Low Riggs: 29-08-2023

New species of meadow plant 

discovered at Low Riggs Farm?

 No! If you are a botanist don't get too excited. There were no hitherto undiscovered species  found this week. And certainly none that looked like the picture in this chap's mind! It was just a day of wild flower plug planting for the NCVs, up at the top of Nidderdale where the delicious Stonebeck cheese is made. The plug plants included sneezewort and meadow vetchling (follow the links to find out more about these flowers) and there were no fewer than  1,072 to be inserted into the hay meadows. These fields will look lovely once these tiny additions start to flourish. Not only that, the cheese will be even tasier!!

Let's see the planters and plugs in action shall we?

Everyone assembled after being taxied up

 to the farm...

 

... to listen to the instructions.

 

The plugs came in trays of 150 - here's half 

a tray of meadow vetchling that have 

been growing madly since delivery at 

the start of August.

 

The plugs were poked out of the trays 

with pencils and transferred into trugs. 

These are sneezewort plants -

much less entangled!

 

The gang worked in 5 groups of 3 or 4 to plant 

the little plugs in clusters of 5.

Each cluster was waymarked with a grid reference

so that progress can be checked next year.

 

There were 2 small fields and this VERY BIG ONE.

 

"Shall we have a coffee break before 

we start the second half of the field?"

 

An upside down plug plant tray turned out to 

be a surprisingly comfy and strong seating mat.

Not a bit like the bed of nails it resembled. 

 

 

 "Come on lads; follow me. We need to get a crack on."

 

Here members of the team seemed to 

have had very specific roles.

Will handed the plugs to Tom.

Alistair pointed out exactly where to plant them!!

 

1072 plugs sounds a lot but 4 of the teams

 finished for an early lunchtime...

 

...overlooking a lovely view of Upper Nidderdale.

 

"A chunk of Stonebeck cheese would go

 down a treat just now don't you think?"

 

"Your wish is my command!"

Brilliant - thanks Sally!

 

No wonder this group took longer than everyone else -

 they had to carry around two of the AONB squirty things.

 

 They are VERY heavy when full and need pumping

every so often! Hurry up Mick - 

the cheese will have all been eaten!

 

During the afternoon the DTMS team came to 

spread seed from a donor farm at Heathfield 

onto some other Low Riggs fields.

 

They used the highly sophisticated technique 

of blowing it out of the back of a van...

 

...by a man with a large leaf blower!!

Glasshouses verge part 2: 22-08-2023

"GET BACK IN THAT SADDLE!"

After an embarassing failure to beat the world record at scything on 15th August 2023, this was the advice that Liz gave the team this week. "Don't be beaten, try again!"

The NCVs looked at each other. Could they possibly cut the other half of the Glasshouses verge in 2.25 hours (the speed they would have to work at in order to meet the target)? "No!!!!" they shouted in unison. "We will cut the verge, but will need at least until mid afternoon to do it."

Liz looked miffed. She had been hoping to prove Stan Stopwatch - that well known adjudicator from the Guiness book of records - wrong in his low opinion of her team's scything abilities.  But, no matter how she tried to cajole them, the NCVs remained firm. They simply loaded up their scythes into the truck and walked to the verge with no sense of urgency in their step.

 

A worm's eye view of the job looked daunting.

However, a rainbow hung over the team and filled them with hope.

 

Indiana Friedy started to scythe...

...closely followed by David M. (newly trained just 

three minutes earlier by our resident expert, Phil).

Mick remembered to sharpen his blade.

Anyone like to take a guess at who is 

trying to keep control of this rake?

That's it Ken - make a nice big pile.

Oh. Ok. That's a good way of making sure

 the grass doesn't blow all over 

the road in this strong wind.

Yes Osian. You can have a go too.

 

Hang on - what's that noise?

 

Goodness me! Finally the workings of the one

 year old grass cutting machine 

has been figured out. 

 

Thanks Paul and Andy C. Pity we 

didn't have that last week!

 

These two sleeping beauties were worn 

out after all that heap compaction.

 

Now - what might these be for? Any ideas? 

To mark out the particularly grass heavy

 patches where yellow rattle seed 

is needed to surpress its growth, of course!!

Liz came along and strimmed 

each marked area down to the soil....

...so that the rattle seed had a better chance to grow.

 

Then the NCVs had to pretend to be 

herds of cattle, trampling in the seed.

Could someone fetch the first aid kit please?

NCVs - do be more careful about where you 

fling the stakes once you remove them!

 

The last job of the day was to water in the

 seeds with an AONB squirty thing.

 

 

Then, all too soon, the job was done. 

The workers could return all the tools to the truck.

 

As they walked back to the barn they 

looked proudly on their work, trying to 

ignore the fact that all the grass 

heaps now need to be taken to the tip.

 

Half way through the day these two photos

were sent from Anita and Brenda,

who have formed a temporary splinter group -

the BCVs (Bramhope Conservation Volunteers).

They were busy moonlighting at Bramhope 

Scout camp, dry stone walling!