six-spot burnet moth by Amy Fleming
After working through summer, autumn, winter and spring, I think it's time to discuss the seasonal variety in the management that we undertake on our nature reserves. From chain-sawing in the snow to installing kissing-gates in the roaring sun, you name it and we have probably done it.
Summer sun
Trainees with a newly installed kissing gate by Iain Turbin
A lot of the work we do in the summer is ground work, such as installing the kissing-gate, or pulling up invasive vegetation. I had never installed a kissing-gate until last month and let me tell you…it was a challenge! It was probably around 23°C, with very little shade and not a cloud in the sky! Wonderful, right? It was a job for all four trainees and our supervisor, Iain. We dug holes and trenches nearly a metre into the ground and, with technical precision, were able to successfully install our kissing-gate.
One of the tasks that I had to lead with the Lower Smite Farm volunteers was cutting back dock, which is a perennial. This was done to prevent it from out-competing the variety of grasses that were growing in the same area as well as to prevent more dock from growing - once they have set seed, they can survive in the ground for up to 50 years or so. This is a similar principal for Himalayan balsam, as it needs to be tackled from early to mid-summer to prevent the seeds from being spread (ie, before the seeds are mature and able to germinate).
Autumn gets underway
Autumn is my favourite time of year, closely followed by spring. When the leaves start to fall, posts start to be driven into the ground, stakes begin to be bundled and scrub is cleared. Autumn was the first season I experienced as a trainee (we all started in September) and one rather memorable autumnal task that we did was repairing a fence line that had rotten posts and had pretty much collapsed. Brambles and nettles had grown around the fence so we had to clear these and completely take out the old fence. It was hard work but incredibly rewarding and meant that the boundary was restored.
Heathlands are my favourite sites to work on and last autumn I was on a volunteer task where we had to clear scrub from a section of The Devil's Spittleful in order to maintain the open nature of the site. The reason this is done in autumn is to avoid disturbing nests in spring and summer. It was great to see the openness of the site but also know that, when spring and summer come round, it was going to be so beneficial for the plants that thrive in acidic soil.
Winter cold
Then winter comes along: rain, snow, storms and freezing temperatures! We carry out forestry works, such as felling, in winter as it allows for new growth to come through in the understorey during spring and summer. This brings so much biodiversity into a woodland, including wildflowers and amazing invertebrates, which you are probably starting to see now. I gained my chainsaw licence during winter and, of course, it snowed for the entire length of my course!
A lot of the other work we do during the winter months focuses on the infrastructure of our nature reserves - replacing broken fence posts or repairing boardwalks and the like. Last year we helped to repair the boardwalk at Ipsley Alders Marsh, which involved nails, rotting wood, hammering and heaps of hard work! We also replaced the anti-slip coating on similar structures on other nature reserves as they needed a bit of TLC.
Spring into life
Finally, spring. We're much more reserved in terms of management at this is the time of year where everything starts to grow and wildlife starts getting ready to breed. During this season you can really see all the previous hard work pay off. Wildflowers start to show and animals come out of hibernation. Spring is the height of nesting season and this means we have to tread very gingerly in regards to what management we undertake. It mainly includes putting up signs to let people know what is happening and ensuring people understand the importance of leaving areas undisturbed. This spring really was spectacular and it was absolutely amazing to see all the reserves so green and teeming with activity.
