Pack up a Picnic!
Did you know that, in the UK, July is National Picnic Month 2021? A perfect thing to do during a pandemic - eating al fresco with your friends and family. Of course, for the NCVs every Tuesday is a picnic day. Lunchtime is the part of the day when everyone can stop and take a rest from their labours, catch up with news and generally enjoy the views, the fresh air and the banter.
This week their picnic break was held in Hackfall wood, where the NCVs were particularly focused on removing the rest of the Himalayan Balsam that is growing on the Swinton Estate side of the wood.
The pictures below give you a flavour of the day. The quality of the photographic images has a lot to do with the weather conditions. Think rain forest. Think misty. Think wet.....
The view from the car park gave some idea of
what lay ahead on the weather front.
Down in the woods the situation looked promising.
The odd stalk of balsam here and there.
The 8 strong team spread out searching for the unwanted veg.
No balsam here.
Or is there?....
OK gang - make sure you look under the bracken.
There's baby balsam playing hide and seek.
It quickly became apparent that a LOT of balsam was trying to hide in plain sight.
David and Ros K. were soon pulling it up by the handful.
Perhaps Ros could enter this bunch into the forthcoming
Yorkshire Show's 'Unusual Veg' competition?
Oooooh. That's a big pile of balsam.
Someone's been busy around this area.
High rise balsam?
No - just Tony demonstrating best practice in balsam pulling.
Leaving it stranded on a log stops it re-rooting into the ground.
And talking of logs -
Phil demonstrated how to stay fit during a pandemic.Apparently, according to 'Snake Hips' Phil, a daily log hopping
session is the best way to keep you flexible.
At coffee time Tony gave an educational lecture
to an admiring audience.
Then Anita challenged us with a plant ID session.
Who can tell which piece of veg is the:
(a) Dog mercury
(b) Woundwort
(c) Enchanter's nightshade
(d) Hemp nettle?
Answers on a post card....
Whilst pulling up balsam a number of interesting things were found:
Like this stinkhorn.
Luckily it was newly emerged otherwise
the area would have been very pongy.
And this beautifully made, empty nest - probably one
from last season and possibly built by a type of warbler.
This gorgeous little fawn was spotted by two of the NCVs
who crept away quietly once they had seen it.
A far less welcome find - however, it was the only litter that was spotted until the NCVs got back to the car park.
Having finished clearing the area of balsam, these three teddy bears
were enjoying their rather damp picnic in the wood when,
suddenly, the heavens opened and rain stopped play.
The gang made a bee line for the car park.
At least the job got done!
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