Grewelthorpe for seed collecting and Bryan's Wood for bracken bashing: 14 & 15-07-2014

Once again the NCVs worked on two days this week. What a willing bunch we are!


Monday 14th July - Seed collecting

Today five NCVs gathered to assist Kelly Harmer of the Nidderdale AONB to collect more seeds for the hay meadows project. This time it was concentrating on the collection of yellow rattle seed at Low Bramely Grange Farm, near Grewelthorpe. According to Kelly this is "a parasite that lives on grass which makes it an essential part of the hay meadow restoration toolkit.  The seeds dry within loose papery brown seed pods which make a rattling sound in the wind, hence the name ‘rattle’." Apparently it weakens grass growth, which allows the wild flowers to proliferate.

Yellow rattle seed pods.

Lovely assistant Anita demonstrates a rattle pod for the camera. 

Ros K. is suitably impressed

The weather conditions were good so, once again, white sacks clutched in hand, the NCVs spread out across the area and got to work. After just 2 hours work we had managed to collect a sizeable haul - so much so that two of the group were promoted to collecting plantain seeds and the fluffy seed parachutes of cat's ear (which looks suspiciously like dandelion to me!)

Chris strides out purposefully seeking out the plantain, whilst Ros K. 

checks carefully that she is collecting cat's ear and not wasting time on dandelion.

Ros E. 

Tuesday 15th July - Bracken Bashing

Led by Tony and spurred on by the promise of lots of cake ten intrepid volunteers bashed bracken on their way to the shed in Bryan's Wood. We arrived by 11.00am and happily sampled Alwin's almond cake and ginger cake. (Thanks Alwin!!)

Bashers - are you ready? You will start on my whistle. 

Remain in line. We will bash all the way from here to there and then back again.

The first cake break. Dave stands to attention 

whilst the rest sit at ease.

Laura is given the important job of guarding the cake tins 

from any predatory Jans in the area.

Fortified with that we managed another hour or so of bashing and returned to the hut for lunch. Tony got out three chairs so that some of us could sit in comfort. Ros K. was the first to sit down and she proceeded to do a backward roll into the bracken as the chair decided to roll down hill with her aboard. 

Drunk in charge of a chair.

After that all the chairs remained empty while we all sat on the ground and had our lunch ...... followed by more cake.

Cake break number two. The strain of eating so much 
good cake begins to tell on the group.

How we all managed another hour or so of bracken bashing after that I don't know, but we did. We completed the clearing and proceeded to the path by the shelter and then back again to the hut where we had our final reward; more cake.

Julia vents her spleen on the unfortunate bracken.....

....whilst Ros K. practises her backhand 

in preparation for Wimbledon 2015.

 Before we started.....

...and after we'd finished.
Yes - I know it's still there, but at least it's been battered into submission.

I wonder if all this talk of cake might produce an even bigger turn out next week when we return to Bryan's wood for yet more bracken bashing?

Dave B.

STOP PRESS:   Pateley Bridge Herald

New species of mouse discovered in Bryan's Wood

During this week's bracken bashing task NCVs were fortunate enough to uncover a nest containing a type of mammal never before seen in the UK. "Perhaps it was introduced to the area in a recent Wildlife Trust catch and release scheme," suggested Ros E. (aged 21).

Two NCVs demonstrate how best to handle large rodents 

(Mus Giganticus Minnius )

Editor's note: Some of the NCVs went walking on part of the Ripon Rowel at the weekend and passed by two places where we have planted trees in the past. They were pleased to see that the trees are doing well - we really can make a difference!

Photographic evidence......

 The hedge we didn't expect to survive at Bivouac.

Alder bursting out of their tubes at Kendall Bank Farm.