Sue Huggett.
With winter finally coming to a close, colour is returning to The Bumpy once again. Snowdrops have enjoyed a very good season, having survived the disturbances at St. Peter’s, and have put on a fabulous display of flowers; great sources of nectar for early-emerging bees. Meanwhile, the early flowers of the sunny Lesser Celandine can now be found peaking from under the leaf litter, and the first of the flowering trees, the Cherry Plums (ancestors to our domestic plum trees) have already blossomed. The grass and nettles have started to grow again, emanating that fresh, “green” smell of spring, and will soon be carpeting the reserve in a new, verdant cloak.
Since our December update, the Bumpy Volunteer Group (BVG) has not been idle; bird boxes have been surveyed and cleaned for the coming nesting season, paths have been mended, additional planting has been added and a couple of insect homes erected. We are very grateful to have received additional help with these activities from our latest volunteer; a local student working for his Duke of Edinburgh Silver Ward.
In addition to the general maintenance work of the reserve, the BVG is concentrating on improving one habitat area at a time, to ensure the project does not become overwhelming. This winter, we have cleared the bank of nettles and brambles between the road and the top bench. The trees and shrubs that were planted here in 2021 have not prospered, largely due to considerable competition and smothering by these rampant species. In order to give them a fighting chance of survival, many man hours have been invested in digging out nettle roots and re-staking the little trees and the Dog Roses. A good number of Stink Horn fungi were discovered during the work and saplings of Blackthorn and Elm were found to have spread into the area, unaided. These have been left in situ, and a few extra trees, including three oak trees grown in the village, have been added to the area. This work resulted in the clearance of a south-facing, sunny bank; the perfect location for a bee hotel, which has been constructed close to the top bench using wood from the reserve. This is intended for solitary bees, which like to lay their eggs in holes, which are then plugged with scraps of leaf or with mud gathered from close by. Hopefully, the bees will approve of their new “hotel”.
Meanwhile, at the shady end of the reserve, close to the bottom bench, another insect home has been constructed. This one is for Stag Beetles, whose larvae feed off dead and decaying wood for up to seven years before emerging as impressively large, shiny black adults. Here, branches have been sunk well into the ground where they will start to decay and provide the conditions that these insects love.
At the end of 2023, 78 species of wildflower, 71 species of insect, 26 species of bird and 9 different mammals had been recorded in The Bumpy. The BVG will be holding an Open Day in The Bumpy on 22nd June; why not pop along and see if you can find something to add to this list? We’d love to see you.
For more information on the work of the BVG, come by for a chat on 22nd June, or drop an email to our chairman, Jeremy, at (jjrfeatherstone@hotmail.com).