Issue #12 Miscellaneous Adventures Digest

Better luck next time in Buttermere, spruce nightmares and noticing seasonal changes

Greetings! Well, our adventures this weekend weren’t quite as unsuccessful as those the previous weekend, but to call them successful would also be somewhat inaccurate. Having never been to Buttermere before, we should have made a better plan but alas, we did not. We also got there too late, despite knowing better, and the car parks were all full. Still, it was nice to be somewhere new and we saw enough to make us want to go back and try again a little earlier in the day and a little more prepared. All tips and recommendations welcome!

Wandering above Crummock Water

It’s been a busy few weeks with conservation work. I have been working with Woodmatters on a pretty big project for Forestry England restoring a former spruce plantation to native broadleaf woodland; it’s a large area and our main task is felling all the self-seeded spruce, hemlock and larch that have popped up since the site was clear felled 9 years ago. The trees are mostly small, not much bigger than Christmas trees, but there are hundreds of thousands of them and the going is tough on steep, rocky ground. Hidden amongst the dense thickets of spruce are young birches, oaks, rowans and hazels all waiting to be released from their dark green prisons.

We are calling this the bank of doom. A steep wall of solid spruce. Spot the orange chainsaw helmet.

Deep amongst the conifers faced with a wall of green, cutting relentlessly with the chainsaw, it can feel like an impossible task. But each liberated oak or birch is progress; you can almost sense the trees sighing with relief at being free.

A healthy young oak with marcescent leaves rescued from its coniferous confines

If left to its own accord, this piece of land would quickly become dominated by fast growing conifers, forming a dense, dark forest with no ground flora, supporting very little in the way of wildlife; the work we’re doing will hopefully create a rich, diverse woodland in the future and I’m happy to have a had a hand its creation. I think we’re all looking forward to the end of this project though and will be glad to not see a spruce tree for a while. Gareth, who is leading the project quipped that we will all probably be suffering from PTSD - Post Traumatic Spruce Disorder.

Although the temperature is chilly and spring is still a long way off, we are starting to sense signs of change as plants and creatures take notice of the lengthening days. Snowdrops are flowering in woods and by stream sides, birds are tentatively making themselves heard, hazel catkins and their tiny pink flowers are flourishing, young green shoots are lurking in the leaf litter and if you manage to find yourself in a sheltered sunny spot, we are finally tilted close enough to the sun to feel its warmth and sense the coming of easier days ahead.

Well, keep your eyes and ears open and let us know if you notice any interesting seasonal changes in the comments below. Perhaps we could share your finds on our next newsletter?

With warm wishes from the three of us,

Andrew, Emma and Benji

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