inheritance" (2020 - a quite moving account of changes in farming practices on his family farm in the Lake District). It gives a very human and enjoyable description of how farming has been changing and how nature is now being considered more in farm decisions.

Dave Goulson, The Garden Jungle, or Gardening to Save the Planet (Vintage). The importance of our gardens as habitats for wildlife is explained in this easy-to-read, humorous and informed book. It is fast becoming the go-to guide for all those looking to encourage increasing biodiversity in their patch of land and is packed with helpful information, with a few recipes thrown in for good measure.

John Lewis-Stempel, 'The Running Hare' (2016). One farmer's account of looking after an ordinary arable field the old-fashioned way, without chemicals, to attract wildlife. His hope is to bring back hares who have been driven away by loss of habitat. Written in a vivid, lyrical style it nevertheless has its feet firmly in the soil the author is trying so hard to enrich.

Ronald Blythe Next to Nature, a lifetime in the English countryside. *LL

Jake Fiennes. Land Healer How farming can save Britain's countryside *LL

Benedict Macdonald and Nicolas Gates, Orchard, A year in England’s Eden (WilliamCollinsBooks.co.uk 2020). A year in the life of a traditional Herefordshire (its location is secret but it's very close to Cradley) is chronicled by two field naturalists and veterans of the Springwatch series. Focusing on the wildlife this precious habitat supports and is fast disappearing elsewhere, it demonstrates how humans and animals can work together to create a rich and healthy ecosystem.

Benedict Macdonald, Rebirding  Restoring Britain’s Wildlife (pelagicpublishing.com in 2019). This book is for anyone who cares about Britain’s vanishing wildlife and birds, and is interested in ambitious, but achievable, solutions to wildlife decline.

Web sites:

Animals in Danger - Hedgehogs

Severn Rivers Trust are sponsoring training and equipment for monitoring Cradley Brook

People's Trust for Endangered Species

Sustainable Ledbury

CPRE Herefordshire share many of our aims.

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust

RSPB

BTO, British Trust for Ornithology

Merlin App, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, BTO, bird song etc. recognition on smartphone.

Wilderhood Watch St Albans

Colwall Orchard Group

Herefordshire Meadows

Cradley Parish Council environment group

World of Books

Creating Wildlife Corridors

Tracy Price of HWT presented 'Creating Wildlife Corridors ' to us on Thursday 16th November 2023 at Cradley village hall. About 40 people joined us, and there was lively discussion, especially during the coffee and biscuits break.

Tracy is the Community Organising Officer for the HWT Nature Action Team and is encouraging nature enthusiasts to meet and network ideas. One group is using WhatsApp to keep in touch (Cradley Wild has an eMail list).

Tracy is also the Community Organiser for Coronation Gardens for food and nature, sponsored by The Wildlife Trusts, Incredible Edible, the WI and garden organic.

 A  map of Cradley was projected onto the village hall wall, and enthusiasts used post-it notes for their comments. Suggestions and discussions included:

1. Follow up on the Ian H talk to the WI in October 2023 - a citizen science project monitoring the water quality of Cradley Brook. The WI Clean Rivers resolution was about bathing water, but see also River Action UK and the Surfers Against Sewage report.

2. Log piles made from vertically dug in posts, drilled with 15cm deep holes for bees

3. The Chapel Lane playing field mound - volunteers please contact the Parish Council

4. Underplanting orchards, for example the Buryfields community orchard, with fruit bushes for winter wildlife food

5. The need for allotments and garden-exchange, please contact the Parish Council if you would like an allotment

6. A focus on the ‘close built’ estates with small gardens

7. Planting of trees around the brook; we could map the brook and look for areas which could be developed for wildlife planting 

Cradley Wild, 16th November 2023

[as published in the village newsletter] A meeting in the Village Hall was well attended and raised over £70 towards Herefordshire Wildlife Trust (HWT) and Cradley Village Hall.

Tracy Price from HWT led the discussion as to where people in the area are taking action to encourage wildlife and where more could be done.

With the aid of a map and stickers we identified what we are doing in our gardens and in the pubic areas of Cradley and surroundings to encourage  wildlife . These included hedge planting, growing vegetables, having a pond , planting trees, wildflowers, feeding birds, log-piles, not using  pesticides, leaving some grass long, not cutting hedges in the nesting season, making compost and leaf bins, creating corridors for hedgehogs, putting up bird and bat boxes.

We identified with Tracy’s help areas in the village where action is being taken especially in the churchyard creating a bug sanctuary with the help of Cradley Primary school children, wildlife areas, bird boxes and wild daffodil planting. In other areas of the Village the Environment group of the Parish Council have created a wildlife rich mound and sensory garden at the Chapel Lane playground  and planted an orchard at Buryfields. The Primary school has a thriving gardening club and forest gardens and at Brookside there are wildlife verges.

Exciting ideas for future consideration are whether there is a need for allotments in the area, volunteers to help with the playground area, planting an understorey of fruit bushes at the orchard to create a fruit forest. more trees along the brook, monitoring the water quality of Cradley Brook. Also possibly offering help to those new to gardening as to how to grow food or garden in wildlife friendly ways even if the garden is small and surrounded with fences. Arranging  wildlife walks.

Anyone interested is welcome to join Cradley Wild, or to read further  on the Cradley village website including a list of helpful books. With everyone’s ideas and help the meeting ended on a very hopeful note for enriching our beautiful village and surroundings for ourselves and the wildlife that live here.

Report for September 2023

In Praise of Wasps

Why do we love bees and hate wasps? I pondered this question when a friend said, “I always feel a wasp is out to get me because they have more opportunities to sting, whereas a bee can only sting once.” I am sure a wasp plans no such thing, but my friend’s perception is telling – wasps have a negative association in our collective consciousness. I have never seen the image of a wasp adorn a tote bag or tea towel or its black and yellow stripes dazzle in a piece of jewellery in the same way that a bee’s does. Advertisements for the removal and destruction of wasps’ nests are ever present and we think of wasps as a nuisance, so what makes us think that way?

Wasps live in proximity to humans; they nest near our houses and queen wasps sometimes hibernate in the house or loft.  If we have a memory of being stung by a wasp, however, it is likely because we startled it – they are not naturally aggressive.

The term “wasp” covers a number of species and around seven varieties are common in our gardens. In Spring, queen wasps will emerge from overwintering and look to establish a nest. Initially the queen is on her own and does all the nest building and food gathering for the first batch of larvae.  The queen lays eggs that give birth to (initially) worker wasps. She remains in the nest laying eggs and the workers go out to gather food for the increasing brood. Throughout the summer, the nest increases in size, as more larvae are hatched and grow.

After the worker brings food, the larvae secrete a sugary substance as a reward. The queen wasp releases pheromones (chemical messages) to the workers and these help to unite the colony.  At the end of the cycle (which usually coincides with late Summer/early Autumn when we are eating outside and enjoying picnics) the queen stops laying eggs and eventually dies and worker wasps/ drones have no larvae to feed.  Without the sugary secretion from the larvae and chemical messages from the queen, the drones lose purpose, are hungry and leave the nest. This is when we see them lurking in rotten apples, or hovering around our picnics. Our perception is that they are generally having a good time. And, dear reader, have some sympathy for the worker wasp – they tire themselves out feeding the next generation and when no longer required, they are cast adrift to expire. Who could deny them the heady fructose opportunities our gardens offer?

So why should we love them?  Wasps play a crucial part in our eco system.  They are pollinators and some plants can only be pollinated by wasps. They control garden pests such as greenfly and caterpillars and our plants would not thrive without them devouring these invertebrates. It is estimated that every Summer they capture 14 million kilograms of insect prey. They help keep our ecosystem balanced – without them we would be overrun with spiders and insects. They are the gardeners’ (and everyone’s) friend, contributing significantly to biodiversity.

Wasps become agitated if their nest is disturbed but on the whole wasps will leave you alone. To avoid the picnic scenario, try and keep sugary foods covered. Some people set a wasp trap of sugar-based food/drink close by to divert the wasp from the main event. Should a wasp approach your gathering, staying still is better than jumping around.

There is no doubt that wasps have a bad PR. Try to remember the thousands of times you have eaten outside and not the rare occasion when a wasp or two showed up. You would have less fruit and vegetables in your garden without them – so keep calm and let the wasps carry on.

Jessie M.

With thanks to articles from RHS, BBC, National Trust for Scotland and National History Museum.

A word about winter

We are all aware that our winters are getting warmer. This means that pollinators will be out and about searching for nectar earlier in the year. Now is a good time to plant some winter flowering plants – hellebores are exceptional, they will brighten a dull corner, come in many beautiful colours and can bloom right through until Easter. Along with winter flowering jasmine, early crocus and snowdrops, they are perfect for early bumble bees.

Did you know… there is a community orchard in Cradley?

Tucked away behind the playing fields at Buryfields is a little patch of productive land that many Cradley residents aren’t aware of. This is Cradley’s Community Orchard, which has been planted with a variety of fruit trees, including several heritage apple varieties.

The orchard came about following a government initiative in 2018 to plant orchards for local people in parks. Diane Merker, who was a member of the working group of the Environmental Committee of the Parish Council at the time, remembers that £150 was granted to plant an orchard in the corner of Buryfields.

‘This site was chosen as it was not used by anyone as it flooded regularly,’ she says. ‘So, in November 2019 we bought six fruit trees. These were Herefordshire Beefing, Warwickshire Drooper, Pitmaston Duchess (both apples), Worcester Pear, and Tewkesbury and Pershore Purple plums.’

In January 2021 these trees were supplemented by four Spartan apple trees planted in remembrance of the tree warden who had donated the money to pay for them, and in March 2023, a crab apple was planted to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The plan for the orchard is that the trees will supply free fruit for local people who wish to use it. It is managed organically and naturally, and the trees have just started to fruit. It is hoped that another orchard may be established in Storridge in the future.

It is certainly well worth discovering next time you out for a walk. There might even be an apple or two to pick and munch on your way home.

Report for August 2023

The second meeting of Cradley Wild, held in July, saw a productive exchange of ideas about how we can continue to boost wildlife in our villages. Plans are in preliminary stages but look out for news of activities in this newsletter and on local noticeboards. Meanwhile, check out cradley.org.uk for our list of recommended books that may help turn your garden into a haven for nature.

If you are interested in coming along to the next meeting on 30 August, you will be very welcome. Email CradleyWild@cradley.org.uk for more information.

CREATING A WILDLIFE HABITAT PANEL

Attracting birds into the garden is as much about creating the right habitat as putting up birdboxes or filling bird feeders. Many rely on bugs and grubs to feed themselves and their young and the best way to encourage those is to create places where they can live and breed, and to grow plants that will provide an ongoing source of food.

This advice on creating a wildlife habitat panel was picked up from the RHS Resilience Garden, designed by Tom Massey, at Hampton Court Garden Festival, and is a good way to get started. They are an effective way of inviting local species into your garden and are easy to make using waste materials.

1. Choose a suitable site

The visitors to your habitat panels will depend on their location. Solitary bees, prefer a sunny spot whereas frogs and toads like cool, damp conditions that are also favoured by less desirable slugs and snails. (Frogs and toads will eat them, however, so become a food source themselves.)

2. Make the frame

This needs to be strong and stable. Potential materials include timber, wooden pallets, steel. The size and shape are up to you, but square or rectangle are simplest. You will also need netting or chicken wire to keep the contents in.

3. Pack the frame with wildlife-friendly material

The aim is to provide a porous habitat with gaps, crevices, tunnels and nooks and crannies for different sizes of wildlife to occupy.

Dead wood and bark attract beetles, centipedes, spiders and woodlice.

Bamboo, reed, the dry stems of alliums and drilled logs attract solitary bees.

Pieces of wood with larger holes, stones, pieces of tiles, provide cool, damp conditions for frogs and toads. Position these at the base of the frame and towards the back so that they are frost-free in the winter.

Dry leaves, sticks or straw attract ladybirds and beetles.

Corrugated cardboard attracts lacewings.

4. Fix the panels to the side of a bin store, on boundary fences or to the side of a garden room or shed.

WILDLIFE WATCH

What we have seen in our gardens. This month: owlets

In late Autumn, an elderly cherry tree ceremoniously split and a large branch broke off leaving an exposed hollow in the trunk. Throughout winter we were aware of many owl noises but didn’t really think too much about it – owls are always around, heard and unseen. With the lighter evenings of mid-May, we were surprised to see a Tawny Owl as late as mid-day, contemplative in the trees at the bottom of our small orchard. One evening, as I was going to shut up the greenhouse, I felt as though I was being watched. An owlet was perched in the hollow in the cherry tree trunk. A little later another owlet perched above, wings flapping excited to start its fledgling journey. At this point I felt it best to slip away and let nature run its course. Unfortunately, my i-phone camera is not great and I did not want to go too close in case I startled them, but the picture is of the less eager owlet.

There has been owl activity since they left, sporadically seen in the day and heard at night but perhaps best of all, we occasionally find a beautiful fluffy feather to remind us they are still here.

A Cradley resident

If you have any wildlife sightings to report, please send details to CradleyWild@cradley.org.uk

Report for June 2023

Inspired by the Wild Isles programme and the love of nature, a few of us met in April 2023 to form ‘Cradley Wild’ with an aim to encourage birds, hedgehogs and insects including bees to visit our gardens.

If all nature lovers in the Cradley Mathon and Storridge area work together we could increase the wildlife happy to live in our area and help to reverse the decline seen over the last 50 to 70 years.

Some flowers, good for insects, are already firm favourites eg lavender, allium, catmint (nepeta), sedum and verbena bonariensis to name a few. They provide nectar to bees and insects, who in return fertilize our fruit trees.

Native plants include foxglove, betony, greater knapweed and honeysuckle and are among the many which boost insect and bee population, and help feed birds and other animals.

Leaving some grass long is also beneficial to wildlife and allows other wild flowers to fully develop.

Joining our efforts to create highways for insects, birds and animals would be of great benefit to wildlife.

This is a list of birds seen in one of the Cradley gardens in the last couple of weeks:- blackbird, blue tit, buzzard, carrion crow, long tailed tit, great tit, jackdaw, greater spotted woodpecker, kestrel, robin, wood pigeon, wren, dunnock, magpie, mallard duck, pied wagtail, goldcrest, merlin, tree creeper and heron.

The RSPB and Wildlife Trusts have useful information available on their websites.

If interested in learning more please join us in pooling ideas and knowledge to make our parish a nature friendly haven. Contact CradleyWild@cradley.org.uk 

Report for May 2023 - ReWilding Cradley

Calling all who are interested in seeing more variety of birds in Cradley.

I have read two fascinating books recently “Orchard A year in England’s Eden” by Benedict Macdonald and Nicolas Gates (WilliamCollinsBooks.com 2020). This was based on research over a number of years in an old orchard very close to Cradley. The other book also by Benedict Macdonald is called Rebirding Restoring Britain’s Wildlife (pelagicpublishing.com in 2019). This is a wide-ranging book around the British Isles and winner of the Wainwright Prize for writing on Global Conservation. Both are available from the library.

Both draw attention to the research that shows that the way to stop species declining and becoming extinct requires a viable population usually around 90 individuals and sufficient, appropriate, joined up habitat to enable them to thrive.

It occurred to me, that there may be many people in the Cradley village and area who feed birds, like to see most species increase to enhance the community’s enjoyment of our wild life.

I would be interested in hearing from either of the two authors mentioned or the RSPB with advice on how working together we could create in our gardens a corridor of habitat suitable for once common birds, including bullfinches, wagtails, cuckoos, and any others your memories or imagination can suggest!

If there are a number of others interested in making Cradley a village of thriving wildlife birds, insects and butterflies I would suggest the first step is to  arrange a meeting [held on 19th April] and ask for an expert to attend and give advice. 

Please contact me if you are interested.

Linda B.