Old Spring Wood: 25-07-2023

Where on earth has July gone? 

This week was the last NCV task day for July 2023. I'm not quite sure what happened to July. It no sooner arrived than it has come to an end. The gang celebrated this auspicious day by doing something that they do well. No. Not balsam pulling; not holly removal; not tree planting or even hedge laying. They were bashing the rest of the bracken in Old Spring Wood, above Summerbridge. This time they needed to start up at the very top of the hill - so that's what they did - as you can see below.

 

The top plateau was a mixture of

 ferns, bilberry and bracken. 

The bilberries made a tasty, mid-morning snack!

At the far end of the plateau a small sapling 

was given some protection 

from a makeshift tree tube.

Andy tried to creep up on the bracken unawares.

 

Top plateau complete, the gang 

moved downhill to the conifer area.

 

This is always an area that has plenty to keep folks busy!

 

These two look very pleased with their efforts.

 

Osian was put in charge of the litter bag.

 

He managed to find this amongst the bracken.

 Probably from last year's bash!!

 

Unless it was a seed from one of 

these very strange trees

 growing in the wood. Hopefully not a new

 invasive species taking over 

where the bracken left off!!

 

At one point there seemed to be a bout of one-up-manship

when various NCVs started telling

 of their encounters with wildlife. 

Tony opened play with his Tawny 

owl at the bottom of his garden.

Andy C came next with barn owl chicks ready to fledge.

But even this was trumped by Julia and Dave's 

Scottish garden views of red squirrels playing 

in the trees.

(Ignore the sound track - I think it 

is someone doing the washing up!!)

 

 

Over the last few weeks a small band 

of NVCs have been working on a Monday

 to sharpen all the tools. This week a band of quackers

dropped by at lunchtime to see if they 

could be of any assistance!

Upper Nidderdale: 18-07-2023

It was a given. There was no way the NCVs were going to get away with just one week of balsam pulling at this time of the year. Sure enough - the weekly task email laid to rest any idea that such activity is no longer needed. So - off the gang went for another day of waterside fun, pulling up any balsam growing on the banks of Ashfoldside Beck and Foster Beck, both tributaries of the River Nidd, in the areas where they pass through a number of caravan sites. And here they are - getting the job done.

 

This is what a perfectly formed work party looks like.

Half the group walked to the top of

 the work area and worked downstream. 

The other half worked upstream from the bottom.

At the bottom of the beck the terrain was

 clearly going to be difficult to negotiate.

And so were the steep slopes at the top end!

But never fear. The NCVs are here.

 

Everyone was on task from the start.

 

Paul gave these balsam stems his fiercest look, willing 

them to leap out of the ground. However, all

 they did was to look back with a cheeky grin. 

 

There were a number of challenges that 

had to be overcome - such as getting 

down steep banks, over fallen trees;

...vaulting over unopenable gates;

 

 ... balancing on pipes;

... and forming human chains to reach

 the stems on the far side of the mill race.

 

An electric fence was deployed 

to keep Sarah safe. 

These three lay-abouts relaxed whilst 

conscientious Brenda continued

 working on the task in hand, high above.

Pulled or slashed - Balsam was left wilting in our wake.

Dave managed to maintain his smile throughout.

We asked this horsey chap if he would like to

 come over and eat the balsam. 

He simply looked at us in disdain and walked on.

By 2pm everyone was ready to have a lay 

down in a darkend room - 

or even a lean on a post!

Upper Dale: 11-07-2023

 

Let's Go Back To The Start....

 If you look back to the blog entry for this time last year you will see the sentence:

"This week the NCVs were informed that their services were no longer required to eradicate balsam at the top of the dale because the battle has been all but won in that stretch! Hurray!!"

Well - sorry to be the bearer of bad news folks - this week, Liz's task email informed NCVs that the top stretch down from the source to Lofthouse needed checking again. We couldn't progress down from Pateley - we needed to go back to the start. Boo Hoo! Now we know what it's like to be a Forth Bridge painter.

So - did the NCVs actually need to re-check that stretch? Was there any balsam lurking? Maybe they were being sent on a wild goose chase? Let's have a look shall we?.....

 

The trusty team of balsam pullers 

met at the Lofthouse Fire-station.

 

 

Well, there was certainly some 

balsam in this marshy area.

 

Soon it was all hands to the pump and graduallly...
 

 

... the pulled balsam started to pile up in a heap,,,

 

...and the area was cleared! 

 

Let's have a check along the river bank. 

No - all clear here.

 

Oh. Not quite....

 

No. I found this one too.

 

These two plants had pink fowers, but, 

unlike the balsam, could be left very much in place.

 

'Andy the Brave' ventured down the steep river bank.

It did look as if there was a single stem 

down at the bottowm.

 

Lunchtime break was most 

welcome in the muggy heat.

 

And then the job was completed - as far as 

the planned section was concerned.

Not nearly as bad as the NCVs had thought.

Time to go home.  

Old Spring Wood: 04-07-2023

Here Goes!!

Have you noticed how your back garden has been transformed recently, from having patches of brown earth visible, to something akin to a tropical rainforest? Warm weather with a bit of rain and everything just takes off. The same is true in the countryside. Wildflowers are everywhere; grasses are waving in the wind; and, once more,  bracken crosiers have unfurled and are reaching for the sky.

It was in an attempt to discourage the invasive growth of this last mentioned species, that the NCVs ventured forth into Old Spring Wood to wreak havoc with their bracken bashing sticks. They bashed with gusto and laid waste to large tracts of it, making sure that the look alike ferns were left unharmed in the process. It would have been a good place for this year's Wimbledon hopefuls to come to practise their tennis stokes - the NCVs could have taught them a thing or two.

As you can see, by the end of play it was 'Game, set and match' to the NCVs. 

Well, nearly.....

 

Work started at the bottom of the wood and, 

surprisingly, this large area was almost

completed by coffee time.

 

Everyone made use of the handy oak trees 

to ensure full comfort when having their breaks. 

Then it was back to work, determinedly

 swinging their sticks this way and that.

15-love to the NCVs.

An action shot of Osian - stick just a blur.

30-love.

Andy favoured the downward thrust.

40-love.

Whereas Paul preferred the backward swing.

Game to the NCVs.

 

Anita, missed a shot when she 

decided to pose for the camera. 

Love-15 for the bracken.

Dave retrieved the point by remembering

 to sweep under some fallen branches.

15 All.

Mick, Paul and Andy all scored points

 by circling this bracken island 

and beating it into submission.

Game to the NCVs.

 

Any areas under tree cover were not too bad at all.

The bracken was skinny and thin on the ground. 

Ferns were more likely to be seen.

BUT - in this open area it was a different story!!

 

Luckily the NCVs had a secret weapon up their sleeves

- the terrifying Bracken Eating monster....

 

...which  rampaged out of its hole and 

made short work of the area, 

leaving only ferns in its wake.

Game, set and match to the NCVs. 

The NCVs were unsure what lived down these holes.

Mice, voles or baby Bracken Eating monsters?

 

No stinkhorns were harmed

 in the making of this blog.

 

At the end of play, NCV Tim (a bracken bashing 

sceptic at the start of the game) was asked

 how he now felt. He commented - 

"You can't have enough bracken bashing in your life. 

I loved it. And it obviously makes a big

 difference to the woodland floor.

I will never suggest otherwise ever again."