110 Planters for Pollinators, December newsletter

Imagine if Cradley was a pollinators’ paradise, with gardens brimming with flowers and humming with bees and other insects. This was the starting point of our meeting with Sue and Pam from Cradley WI who wanted to discuss a wildlife-friendly project to celebrate the organisation’s 110th anniversary.

Our conversation led to an exciting plan being hatched: to work with community groups and residents to fill the village’s gardens and public places with pollinator-friendly planters – 110 in fact. The planters could be any size from a flower pot to a skip, and either made from scratch, from recycled material or simply reusing old containers that are lying around. They would be filled with both wildflowers and garden flowers, any that are pollinator-friendly. Cradley Wild will provide a list of plants and general advice.

If there is enough interest, our aim is to bulk buy compost, wood and seed, and run workshops on seed sowing and planter making to get things going. Each container would be numbered so we can keep a record of how the campaign is going and record its progress. We hope to get local children involved with this.

These are early ideas, and we would welcome input from other community groups and individuals to develop them further. Perhaps you have wood-working skills you can share? Or maybe you have surplus seed trays or seeds? Would your front garden or window box benefit from a planter? We would love to hear from you.

To get involved, email plantersforpollinators@gmail.com.

Preparing the garden for a wildlife-friendly winter

The winter months are a chance for gardeners to have a well-deserved rest and to retreat indoors as darkness falls. Before you put down your secateurs though, there are a couple of easy wins that will help wildlife through the colder months.

Chop and drop

If you haven’t yet cut down annuals, perennials and grasses, rather than cart them off to the compost heap, chop them up and leave them on the soil around the plant. This makes a nutrient-rich mulch which will give the plant a boost in spring, keeps weeds at bay and creates a beneficial habitat for micro-organisms, insects, earthworms and beetles.

Leave things standing

Rather than cut everything back, leave a few plants standing. Grasses especially will hold their shape and look attractive until February. They also provide somewhere for spiders to weave their webs and other insects to shelter. Plants with seeds, such as teasels and sunflowers, are also a welcome pantry for birds.

Make a log pile

If you have pruned a woody shrub or tree recently, rather than dispose of the wood or have it all chipped, save a few logs and heap them up in a corner of the garden. This will support a multitude of different insects, provide a safe harbour for small mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and encourage fungi, woodlice, beetle grubs and wood wasps. These is turn provide food for spiders, frogs, toads, hedgehogs and birds.  

CRADLEY WILD NATURE WALK, November newsletter

On a welcome sunny day in October, a group of nature-loving Cradley residents set off on the first Village Nature Walk organised by Cradley Wild. The route took us from the school over a field brimming with late summer wildflowers including clover and field scabious, through woodland and farmland, and across Cradley Brook. Trees of interest were pointed out by local Tree Warden John C – did you know that the branches of Holly were once used as arrows because they are so straight and hard? Mike H, equipped with binoculars for bird spotting and a wealth of local history knowledge, brought the landscape to life with tales of a former mill on the Brook and a military encampment in a field during the Civil War. 

Along the path we spotted fungi, badger trails, new tree planting, old and venerable oaks and spotted a buzzard hanging in the sky. More of a saunter than a hike, it was a rewarding, sociable and illuminating way to spend an hour or so. Look out for details of Cradley Wild’s 2025 Spring Village Nature Walk in future issues of the Newsletter.

Clare G

LETTING NATURE TAKE ITS COURSE

In a recent issue of BBC Wildlife magazine, Richard Mabey, the well-known naturalist and nature writer (Food for Free, Flora Britannica, Birds Britannica, etc) describes how his relationship with his Norfolk garden has changed and evolved over the past 20 years. He points out that we are all ‘in charge’ of our own gardens and how we decide to manage them effects all the other inhabitants of the garden – a kind of colonialism! As gardeners we decide what stays and what goes.

During the past two decades, Mabey has become more accepting of the plants that find their way into his garden. He hasn’t let his garden run wild, but he has become much more inclined to let nature take its course – often with surprising and pleasing results. One of the delights of this approach is that the planting changes every year. He never quite knows what’s going to appear where – often resulting in serendipitous and lovely combinations. Virtually all these plants are beneficial for pollinators and wildlife unlike the bedding plants commonly sold at garden centres. Dave Goulson, Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Sussex, founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and author of Silent Earth: averting the insect apocalypse, discovered that plants sold by the RHS as beneficial for pollinators had been treated with neonicotinoids which are toxic to the nervous systems of bees.

Over this timespan, more than 80 native plant species have found their way into his garden. These include cowslip, germander speedwell, knapweed, agrimony, scabious, valerian – the last of which has attracted hummingbird hawkmoths which delight with their prodigious aerobatics.

Changing lifelong gardening habits isn’t easy but it is possible. When I lived in Birmingham, a neighbour and dear friend was horrified by my acceptance of rosebay willow herb – a plant many of us associate with railway cuttings; however, it is really very beautiful – both in flower and in seed. It isn’t difficult to stop it from taking over.  Purple loosestrife, which often appears in garden ponds, is very popular with bees. If, as gardeners, the idea of accepting ‘invaders’ causes uneasiness, we could consider starting with just one or two. Richard Mabey encourages all of us to consider taking advantage of the natural world’s creativity – to become ‘welcomers at the gate’.

Bill vM

CRAFT EVENING

Join us for a Craft Evening on 14 November from 6.30-9pm in the Village Hall, where we shall make items to sell on our stall at the Christmas Fair (7 December). Learn how to make wildlife-friendly items and Christmas decorations. Everyone welcome. Free.

An Amble Around Cradley Churchyard

For Cradley Wild AGM 5th September 2024

Cradley Churchyard is open to the community, accessible to walkers and provides access to the Village Hall. The south lawns are used for fetes, fairs and for taking Wedding and Baptismal photographs.

From the back of the village hall the Ancient male Yew (Taxus Baccata) dominates. It has a girth of 654cm, is probably 968 years old, and was not doing well until a few years ago we cleared and covered the ground with wood chippings – yew roots are very shallow. Notice the galls (Taxomyia taxi fly). There are (were) sparrow boxes on the back of the village hall shed, and there are eight other bird boxes spread about the churchyard (donated by the village hall). We get lots of compost from the south lawns so please take away as much as you can. In 2019 I saw a large grass snake in a bin here; so that’s what the nettle patch is all about – there is also a hedgehog box hidden in there.

Moving north, the grass here is mown by contractor monthly; I will get the mower cut height set to maximum for May/June but we have to mow it since it includes some currently tended graves. Rory of Hereford Meadows noticed that there is good diversity in this grass.

As we move down the churchyard to the current burial area notice the beech (bird box) and the native mixed hedge maintained by our good neighbour. This area is cut fortnightly; just SW of the yew there is a drain outlet which is always damp. There is another hedgehog box and a coal tit bird box in the holly; also another bird box in the yew.

The yew is open to the north where an enormous holly tree was interfering with it, we also had two silver birch, one succumbed to honey fungus, the other was recently blown over in a storm.

There is some ragwort by the compost bin and there was a wasp nest here a few years ago.

The hornbeam has a lovely shape and has flourished since the chestnut was removed from over the graves. The north hedge is part of a corridor between the AONB (Natural Landscape) and Coach House. Lizards have been spotted here by school children while they were doing a village trail. We have a plan to reduce the box bush in the middle but it does no harm and will contain many small birds, so these plans are on hold.

The three tall feature trees rise above the skyline – Pine Cypress, Norway Spruce, Scots Pine (and the walnut). In 2018 some large cypress trees were removed from the Churchyard (at the NW corner notice the stump), revealing magnificent views of the Natural Landscape towards the Malvern Hills and restoring light to the northern Churchyard. We now have a spreading spring wildflower corner by the gate.

As we walk back up south away from the fortnightly cut area, notice the spring wildflower meadow cut in July, we got 35 bales of hay for Soay sheep this year. We used an Austrian Scythe, strimmer and a home-made hand hay baler designed by Caring for Gods’ Acre. There are natural daffodils and cowslips here, and a few years ago I found a bumblebee ‘hole in the ground’.

The summer wildflower meadow, cut in August and baled for sheep, starts above the wood pile. Just above the compost bins there is another hedgehog box. Primroses are naturalising, but the phosphorous level is too high for wildflowers – we have tried several times to introduce Yellow Rattle but the grass is too rich. We will continue to harvest the hay, maybe in a few years time the flowers will have a better chance. In June 2019 we had a wildflower identification session hosted by Caring for God’s Acre.

The current ashes memorial tablet area will fill in a few years time so we are proposing a Garden of Remembrance by the church that can be used in perpetuity since no permanent memorials will be allowed. Ashes will be dug into the turf and records engraved at the head of the garden and in a book kept in church. So far this lawn has attracted moles, blackbirds looking for worms, and people sunbathing with a cream tea. A nice spot!

The story of the Glastonbury Thorn is also included in the window by the Pulpit. The seat was donated by Anne and Jen who helped with the 2018 tree clearance and looks out over the AONB (Natural Lanscape). The pile of stones was a School Champions project and is GlastonBug Tor, a bug sanctuary. There is a stump and lots of wood with holes in it under the stones; the ants in the rotten logs are territorial! This was where we had a BioBlitz in June 2023. Thistles and nettles still need pulling from this area.

Notice the gargoyles as we pass the east end of the church and the micro habitat enclosed tombs.

To the south a team of about 30 villagers help cut the lawns. Since the grass is removed this turns out not just to delight blackbirds looking for worms but also wax-caps and other fungi. In October 2019 we had a ‘Learn to Identify Fungi’ session. There is an owl in the large ancient yew (658cm girth, ~656 years old) but I have never seen it. However, my Merlin app heard a Tawny when I passed it one evening! There are swift boxes high on the bell louvres and a bat box in the tower.

The gardens by the porch are looked after by volunteers – they are themed as a remembrance garden looked after by the school, MU rose bed plants chosen for their family and wedding links (bees like the lavender), and the herb and winter honeysuckle.

By the lychgate, the seed mix by the lychgate sponsored by Cradley Wild has flourished and makes a mark for Cradley Wild in the churchyard. Nature may not be neat, but it can be very pretty.

Looking back at the village hall notice the Ginkgo biloba maidenhair tree, also known as the fossil tree because it is one of the oldest living tree species in the world. It's the sole survivor of an ancient group of trees that date back to before dinosaurs.

Tony Copp, for Cradley Wild

Helping Nature Through Gardening: planning a wildlife friendly garden; September 2024 village newsletter

In previous articles, we have spoken about “wildlife corridors”, which enable animals and birds to have the territorial access they require. In this article, we consider how our gardens, which cover over 1million acres nationally, can be a lifeline for many species. If you have a new garden, are new to gardening or would like to make some changes to your existing patch, read on...

How will I use my garden?

Start by thinking about how you want to use your garden – a sanctuary, a place for children or animals to play, an entertaining space, to grow produce (or probably a bit of everything)?  Work out where and when the sun hits your garden and for how long. Now is a good time of year to do this, as the sun is still relatively high. Make notes, as in the depths of winter you will have forgotten about the sun completely. Generally, east and north facing borders will get less sun than those facing south or west.

Knowing how much sun each part of your garden gets help you choose the right plants for the right position and where to situate what else you want to include in your garden. For example, if you want to grow vegetables, you must plant them in the sun, but you may wish to put your entertaining area in either shade or sun. The children’s play area probably needs to be in full view of the house and your wilder/wildlife area at the edges. A garden is fluid  and will evolve and change along with your needs and preferences.

What about water and shade?

A water feature can be safe for children (just a small bowl can be enough) but if you are able to add a few aquatic plants you may get frogs (or newts), pond skaters and boatmen. A bird bath is easy to put up (a shallow bowl will do) and is an important resource for birds who will delightfully splash in it all year.

Dogs, children and cats love a “den”. This could be behind a shrub, or you could be more adventurous and make a structure from living willow. Willow sticks can be bought quite cheaply and flexed easily into shape (try littletrekkers.co.uk). Shade in the garden is important and it is worth considering planting trees (check their final height though).

What’s my soil like?

To understand your soil type, do a quick test. Squeeze a handful of soil – if it doesn’t hold its shape, it’s sandy and if you can form a ball, it is clay or loam. If the ball is sticky and does not break apart easily, it is clay. Clay, the dominant soil type here, and is full of nutrients. It retains water in winter and cracks and dries easily in summer. Clay tends to be alkaline: test with a pH kit to see. Most plants do well in alkaline soils but a few need more acid soil e.g. heathers, azaleas and maples. Adding ericaceous soil (available from garden centres) will help these thrive.

To assist your plants’ growth by improving the soil, add mulch in Spring and Autumn. Try soil improver (available from most recycling centres) well-rotted manure, bark chippings or leaf mould. Mulch helps retain moisture, suppress weeds and insulate plant roots. Add at least 4-6cm for best results.

To dig or not to dig?

No-dig gardening – an alternative method of cultivation that preserves the sub structure of the soil, enabling woodlice, earthworms, mites and bacteria to do their work undisturbed – is gaining popularity. It involves covering the ground with cardboard, mulch or permeable black fabric, which dispenses the need to weed first (although you will need to dig out brambles/persistent weeds). You can make a no-dig bed on top of grass or an existing bed. Start small e.g. 1.2m x 2.4m and make your bed fairly level – then top up the bed with compost (7-15 cm). For more information, charlesdowding.co.uk

What should I plant?

Planting is the most fun but takes the most planning. More details to follow in our next gardening feature.

And finally…

If you do nothing else, please make a small hole in your fence for hedgehogs. Many new build homes have panel fencing that prevents the wandering of our spiky friends.

From the August village newsletter - THE WILDLIFE REVOLUTION

One of the few cheering things about the drastic loss of wildlife and habitat in the UK is that it has galvanised people to do something about it. A groundswell of concerned people has risen up to help restore a more natural balance in our environment.

Cradley Wild was established to do our bit to help nature in the village. To do this most effectively, we are building relationships with other organisations locally and nationally. Here are five that may be of interest to anyone who cares about their surroundings and the creatures and plants within it.

1. Herefordshire Meadows

What they do: work across the Herefordshire landscape to restore flower-rich grassland; create grazing systems for diverse swards and healthy livestock; create meadows, wildflower stirps and herb leys from arable land; educate the public on the benefits of native grasslands.

Membership: free and open to all meadow owners in the county. Benefits include attendance at events and meetings, training and general information and guidance.

Further information: herefordshiremeadows.org.uk; info@herefordshiremadows.org.uk

2. Herefordshire Wildlife Trust

What they do: care for 60 nature reserves in the county; work with others to restore nature to our rural and urban landscapes; inspire people to take action to defend Herefordshire’s wildlife. They also have a shop in Ledbury, which is well worth a visit.

Membership: £42 pa, or £3.50 per month by direct debit. Benefits include Wildlife magazine delivered three times a year, free Discovery Days, a ring-bound guide to Herefordshire Nature Reserves.

Further information: herefordwt.org; membership@herefordwt.co.uk

3. Plantlife

What they do: spearhead the race to save flora and fungi; run a road verges programme to transform verges in towns and country; manage nature reserves; work to protect restore and strengthen species and habitats; connect people with nature.

Membership: £3.25 per month. Benefits include a copy of Plantlife magazine three times a year; a welcome pack containing an Identification Pack and information on how to grow wildflowers in your garden; attendance at an annual virtual members’ day.

Further information: plantlife.org.uk; enquiries@plantlife.org.uk

4. Verging on Wild

What they do: started in 2018 by three friends, this group of volunteers work with Herefordshire Council, Balfour Beatty Living Places and Herefordshire Wildlife Trust to improve biodiversity on Herefordshire’s verges. Their aim is to see a change in verge management across the county by listing them as Roadside Verge Nature Reserves (RVNRs) and managing them for biodiversity.

Further information: visit herefordshirewt.org/vergingonwild, or email sally@sallywebster.net

5. Herefordshire Green Network

What they do: a not-for-profit organisation bringing together local groups and individuals who are committed to working together to address the climate and ecological crisis. They support local projects, host regular events and provide free training and resources to members. They also send out a weekly email newsletter with information about groups and activities across the county.

Membership: donation rates for individuals are flexible but a rate of £2 per month for unwaged, £5 per month for others is suggested. Benefits include invitations to events and workshops on issues of importance eg community hubs, local transport, retrofitting energy efficiency measures.

Further information: hgnet.org; admin@hgnetwork.org

Next Cradley Wild meeting

Our next meeting will be the AGM on 5 September, 2.30-4pm in the Village Hall. Everyone is welcome. We are also planning a local litterpick. Anyone interested, please contact us about this or any other matter, at cradleywild@cradley.org.uk

July - IT’S BUTTERFLY TIME!

Summer is a fantastic time for spotting insects, including butterflies. Here are a few you may see locally in July and August.

Peacock: brightly coloured and named after the bird due to the markings on its wings. Peacock butterflies feed on nectar from flowers including thistles, dandelions and buddleia. Size 6-7cm.  

Common Blue: a bright blue butterfly that can be spotted in various habitats including parks, waste ground, grassy meadows and alongside tracks in woodland. Size 2.8-3.6cm.

Red Admiral: a large butterfly that feeds on nectar from buddleia, flowering ivy and rotting fruit. This butterfly can still be seen flying up to November! Size 4.5-7.6cm.

Small Tortoiseshell: a butterfly that is often seen in towns and in gardens. It has striking wing patterns, and these brightly coloured marks scare away predators. Adult tortoiseshells are fast fliers. Their larvae can be badly affected by drought.

Other butterflies you may see locally during July and August include the Comma, Marbled White, Speckled Wood, Skipper, Gatekeeper and Silver Washed Fritillary.

QUIZ FOR CHILDREN

1. What are the two other colours on a Red Admiral butterfly other than red? 10 points for each colour

2. How do the four eye shapes on a Peacock butterfly help protect it? 10 points

3. Name two other butterflies you have spotted in July or August.   20 points

4. Give yourself a bonus 10 points if you can name the flower or plant you have seen a Common Blue butterfly on?

Very well done if you have got all 60 points – you are a Champion!

Answer to question 1 black and white, Answer to question 2 they scare away predators that may want to chase or eat it.

Nicole Willett, Cradley Wild member

CRADLEY WILD UPDATE

Following a successful day at the village Plant Sale, where we met many keen local wildlife enthusiasts, we were pleased to welcome seven new members and four children at our last meeting in May.

The meeting gave us an opportunity to talk about our plans and to reflect on what we have achieved so far. Among future projects are wildlife walks, litter picking, helping to monitor and understand pollution in Cradley Brook, and improving the recycling of batteries and tin foil locally. By the time this is published, a bird count in the village will have taken place, which give us an understanding of bird numbers and which species are declining in number.  One of our members will also be talking to Cradley school wildlife champions.

We have been supported in our endeavours by Cradley & Storridge Parish Council and will continue to work with its councillors to enhance our local area and restore wildlife habitats. At a recent meeting, a couple of our members addressed the Council about the management of moles at the Chapel Lane recreation ground and at the playground at Buryfields. The council decided to pause employing the molecatcher for a year, with the proviso that Cradley Wild would manage spoil from the molehills. We applaud this decision.

Meeting with other local parishes further along the path of increasing awareness of nature’s needs, and organisations including Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, has proved beneficial and informative. One of our aims as a result of this cross-pollination is to survey the hedges that border public footpaths in the village.  

Altogether it has been a successful first year for Cradley Wild with the foundations of many initiatives laid, and with a growing band of members to help make them happen. By the time this newsletter is published we will have met more of you at the village fete. We hope you feel encouraged to come along to our next meeting on Thursday 11 July at 2.30pm in the village hall. You will be warmly welcomed. Find more information on cradley.org.uk/cradleywild

Linda Belmont, chair, Cradley Wild

From July newsletter:

Among the future plans for the group are wildlife walks, litter picking, joining in the work of monitoring Cradley Brook (and collecting data to help understand why waste is occurring in this waterway). Also improving recycling of batteries and tin foil locally. Currently Cradley School collects batteries as do Boots in Ledbury. Oxfam in Malvern takes foil and Superdrug will take blister packs from medication.

By the time this is published a bird count will have taken place. A member of CW will be talking to Cradley school wildlife champions

To date the group has been liaising with the Parish Council on various issues. A couple of members of CW addressed the Council about the killing of moles, at the Chapel Lane recreation ground and at the playground at Buryfields. The council decided to pause using the mole catcher  for a year.

We enjoyed a public meeting coordinated by Herefordshire Wildlife Trust to learn more about how we can improve the local environment for residents and wildlife.

We intend to continue working alongside the Parish Council to enhance our local area and restore wildlife habitats. We have contact with and learn from other parishes in the area who are further along the path of increasing awareness of nature’s needs and making a positive difference. We hope to survey the local hedges which adjoin the public footpaths in the parish. By the time this newsletter is published we will have met more of you at the village fete.

Altogether it has been a successful first year and there are plenty of future ideas for Cradley Wild. Learn more at cradley.org.uk

June - WHY HEDGES MATTER

 ‘Hedges, and the philosophy of human-nature partnership they embody, can mend the countryside. Hedges are the way ahead.’ John Lewis-Stempel.

A recent meeting ‘Celebrating our Hedges’ held at Colwall Village Hall, was attended by several members of Cradley Wild. It put hedges centre stage and got us thinking about our own hedges in and around the village. The main speaker, Dr Megan Gimber of the People’s Trust for Endangered Species gave a fascinating insight into the importance of hedges: 85% of farmland birds rely on them for food, shelter and nesting, and a single 85m-stretch of well-maintained mixed-species hedge can support over 2,000 different species (and that doesn’t include all the fungi and bacteria!).

Hedges play three important ecological roles: as a physical home; as a complementary habitat (often for food); and as a route of passage i.e. a wildlife corridor. Often, as in the case of the indigenous hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), they perform all three roles for a single species. There are as many different types of hedges as there are different English soils or landscapes. The low, tightly interwoven nature of a recently laid hedge does just fine for Grey Partridge. Whereas the overgrown ones – scrubby, brambly, unruly – are perfect for Robins or Dunnocks to nest. The dense thorny hedges created by the much-maligned mechanical flail are perfect for Yellowhammers. It is important to create a ‘mosaic’ of all three.

Hedges are not ‘wild’ they are entirely man-made but replicate the ‘edge of a wood’ habitat, where woodland, pastures and flowering scrub overlap (an area known as an ‘ecotone’). Megan described the characteristics of a good hedge, the origins of the hedgerow in the Bronze and Iron Ages (known as ‘assart’ hedges), and the current benefits of healthy hedges to modern-day farmers. She finished by outlining successful hedgerow management and how the public can get involved in the Great British Hedgerow Survey. She stressed the need to plant, preserve and manage our hedges – something anyone who has a garden can contribute to. For more information, visit the People’s Trust for Endangered Species website (ptes.org).

A subsequent speaker, Sheila, reported on the work undertaken by the Colwall Hedge Survey. The residents of Colwall have done much to record their hedges with some inventive and innovative mapping techniques (colwall-pc-data.org.uk/hedgesurvey/Index.html). Following the meeting, Cradley Wild contacted David Armitage of Malvern Hills National Landscape (formerly AONB) about the possibility of Cradley undertaking a similar survey and was met with an encouraging response. If you are interested in getting involved, come along to our next meeting at 2.30pm on 11 July in the Village Hall and look out for information on cradley.org.uk /CradleyWild or in this Newsletter.

‘Celebrating our Hedges’ was held at Colwall Village Hall, and was sponsored by Colwall Parish Council, Malvern Hills AONB (now called Malvern Hills National Landscape) and Colwall Orchard Group.

Ian P and Clare G

May 25-26th - Cradley Wild Birdwatching Weekend Report

Over the weekend of May 25-26th, members of Cradley Wild were invited to spend an hour or so identifying  birds seen or heard from their gardens or other open spaces in the parish. This Bank Holiday weekend was chosen as birds were nesting and feeding young, and summer visitors were establishing their territories, so there was plenty of aerial activity to be seen and heard.

In the event, surveys were received from six different locations across Cradley village and the surrounding area: Rectory Lane, Brookside, Finchers Corner, Oaklands, just beyond the south-west edge of  the parish towards Bosbury, and the north of the parish near Suckley. Of the six, one respondent (who was away over the weekend) listed birds commonly and less frequently seen; another used the Merlin bird song app to identify calls, some observed for a continuous hour while others divided their time across the weekend, and some submitted specific numbers of birds seen while for others this was impossible as there were so many!

The resident birds seen and heard were: buzzard, wood pigeon, collared dove, carrion crow, rook, jackdaw, magpie, pheasant, starling, blackbird, song-thrush, robin, dunnock, house sparrow, tree sparrow, chaffinch, greenfinch, bullfinch, siskin, nuthatch, great tit, blue tit, coal tit, wren, greater-spotted woodpecker, pied wagtail and mallard. Summer migrants noted were: swallows, house martins and a chiff-chaff.

Of course, a “snapshot” observation session cannot record the changing pattern of bird activity over 24 hours or across the weeks and seasons. So, although red kites are now seen over Cradley, none were recorded  at this time, no owls or tree-creepers were noted, and while swifts had been seen a week earlier over Cradley churchyard, none were reported by any observers over the survey weekend. The good news is that swifts were nesting at the Village Hall by early June.

There were other pleasant surprises – while one observer last saw siskins two months earlier, another saw them on May 25th, at a time when many were already breeding in Scotland, and tree-sparrows, seen in the north of the parish, are relatively uncommon and often overlooked. One benefit of the damp but warmer weather at the end of May was a proliferation of insects, resulting in larger numbers of house martins and swallows swooping above the cows.

However, there were some concerning gaps. Of the many migrant spring warblers only one chiff-chaff was heard, and nobody reported hearing or seeing a cuckoo. And as for sky-larks... As someone who has recorded species in Cradley for over 30 years, I cannot help but believe that changes in land-use, farming practices and building use and construction, as well as changing weather-patterns, have much to answer for in terms of bio-diversity.

One respondent also described the impact of predators on blue-tits, which last year had safely raised large families in two nest-boxes. This year the birds were terrorised by grey squirrels which climbed up and sat on the tops of the boxes, and reached into the holes with their forearms. As a result, the boxes remained unused and most of the blue-tits went elsewhere.

Might small birds be “twigging” to the threat? At home, squirrels visit daily, and we have been fascinated to see where blue tits have chosen to nest – two years ago they abandoned the luxurious camera-box we had installed by the patio, and instead nested in the small gap above a slipped tile on the side of the chimney; this year they chose a mortar-gap between bricks high on the side house wall. And we were also entertained by the sight of great tits raising their young inside the narrow neck of  an antique clay urn at the bottom of the garden. But the threats continue: magpies, often seen raiding blackbird nests, have been a fully-protected species since 2019, and – regrettably - in this survey there have been no reports whatsoever of ground-nesting birds.            Mike H

From the May newsletter - Herefordshire Waste and Recycling

REDUCE, RE-USE, RE-CYCLE

On the back of the question “Why doesn’t Herefordshire Recycle more waste?”, three members of Cradley Wild attended a talk by Craig Cornish from Herefordshire Council, via the Ledbury Sustainability Group.  The good news is that we are likely to see a change in the existing arrangements later in the year.  The current contracts are up for renewal and whilst details are not available yet, food waste is being discussed.

Everyone does their best to get recycling right and we picked up some tips on what can be recycled. Should the Council be unable to take it for roadside collection, there are more options at the recycling centres. If in doubt both the Council and Envirosort websites offer helpful advice (links below)

As a county, we can make some improvements and it’s always worth a refresh to make sure we are recycling as much as possible.

Where we can improve……..

·         Food Waste = 38% of the average black bin in Herefordshire

o   70% is avoidable

o   38% of all discarded food is still packaged. Sadly, a high percentage of this is meat -which means some poor animal has been slaughtered unnecessarily – plus all the energy used to feed, transport etc.  Plan well and freeze your meat if you think you won’t use it.  This type of waste was higher in the more affluent areas of the county

·         60% of all food waste in the UK occurs in the home

·         Other “waste”  - as much as  70% of what is placed in the black bin could be recycled

Herefordshire Food Alliance has a charter which you can sign up to.  For more information:- https://herefordshirefoodcharter.org.uk/blog

ü Love Food Hate Waste - www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/ is brilliant for food waste reduction advice.

What You Can Put in your Recycling Bin………

Please wash items and ensure they are clean.  Unwashed items attract vermin and can contaminate other recyclable items.

ü Aerosol Cans

ü Cardboard

ü Fruit/Veg Punnets (but not black plastic – plastic is optically sorted and black plastic can’t be picked up by the technology)

ü Milk and juice cartons

ü Glass bottles and jars and toiletry jars

ü Clean plant pots that are not black

ü Clean quality paper (not kitchen roll or tissue)

And what you can’t………

·         Batteries (you can take these to recycling centres)

• Black bags or carrier bags - there is no need to use a bag in your recycling bin

• Cling film and stretchy plastic (most large supermarkets have a collection place)

• Crisp packets and sweet wrappers (Two Farmers’ packaging is compostable)

• Crockery, drinking glasses and Pyrex dishes

• Food waste

• Garden waste (compost this at home, take it to your local household recycling centre or use garden waste sacks)

• Nappies, tissues and kitchen roll

• Polystyrene

• Textiles (if clean but damaged, a number of charity shops recycle these as “rags”.  If usable then there are textile banks in some supermarket car parks and also at recycling centres)

• Wood (recycling centre)

• Foil – Herefordshire does not produce enough to make this cost effective for commercial enterprise but you can take it to Malvern recycling centre (please wash first)

A word of warning about “compostable” plastics.  They take a long time to break down and may generate particles of micro plastics (a huge problem waiting to happen)  Unless the wrapping is made of potato starch,  the recommendation is to put these in the black bin.  On a positive note, much from the black bin collection is used to generate electricity – only c1% goes to landfill.

Herefordshire’s waste disposal contractor Severn Waste Service provide information about the recycling process at EnviroSort here - www.severnwaste.com/recycling/ including a list of what can be recycled.

www.recyclenow.com/ - is a one stop shop for finding out what you can recycle and where.

www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/ - Use to search for local electrical recycling points.

Future Waste collection service – Updates on changes to waste collections will be covered here - www.herefordshire.gov.uk/rubbish-recycling/future-waste-collections.

From the April Newsletter - WILDLIFE FRIENDLY PLANTERS by Ian Perry

Cradley Wild are working with the Parish Council to create two wildlife friendly planters in the village. (See table below for plant combinations.) We will let you know when they are in place but meanwhile here is a list of plants we have recommended, which will look good in anyone's containers or window boxes and will attract a good range of pollinators.

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) Purple flowers

A familiar plant in herb and kitchen gardens, rosemary attracts a variety of bees including mason, bumble, mining, and honey bees. It is great for other pollinators, as well, like nectar-feeding flies and butterflies. Rosemary’s ability to flower early (sometimes as early as February in the northern hemisphere) and its long blooming window makes it an especially attractive pollinating perennial. Early flowering plants are especially helpful for early emerging bee species, like mason bees, that have a short foraging window (early to late spring).

Viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare) Blue flowers

A member of the borage family, Viper’s bugloss’s  bell-shaped flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and moths. After pollination each flower produces four nutlets which resemble a viper’s head, hence the name; it was once prescribed as an antidote for snake-bite.

Wild daffodils (Narcissus pseudo narcissus) Yellow flowers

All commercial daffodils are derived from these; the wild variety is small but provides a vital source of pollen for early season bumblebees.

Betony (Stachys officinalis) Maroon flowers

A member of the dead-nettle family, Beto was much loved by herbalists as a cure for everything! Its flowers are particularly favoured by the solitary wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum), as well as many other insects.

Bird’s foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatis) Yellow flowers

The bird's-foot-trefoil is a larval food plant for several butterflies and moths and a valuable nectar source for many other insects. And, like some other legumes, it produces highly nutritious pollen.

Lady’s bedstraw (Galium serum) Pale yellow flowers

Lady's Bedstraw is a haven for wildlife. Its nectar-rich blossoms attract bees and butterflies, providing a vital food source for these pollinators. The plant's dense growth offers shelter for small insects, contributing to the overall biodiversity of your garden.

Wild Thyme (Thymus polytrichus) Purple flowers

The tiny, two-lipped rose-purple flowers are very attractive to honey bees.

Lavender (Lavendula angustilifolia) Purple flowers

A member of the mint family, lavender is very attractive to bees and many other insects.

Foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora) Yellow flowers

Bumblebees are often seen balancing on the individual flowers of these tall, pale yellow spikes.

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) Pink/blue flowrs

This evergreen herb of the mint family is very attractive to all insects, especially bees. 

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) White/blue/purple flowers

Comfrey flowers, which appear from late May, are very attractive to bees and hoverflies, essential for pollination of many food crops. They also encourage predatory insects that can help keep 'pests' at bay.

Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff’ (Dahlia spp.) Red flowers

These have beautiful red flowers with fewer petals allowing, bees, butterflies and other insects to have easy access to the flowers' pollen and nectar.

Wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare) Purple flowers

Wild marjoram (which is also called oregano) is an excellent food source for all kinds insects.

Poached-egg plant (Limnanthes douglasii) Yellow/white flowers

The fabulously-named Poached Eggplantattracts bees to pollinate flowers, plus ladybirds and hoverflies to tackle aphids

Other suggestions

Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) Blue flowers

Meadow cranesbill (Geranium pratense Blue flowers

Field scabious (Knautia arvensis) Maroon flowers

EXTRAORDINARY PARISH COUNCIL MEETING ABOUT MOLES, 26 MARCH 2024

1. Statement from Dr Rob Atkinson, author of ‘Moles’ (Whittet Books, 2013), submitted by Cradley Wild

Despite their abundance, moles remain one of our least known wild animals. Small, at around 100g, and living underground, moles reluctantly give up their secrets. I suspect that’s one reason why, unlike hedgehogs, the mole – save for that affectionate portrait in The Wind in the Willows – does not enjoy a secure place in the national affections.

My family lived in Cradley for 50 years. We always had moles in our garden, and when I was young, I used to trap them. Years later, I studied moles at Oxford University, revealing many but far from all their secrets. While I wouldn’t dream of telling someone they shouldn’t get upset at molehills, I would urge a greater understanding of these remarkable animals. Armed with such knowledge, we can make an informed judgement. [See supplementary statement for background information on moles.)

Moles are part of a healthy ecosystem

Painful though the thought of molehills is, moles are part of a healthy, natural ecosystem, as their digging brings nutrients to the surface, and molehills are nurseries for wildflowers. Even on farmland moles have a role, aerating the soil and eating crop-damaging larvae, and they were once deliberately introduced to control cockchafer beetles. Germany, a country with an agriculture very similar to ours, takes the view that moles are overall a good thing, and protects them by law. Of course, locally they can be more destructive. They can pollute silage when their molehills are collected accidentally by mowers. Depending on one’s point of view they can disfigure our gardens.

Moles are top of wildlife’s hit list

Consequently, moles remain a target in Britain, where we kill uncounted thousands each year, putting them at the top of our country’s hit-list of wildlife. Moles are still persecuted with scant protection from the law. Although moles no longer suffer an appalling death from strychnine, Britain only banned the poison for use on moles in 2006, 50 years after it had stopped its use on all other animals. Moles can still be killed using phosphine gas, even though it is difficult to get high concentrations in the tunnels, and low exposure means moles can take three days to die. The law exempts mole traps from meeting the welfare standards that apply to other spring traps in Britain. And trapping in spring risks orphaning dependent young.

A most remarkable animal

There is no doubt that moles, more specifically molehills, can be a nuisance but surely these creatures – mighty, mysterious, and resilient – deserve our respect and, as often as we can offer it, our tolerance. Instead of killing them, please think about raking over their molehills, or use the sifted and aerated soil in the garden. Then wonder what one of our most remarkable animals is getting up to, unseen below your feet.

2. Supplementary statement: understanding moles

The mole is nearly blind, and although it can detect light it does not hunt for earthworms (its main prey) using its eyes, which are pinpoints hidden beneath its dense, black fur. Instead, it relies on smell and on touching wriggling prey using sensory hairs on its face. Moles need to eat at least half their bodyweight every day – about six big common earthworms. With fastidious care, a mole will squeeze the gritty gut contents out of a worm before eating it, holding the head in its sharp teeth and pulling the slimy body through its nails.

What does a mole look like?

Moles have broad, spade-like hands armed with thick, earth-scraping nails and a fringe of stiff hairs to sweep soil. Their upright, sensitive tails help them quickly reverse. The strong, flexible spine allows the mole to instantly turn around in a tunnel only millimetres wider than its body. The shoulders are so powerful that they can exert a sideways pressure 24 times the mole’s own bodyweight – equivalent to a human pushing nearly two tonnes.

The poet John Clare was right to call the mole “the little hermit”: both sexes are solitary. Uniquely among mammals, the females have “ovotestes”: a combination of ovary, which produces eggs, and testicular tissue. The latter generates the hormone testosterone, which is likely responsible for the female mole’s aggressive defence of her territory. Both males and females are strongly territorial.

The sex life of the mole

The females’ testosterone recedes temporarily in spring when they briefly let down their guard and mate. At this time of the year, males are lustily charging across the landscape, in shallow surface tunnels hundreds of metres long in the hope of finding females. The sexes stay together for only an hour or so, and soon afterwards females resume their solitary lives.

In mid-April in southern England to late June in Scotland, three or four babies are born in warm, underground nests of dry grass, and spend their first four weeks sleeping and drinking their mother’s milk. They start to eat solid food, possibly learning by grabbing hold of a worm their mother is eating. By early summer the mother’s territory must support four or five animals rather than one, and dryer, leaner times are coming. The young moles leave home and set off to find their own territories, risking starvation, traffic, and foxes. Sixty four percent of youngsters never live to see their first birthday. Only a lucky few reach the maximum age of seven.

Molehills explained

The mole is an accomplished digger. Each mole lives at depths of up to 150cm in a network of tunnels more than a kilometre long, all packed like spaghetti into a territory only 30-40 metres across. Moles rely on their tunnels to act as traps for their prey. Earthworms moving through the soil accidentally enter the tunnels and, once they’re in, it takes a while to get out which is when they’re caught by the patrolling mole. The cursed molehills are just a by-product of their industrious digging. Moles make fewest molehills in summer when the soil is harder to dig, and people may not even know they are there. Moles work for about four and half hours a day in winter and take about an hour to dig one metre.

Having dug the soil, moles have to push it onto the surface via near-vertical shafts. The soil in even a short, 15cm shaft weighs three times as much the mole does, and the mole lifts against the resistance of the shaft’s walls and with one hand, bracing itself against the tunnel walls with its hindfeet and the other hand. Moles can lift around two kilograms – 20 times their own bodyweight. Puny by comparison, Olympic powerlifters can only manage twice their own bodyweight.

From the March 2024 newsletter: Animals in Danger -  Hedgehogs

Following on from the Bryce Family’s excellent article on raising awareness about creating corridors/tunnels for hedgehogs, it feels appropriate to focus on the plight of the hedgehog. Hedgehogs are in serious decline (by up to 50% in rural areas since the millennium).  There is no single reason but loss of habitat through development, hedge removal, habitat fragmentation, competition for food, injuries, lack of food and use of pesticides all contribute.

25% of hedgehogs die before they leave the nest and a further 50% do not survive in to adulthood.  However, we can all help hedgehogs. 

Habitat

Hedgehogs can travel 2-3 km in a night making it essential to create a tunnel in garden fences.  Otherwise, hedgehog populations can become isolated, which has a genetic impact and eventually the isolated populations may become unviable and subsequently extinct.  Loss of habitat can mean hedgehogs struggle to find somewhere to nest or find food.  Hedgehogs prefer hedgerows (hence the name), woodland edges and suburban habitats (reiterating the importance of small tunnels in fences). A hedgehog house in a quiet, shady area of the garden may encourage a hedgehog to take up residence in your garden.  Hibernation isn’t constant throughout winter and hedgehogs will leave their slumber if their fat reserves deplete. 

As you read this, hedgehogs will start to emerge from their winter hibernation – so leaving food and water will give them sustenance to help them on their way. .  If you want to leave some food just in case - cat biscuits left undercover will be edible for a week.

Food

Hedgehogs like to eat invertebrates (beetles, earwigs, caterpillars, earthworms, millipedes and fly larvae), so anything you can do to encourage these into your garden will help.  Planting British native plants, encouraging dense vegetation and leaving some patches of bare soil will help.  Hedgehogs are opportunist feeders and will eat cat/dog food.  Putting food and water out during dry, hot spells will help (milk and mealworms are a definite “no” for hedgehogs.  Mealworms are the hedgehog equivalent of junk food).  Log piles, compost heaps and a small pond (being aware that hedgehogs need a slipway to climb in and out of the water safely) will encourage invertebrates into your garden.

Accidents

Sadly, hedgehogs get injured by strimmers,  they can be caught in netting and more often killed by cars.  Hedgehogs can nestle in long grass, so if you are following no mow May please check for hedgehogs before you cut the grass,  Hedgehogs won’t run away when they sense danger, they curl into a ball.  Be hedgehog aware – drive more slowly and check before you chop and when driving slow down for nature.

In summary -there are many reasons why the hedgehog population is declining and no one garden can give a hedgehog everything it needs, which is why we all need to help.  If you have an impermeable fence please make a tunnel, leave some leaves, logs, or a small wild patch in your garden and please don’t use pesticides.  Be hedgehog aware when using machines (including cars).

Together we can make a difference.

For more information www.britishhedghogs.org.uk

And the Cradley Wild page at: www.cradley.org.uk

With thanks to articles by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, Hedgehog Street, BBC

From the February 2024 newsletter:

WHY WE SHOULD WELCOME MOLES IN OUR GARDENS

It’s during winter and into spring that we really notice moles. Or rather, we notice mole hills – moles are mostly subterranean and are rarely seen above ground. Piles of freshly dug earth appear in fields and gardens, breaking out across lawns and in flower beds. Many a gardener (and professional mole catcher) views these soft piles of soil as an enemy invasion and will not rest until the ground is flat once more and the small mammal responsible is dealt with. It is the misfortune of this otherwise blameless creature that its progress in search of worms results in heaps of earth. Their crime is to make gardens look a bit messy.

Rather than see these industrious mammals as pests, I say we should welcome them into our gardens and recognise the benefit they bring. They are part of nature’s grand scheme of things after all, contributing to the health of the soil by turning it, draining it and mixing its nutrients. You know you have healthy, worm-rich soil when molehills appear. Molehills also make excellent nursery beds for wildflowers. Even on farmland, moles have a role, aerating soil and eating crop-damaging larvae – they were once deliberately introduced to control cockchafer beetles.

Because they live underground, moles escape most people’s attention and knowledge of them is scant. Did you know, for example, that the series of molehills across your lawn was created by a single mole? After mating, they live a solitary life in the darkness with smell and touch their only means of seeking and finding prey and future mates.

The only time they venture above ground is when they are young and in search of a burrow of their own. These burrows can be hundreds of metres long and are dug at various depths to allow for droughts and for low temperatures. Powerful diggers with strong shoulders, moles have white, paddle-like front legs which look remarkably like human hands, a pink pointed snout, tiny eyes and a short tail. They weigh 80g and need to eat 50g of worms and grubs a day to survive. To ensure a regular supply, they bite worms in the head to immobilise them, then store them in chambers called ‘fortresses’, dozens at a time. The moles dig and feed in a four-hour sift before resting for four hours, then feeding and digging again.

Moles used to be trapped for their velvety pelts. Thankfully that is no longer the case, but now they are killed because they make a mess of our lawns and golf courses. It is time to cherish the inherent worth of this blameless creature with which we share our world, even if that is sometimes at a small cost to ourselves. It only takes a second to kick over a molehill after all.

Clare Gogerty

Information from ‘Moles’ (Whittet Books) by Dr Rob Atkinson, former Cradley resident.