Volunteers got to grips with a giant privet hedge along the southern boundary of the Orchard last weekend. The hedge had become overgrown and was taking too much light from nearby apple trees. The hedge has been cropped but not taken out, as you can see from the photos.
Some time was also spent tasting different apple varieties in the orchard and drinking tea!
Orchard Update
Annual Tree Allocation
After 16 years Granny Smith (Jenny) has finally handed over responsibility for overseeing the annual tree allocation to Scrumpy Steve (Hilton). Thanks to Jenny for all the hard work she has put in over that time, from the founding of the orchard at the Millennium until now.
Orchard Action Day – Saturday 9th October
A working party will be at the orchard to strim grass, cut hedges and generally tidy the orchard ahead of Apple Day. Everyone is welcome. The orchard only works by people working together, so please come down and help, even if you can only spare a short time. We start at 10.30am and there will be tea, coffee and cake aplenty.
(Note that we are not pruning any apple trees, pruning day will be in March next year.)
Apple Day – Sunday 16th October
This takes place in the village hall from 2-4.30pm. There will be an opportunity to pay rents, discuss orchard matters and of course sample apple related products with afternoon tea/coffee. Another great social occasion in the village calendar.
Budding naturalist Ella Pollinger is a frequent visitor to the Clara Vale Nature Reserve and enjoys taking photos of the wildlife she sees. Here we have a small gallery of her photos, demonstrating both skill and patience!
We thought you might like to see a gallery of photos from our wonderful Family Picnic Day, held in July, along with some of the feedback received and even some poetry too!
Photos – just click on any to enlarge and scroll through them….
Feedback – Here are some of the wonderful comments we received about the Nature Reserve in our Visitors’ Book on the day:
‘It feels like such a magical place…’
‘… one of the best things about living in Clara Vale.’
‘We liked the moths, the pond life and the scything.’
‘A lovely, tranquil place…’
‘Really enjoyed the moths, guided flower walk and lovely atmosphere!’
‘What a wonderful family-friendly day.’
Thanks to everyone who contributed, we loved receiving your feedback!
And finally… here are some reflections on the picnic day in the nature reserve by Hannah aged 7:
Sun, fun enjoyable days are beautiful
And green and wet and gleaming,
Clear pond ripples in the lovely atmosphere,
Being able to have an enjoyable chat, meet up with friends,
Music plays from my favourite films,
While the nature obviously absorbs interest thanks to strange plants and
magnificent moths and beauty
Admiring pond weed
Nettles tower over the transparent stream
Bunting hangs over the wooden bridge
Tiger moths on display are a real hit!
Stoats may be shy but when no humans explore, stoats are sure to roam the
clearing, birch trees stand straight and tall.
Thanks again to everyone who came along and made all the efforts of the Conservation Group worthwhile.
The sun shone, the wind was gentle and most importantly, adults and children came along with their picnics! As more people arrived, the Reserve took on a fete-like atmosphere and all of the activities we put on were of interest to visitors.
The art area was very popular with the children, as was kitemaking and facepainting. We had baby newts in water trays and a huge haul of moths, over 60 species, trapped the night before and released after viewing and cataloging them. The flower walk was well received too as were the scything demonstrations. There was an interesting collection of fossils, stone age tools and clay pipes all found locally. And under a canopy, there was interactive storytelling to a very young audience.
More details and pictures will be put up soon. A big thank you to everyone who came along for the Family Picnic, you made our efforts worthwhile!
The weather is looking promising for the weekend and the Conservation Group are looking forward to welcoming you to our fun family event on Sunday 17th!
What’s on?
11:00 – Moths! See what we caught the previous night, before we release them.
11:30 & 2:00 – Hand scythe demonstrations – how we cut crops by hand before machinery.
1:30 – Guided Flower Walk around the Reserve.
2:30 – Children’s storytime (2 stories)
Plus:
Guided bird watching in the hides
Facepainting
Pond dipping
Kite making
Painting and drawing area
Organised by the volunteers of the village Conservation Group, this event is part of our Flowers in the Vale project, an initiative to encourage more local people to appreciate, enjoy and engage with our fantastic local nature resource.
Come and support us this Sunday, 11 till 3 !
Details are being finalised for our Family Picnic to be held in the Reserve on 17th July 11am – 3pm. The aim of this event is to encourage local people to come and discover more about the wonderful resource right on their doorstep and actively engage in it.
The volunteers of the Conservation Group have put together a programme of fun events for all the family to choose from and take part in. Just bring a picnic and something to sit on, relax, enjoy and take part in anything that interests you.
Below is a list of planned activities. Some will be on a timed basis and more may be added prior to the Picnic.
All are invited to the Conservation Groups’ AGM on Monday 4th of July, when the Committee will report on progress and new officers will be elected. We’re a friendly bunch and the atmosphere will be relaxed! The meeting will take place at Clara Vale Village Hall at 7pm.
We are always looking for new people interested in helping us maintain our wonderful resource for relaxation and enjoyment. We carry out mainly practical tasks in the Reserve and have montly meetings lasting about an hour. No special skills are required and tools are provided.
Why not come along and see what we are up to?
The CVCG has recently been made aware of damage being done to apple trees in the Orchard. This is usually in the form of chewed bark from ground level up to about 0.5 metres:
Example tree damage in Clara Vale orchard
We believe this may be caused by Muntjac deer. There is not a lot that can be done to discourage them, except for protecting the trees from ground level up to about 2′ (0.6m). Some residents have used wire or plastic netting to protect their trees:
Why not pop down to the orchard soon and check your tree if you have one? The orchard is just coming into blossom and soon will be very photogenic. On a sunny day its a very nice and peaceful spot to have a picnic or just take some time out.
You can find out more about Muntjac deer by visiting the BBC Wildlife page here
Spring has arrived in the nature reserve and the first swallow in Clara Vale was spotted on Sunday 17th April. Warblers and chiffchaffs can be heard and will continue to arrive over the next few weeks from the Mediterranean and West Africa. It’s a very busy time for the resident and visiting bird population and we want to give them the best chance to raise their young.
Please can you keep dogs on leads and keep to paths in the reserve in the next few months to make sure that we give our visitors a good chance to breed successfully.
Posters are also on the entry gates.
Clara Vale Conservation Group 