Curry Woods Conservation Trust ,latest news.

Hi all
We need a brief Zoom meeting about planting on the field. Peter needs to reply to Phil Stone of RTL about whether we can take 400 more trees this season or not.
As Alan and Catherine are going to be on the field (weather permitting!) looking at space there on Sunday afternoon he suggests Sunday evening for the meeting. Please let me know if that is OK for you , and if so what time- 7 or 8pm or earlier?

Butterfly Conservation ( also includes Moths)

Hot on the heels of the Wildlife Trusts successful Quiz online Zoom meeting, as a member of Butterfly Conservation here is part of their appeal to members.

Dear Member,

 

At Butterfly Conservation we are always looking for ways to spread the word about how important butterfly and moth conservation is. One of the ways to do this is to find more people like you: our community of butterfly and moth lovers.

 

That is why, thanks to the support of nfpSynergy (research agency), we have put together this survey to help us understand more about you, your views on our work, on preserving the natural world and the way you live your life.

 

Completing this survey is as valuable as making a donation to us because it will help us get more supporters and generate more funds for our vital work.

 

Click here to begin the survey. ( the link may not work from this Blog )

 

Our deadline for completing the survey is Monday 1st March.

 

If you are having technical difficulties using the survey please email alison.forero@nfpsynergy.net

 

If you have any queries about the work of Butterfly Conservation please email enquiries@butterfly-conservation.org.

 

With very best wishes,

 

Julie Williams CEO 

Results from Quiz

We came 3rd out of the 150+ teams taking part! Request for donations raised £1700. All charities are desperate for funds at present so this is a welcome boost to morale. A feather in our Group cap as well! 

A wildlife Quiz with Stephen Moss organised by Somerset Wildlife Trust

Held by Zoom this evening with over 100 teams taking part. 

Our Heart of the Levels Group entered a team with pleasing results. 

pushing our familiarity with technology to the limit.

Hope to gather more information from our team of 5 taking part

News from the new Curry Woods Conservation Trust! Work in Progress!

"This is a story of a wet December day when there dawned a new hope. On the 19th December a group of intrepid local volunteers gathered together to heed the call for a new beginning. This was not done from an armchair on the internet but in the old -fashioned way. We worked in the wet and mud to plant 200 trees and shrubs on the land adjoining Curry Woods. Why would a group of otherwise sane people do this?

I like to think of this planet on which we are so fortunate to live in the same way as described by the great James Lovelock, he of the Gaia theory. This described the way in which the combined living mass on the planet operates as an indivisible system. If one bit is damaged the whole system has to react to repair the damage. As life is defined by science as the ability to breathe, then the planet as a whole is a giant lung and always has been since life (as we know it Jim) evolved. Breathing involves the taking in of oxygen and the use of its oxidative powers to drive all other reactions in the body using the energy produced, with the release of water and carbon dioxide. This has happened for at least 3 billion years - that’s a lot of oxygen. Where did it all come from? Well, youknow the answer, don’t you? Take a moment to hold a green leaf in your hand (don’t pick it if you can avoid doing so), and think about what it’s doing. In front of you it is performing such complex chemical reactions that we humans cannot master and reproduce them; in the biggest and noisiest chemical factories we cannot do one hundredth of that which the leaf you are holding in your hand is doing. That leaf represents the reason you are here and are alive. Only green plants can take carbon dioxide and water from the environment and use the sun’s radiative energy to make them into molecules we can eat and, most importantly, also produce oxygen. Not just some oxygen but all the oxygen. All the oxygen for the last 3 billion years. That’s why the group of villagers were out that Saturday in the mud and rain to plant 200 trees. (By the by, your lungs are made of millions of alveoli and they are where gas exchange occurs.)

We were planning more planting in January and were particularly looking forward to a group of children from the school, led by teacher Emily Langford, coming to plant with us. It is so important to get their generation involved and we are very sad that the lock down has prevented it for the time being. However, individuals or families can still plant - we have another 200 trees waiting to be planted."

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This is an extract from the monthly edition of Curry Rivel News which is normally delivered by hand to all residents but because of the lock down can only be seen on the Community Web site. Link here

 https://www.curryrivel.org.uk

More news soon!

Curry Woods Conservation Trust

contact us at cwctrust@aol.com

Lock down - again!

Unfortunately plans for a second major planting session have had to be put on hold. We were particularly looking forward to a group of 30 from the school, led by Outdoors Coordinator Emily Langford, coming to plant on January 14 th. However, if the school is back at half term there will still be time for them to get involved.

Meantime the next 200 trees will arrive on 14th and will be available for people to plant by themselves if they would like to.Their positions are marked out and full instructions will be sent to anyone contacting cwctrust@ aol.com. We'd be thrilled to hear from you!

There is a map of the site on our web site. If you are not sure where the CWCT land is!  Starting from in front of the church, walk away from the green and turn sharp left up Butt Lane. At the top, where Butt Lane meets Dyers Road, carry on straight over into the unnamed lane going north. (It is actually Hellards Hill Lane but isn't marked.)  Follow the lane round two bends, first to right and next to left. Carry on on the next bend to the right, but don't turn, instead walk straight ahead into the CWCT land. You can't miss it now as the 200 trees already planted are very obvious in their green guards! It's a nice walk from the green ,taking 15-20 minutes and can be made into a circular walk if you carry on down the lane and take the footpath to your right before the house at the end of the lane. That brings you out to Dyers Road, cross over and keep straight on back to the green!

 

Registered charity number 1190031

 

 

If you would like to become a member of the Trust and be able to attend meetings and have your say please contact the Secretary at 07903030533 or email cwctrust@aol.com.

At last we are owners of the land and have secured a grant for 400 trees, with protective guards and stakes - many thanks to Reimagining the Levels and the Somerset Rivers Authority Trees for Water campaign for these.

The lockdown has scuppered our plans for planting at the moment,and we want as many people as possible to volunteer to get involved. Watch this space and the Curry Rivel website for dates and more information.

Our garden visitors 2020

Following my last post:

Butterflies seen at home.  The numbers vary from year to year as do the numbers seen. Some seen rarely!

In no particular order. 

Identification reference "Butterflies of the British Isles" ,published by Hamlyn in 1988, By J A Thomas and all listed below.

Basic list from Simon Barnes book : "Rewild Yourself " and seen here:

Painted Ladies

Red Admiral

Peacock

Small Tortoiseshell

Large White 

Small White

Also seen by me in our garden:

Small Skipper 

Large Skipper

Brimstone

Green Veined White

Orange Tip

Small Copper

Holly Blue

Comma

Speckled Wood

Marbled White

Gate Keeper

Meadow Brown

Ringlet.

What will be interesting is to record what we can see in 2021!

Christmas books!

 I usually get one or two books as a Christmas gift and this year I want to mention a book by Simon Barnes, called" Rewild Yourself". First published in 2018  but now in paperback. Chris Packham says "Such a good idea" and it is a really clever way of writing about nature especially how he introduces every chapter! Chapter one he calls "The Magic Tree" and I am already thinking of how I can use this intriguing tile to restart this new year. Butterflies are always in our garden and every year we admire them and I try to keep a count of the different species we see and it's a surprising number. Starting with Simon's " Magic Tree" which attracts butterflies and his starter list of six common butterflies I have added others which we have seen in our garden and I can add a further dozen and I'll list them in my next post!! 

CWCT .we will be meeting by Zoom.

 CWCT.we will be meeting by Zoom this evening to talk over how to make progress despite our shut down . It might prove very difficult!

😊.happy new year.hope to publish some latest wildlife news from a foggy,frosty and very cold Somerset soon!