New Insect Hotel
A new addition to the Green – a smart insect hotel gifted to us by Dr Quetta Kaye and safely installed! Let’s see who moves in.
Frogs and frogspawn galore!
Lots of frog and frogspawn sightings in our pond – do come and take a look! These are common frogs. One way you can tell that these are frogs rather than toads is by their spawn which appears in cloudy clumps. You can find out more about telling frogs and toads apart by reading this Woodland Trust article.
Early Signs of Spring (January Workday)
On the second Saturday of each month we hold Workdays on the Green to which all are welcome. Join us at the Albion Villas Road entrance at 10.30 am, making sure you are wearing strong shoes or boots and have a good pair of gardening gloves to protect your hands. Do also bring any small hand tools you may have. This month (as well as the usual litter-picking) we focused on clearing areas of bramble. While bramble flowers are a…
We’ve had a 7-circuit classical labyrinth on the Green since May 2013. Local artist Maria Strutz designed it for an arts festival that was held on the Green (LEAF 2013). Maria created it using stones and twigs and it wasn’t expected to last beyond the festival. But moss and grass gradually gathered and helped stabilise the fragile structure. And Maria has given it a lot of ongoing care. In more recent years, though, with several spells of hot, dry weather,…
Our July Butterfly Identification Walk
Many thanks to Steve Bolton from Big City Butterflies for leading this fascinating event on the Green, which was open to all. The species spotted were Speckled Wood (the most common butterflies on the Green this summer) as well as Gatekeeper (pictured above), Small White and Large White. Other butterflies spotted this summer were the Holly Blue, Comma, Marbled White and the Jersey Tiger (moth).
Easter Blossom
So much is in bloom right now. In the wooded areas of the Green are scatterings of Primroses and Bluebells. Look for the Bird Cherry, with its dangling plumes of tiny white flowers. Later, these will develop into bitter, black fruits which are good for wildlife but not for human consumption. Kingcups, also known as Marsh Marigold, are growing by the pond and we’ve also spotted a Wood Anemone, one of first of a batch planted by the Friends of…
The Big Garden Birdwatch
This year we took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch. These were the results for Albion Millennium Green, with magpies (below left) and great tits (centre) registered as our most commonly seen birds – on the day (Sunday 30th January) Magpie, Great Tit and Redwing (images courtesy of the RSPB website) Not recorded here is the fact that we also spotted a redwing (right). It landed at the edge of the pond, where it spent a short while drinking. It…
Late Summer on the Green
A close-up of a wild chicory flower (Cichorium intybus) on the left and a lovely clump of them through which we can see a wider vista of the Green. Below, from left to right Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare), Meadow Cranesbill (Geranium pratense) and Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) which will shortly develop red berries. But do beware! This is attractive but poisonous plant. Right now, we have ripe blackberries and there are also abundant damsons and plums.
Easter on the Green / Primroses
Yesterday, glorious sunshine prompted a visit to the Green and a quiet walk on our labyrinth. Thanks to the careful restorative work being carried out by Maria Strutz, this delicate structure of moss and grass on crumbling concrete is slowly recovering from last year’s dry summer and the usual rigors of winter. As I followed the labyrinth’s winding path my eyes were constantly drawn to a colourful patch of primroses (Primula vulgaris) growing nearby in amongst a tangle of long,…
Spring on the Green: Elder trees and bushes
A first sign of Spring is new leaves opening on the Elder trees and bushes. There are several Elder Sambucus nigra trees on the Green, two very near the kissing gate from the railway path. How many others can you find? Recognise them by their pale brown twigs, with corky looking warts along the stems. These are lenticels which allow the tree to breathe. Also notable is that the buds on an Elder don’t have bud scales holding the new…