Hedge laying season begins apace and quite early at Brimstage Hall Orchard with a hedge laying weekend and demonstrate event on the Sunday. This event is part of a bigger event on the Sunday promoting the orchard so do take time out of the hedge laying to appreciate the apple related activities. The weekend will be good for those volunteers taking part in the Guinness record-breaking hedge laying event the week after in Hampshire. A chance for a bit of practice and get your eye ins

During October at New Ferry Butterfly we will cut the aromatic calcareous meadow full of wiry but fragrant marjoram. This meadow is packed full of flowers during the summer. We will undertake some turf removal over the ballast area creating some more bare area for the bird's-foot trefoil which benefits the common blue butterfly and the colourful day- flying burnet moth. A drainage ditch is to be dug to collect water for the brick pit and alder buckthorn planted in the ditch to provide more habitat for the brimstone butterfly. Hedge laying will be started on the upper levels to keep our hedges in good order.

At Thornton Wood we will carry out some hazel coppicing where the stools are large enough to coppice and will remove pendulous sedge which due to hybridisation has gained hybrid vigour and turned from a native component in balance with its environment to an invasive in the wood which will out- compete other flora such as the marsh marigold which forms such a yellow mass of flowers in spring

At Eastham Country Park we return to coppice sweet chestnut from under the pylons. The sweet chestnut makes durable stakes and there is a good display of bluebells in the following spring, a real sea of blue.

There is an ideal beginners' hedge for laying near Folly Field, Hooton/Willaston area. There are 10 lengths of hedge to lay. Parking is awkward at the site so you can drop of your tools and park at David Nind's house at Benty Heath and he will drop you of back or park at Hooton Station and walk. For non-hedge layers there is a bit of tree removal work in the corner

of the field to allow some more light to the hedge, and some ground work preparation for planting up gaps in the hedge a month later.

There will be a meeting at the John Masefield and hopefully we should get back into the normal routine of group meetings which have been disrupted for the last two years.

During the November task at New Ferry Butterfly park the acid grassland will be cut to create an open mosaic habitat much appreciated by insects, especially the small copper butterfly. Some areas of the coal can be re-exposed and sheep's sorrel planted in the coal to aid the small copper butterfly which is just about holding on at the park.

As part of national tree-planting week we will be planting up/gapping up 90 metres of hedge in Willaston for friend of the group, David Nind. It will be a hawthorn hedge supplemented with crab apple and alder buckthorn in the wetter parts. We will plant a wild pear tree raised from Willaston stock to mark the Willaston-Hooton township boundary which cuts across this field.

We have an expedition to Pulford to lay a hawthorn hedge with our host Peter Hynes who has been out with the group before. It is a thin tall scraggly hedge which has been shaded. The shade has been removed so the hedge would benefit from laying and some planting up. Our host will supply the hedge stakes and refreshments for the group. It is a lovely venue, with plenty of parking.

There is the return of Pot Luck Christmas party at Paul's. Bring along a contribution to share, The following day we will complete the butterfly park mowing regime and trim and lay some of the hedges.

There will be a two-day Christmas task at the Common opening up the ponds, laying the Eastern hedge and transplanting hawthorns into the enclosure hedge. A further one or two oaks will be pollarded to allow light to the woodland ride and pond.

Where

Event

Meeting Point

Time

September

Sat 18th

Sun 19th

Brimstage Hall Orchard

Hedge laying during the Orchard Open Days

Brimstage Hall, Brimstage Road, CH63 6JA

Please book via our ‘Events’ page

9:30pm

October

Sun 10th   

New Ferry Butterfly Park

Scything the calcareous grassland and turf removal

New Ferry Butterfly Park.  

Please book via our ‘Events’ page

9:30am

Sun 17th

Thornton Wood

Coppicing and coppice nurturing & removal of pendulous sedge

Bridge over M53, Thornton Common Road.  

Please book via our ‘Events’ page

9:30am

Sat 30th

Sun 31st

Eastham Country Park

Sweet Chestnut coppicing weekend

Warren Lane CH62 3QQ, north of Port Sunlight RUFC.

Please book via our ‘Events’ page

9:30am

November

Sat 6th

Willaston / Hooton

Beginners hedge laying

Please book via our ‘Events’ page

09:30:00

Thurs 11th  

John Masefield, New Ferry

Group Meal and meeting

John Masefield Pub,

Old Chester Road, New Ferry

Please book via our ‘Events’ page

Meal: 6:30pm

Meeting: 7:30pm

Sun 14th

New Ferry Butterfly Park

Scything acid grasslands to benefit small copper butterflies

New ferry Butterfly Park

Please book via our ‘Events’ page

9:30am

Sat 27th

Willaston / Hooton

Gapping up a hedge by planting

Please book via our ‘Events’ page

9:30am

December

Sat 4th

Sun 5th

Pulford, Cheshire/Welsh border

Hedge Laying weekend - lunch and refreshements provided

Please book via our ‘Events’ page

9:30am

Sat 11th

Bebington

Pot Luck Christmas Buffet

Please book via our ‘Events’ page

7:30pm

Sun 12th

New ferry Butterfly Park

Completion of scything regime, hedge laying and trimming

New Ferry Butterfly Park

Please book via our ‘Events’ page

9:30am