Campions 💚 The pink & red campions are looking fabulous on the wild area behind the MUGA (multiuse games area) at the Recreation Ground. The pink ones are due to the 2 species of White & Red Campions hybridising. It’s a hardy plant & grows well on most areas including verges & graveyards hence its other name ‘flower of the dead’. It looks great during the day & attracts bees & butterflies, but it also releases a strong scent at night to attract moths, so it’s a high wildlife value flower #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Awesome Adder 💚 Thank you to the lovely Risby resident for sending in this photo & video of an Adder at Cavenham Heath, that’s a few miles north west of Risby. The Heath is a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) within the Brecks landscape, meaning that there are rare plants, birds & reptiles including our only venomous snake, the adder. Apparently there’s a good population of them there, so if you like snakes, it’s worth a visit #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Female Hairy-footed flower bee (Anthophora plumipes) 💚 Thanks to a lovely Risby resident for sending this photo in of this fast flying solitary bee. The males look quite different, mainly brown, with a white face & hairy middle legs that gives the species its name. They love lungwort plants & this is a great way to attract them to your garden. They build their nests in the mortar of old walls or in the ground and fly from March until June #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Maythorn 💚 Also known as Quickthorn & Hawthorn is looking & smelling glorious down Lackford Lane. Hawthorn is present in many of our hedgerows and is often seen planted side by side and look glorious but as standard trees, they also look amazing & there are several of them at the Lackford village end of the lane #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Hedgerows and verges are filling up with wildflowers- these seen near River Severn #wildflowers #mayflowers #hedgerows #verges #wildlifefriendlyvillage #bittercress #cowparsley #meadowbuttercup #commonvetch #whitedeadnettle #garlicmustard
Survey Open! Please click on the link in bio & fill in the survey about the spaces for nature you feel are important in Suffolk to you. This will help inform our local government. This is part of the Landscape Nature Recovery Strategy that government is rolling out. Have your say now! #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Large-leaved lime trees 💚 To the east of Risby parish is the parish of Fornham and over the past few years a large housing development has been built on former agricultural land, called Marham Park. Along with the houses a ‘Country Park’ has been created with newly planted shrubs, trees, wildflowers, boggy areas, a large pond & meandering footpaths, which of course is great for people & wildlife, but what I was not expecting was a line of mature 7 large-leaved lime trees in the southern area of the park. These trees have been traditionally planted in parks or along avenues, which this line has vibes of. The stalks of the Large-leaved lime are hairy unlike the smooth stalks of the Small-leaved lime. Definitely worth a visit #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
DYK that our insect population is in serious decline? Since 2004 the population has decreased by 78%. This research has been thankfully conducted by Buglife & Kent Wildlife Trust. Why should this matter? Aren’t flies annoying? Gnats irritating? Wasps stinging? Yes, admittedly they can do all those things BUT more importantly they are all an essential part of the ecosystem & without them all the more fluffy looking species that people find acceptable such as Swallows & Swifts, Blue Tits & Robins etc. that eat insects, will disappear, let alone all the crops we need pollinators for & the thousands of other reasons why we need insects on our planet. Let’s love our insects & help everyone to realise that our bugs matter #bugsmatter #kentwildlifetrust #buglife #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
The shield bugs are beginning to appear. These two, the Hawthorn and Green Shieldbug have been recorded in a garden in Laxfield. The more we allow a variety of planting in our own gardens (including wild areas) the more we will support our vital insects to thrive. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #wildyourgarden #shieldbugsofinstagram #insects_macro #saveourinsectssaveourselves #laxfieldsuffolk #laxfieldwildlifegroup #insectsofinstagram #biodiversity #designyourgardenforallseasons #insectslovers #wildlifefriendlygarden #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunity #naturephotography #naturelovers #naturephoto
Meadow Saxifrage 💚 Have you been to Lackford recently? There is a fantastic display in a meadow on the junction with the West Stow of Meadow Saxifrage. This amazing bright white flower is often found in established old hay meadows in the east of England. I haven’t seen any in Risby, but have seen them in nearby Culford and this display in Lackford is only 5km away & is well worth a visit #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Red-tailed bumblebee resting under a Bluebell 💚 Bluebells not only provide sweet nectar for our bees but also a place to hide from the wind & rain. Red-tailed bumblebee’s are found all over the UK. Their red tail can cover upto 50% of their abdomen, both Queens & workers are black but males have yellow facial hair & yellow bands on their thorax #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
A Guelder Rose is flowering 💚 2 years ago for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee we planted 2 Guelder Roses either side of the bench on the Lower Green. This native shrub produces white ball like flowers that give it the common name of Snowball tree, which is good for our pollinators and the resulting bright red berries that follow are good for our birds including Bullfinch, Mistle Thrush & Waxwing. I haven’t seen any of those birds for a long time in Risby, but hopefully planting native plants like this might encourage them back #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Elderflowers are beginning to bloom & these ones are on the edge of Bluebell Wood. DYK that the elder plant is named after the Norse tree spirit Hyldemoer (also known as the ‘Elder Mother’), to whom the plant was sacred. In British and Scandinavian legend, the Elder Mother was considered to watch the elder tree, and elder wood was thought to have magical abilities. The elderflower cordial you can make from these flowers certainly is delicious if not magical 💚 #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Wonderful greater stitchwort flowers on Wickridge Street today. Greater stitchwort is visited by bees, butterflies and hoverflies looking for spring nectar, and is the foodplant of the marsh pug, plain clary and yellow underwing moths 🤍🌿 #greaterstitchwort #stellariaholostea #vergesideplants #aprilflowers #wildlifefriendlyvillage @bbccountryfile #pollinatorfriendly
Bluebell Wood 💚 the smell from these lovely flowers was amazing this evening. You could smell them before you could see them. These are English Bluebells, rather than Spanish Bluebells, you can tell the difference because the English ones have a scent, the stem bends to one side, whereas Spanish stems are upright. Unfortunately they can hybridise which weakens our native plants’ population & many of the bluebells we see in our gardens & urban spaces are infact hybrids #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
It’s an amazing year for Cowslips 💚 there seems to be more of these pretty flowers all around Suffolk, with even more on sites where they are usually found but also in areas where they are not usually seen. There are loads on the our local main road, the A14, banks & roundabouts, but it’s been too difficult to take a photo of these. However today I spotted these more accessible ones growing out of the gravel in a car park & some on a verge down Lackford Lane. Such a pretty flower whose name comes from the fact that people believed that the plant grew where cows did cowpats. In fact they are a perennial which self seeds easily without the need for cow poos! #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Wild Area 4 💚 this area on the west side of the village is looking & smelling great with the English Bluebells that the group planted in 2020, along with the Lilac tree to the right of the steps #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Ash Wildlife Village held a 2 hour practical wildlife survey workshop this afternoon host by Ecologist, Neil Coombs. Great turn out, abundance of new skills and knowledge for our attendees to take forward 🐦⬛🌳🐞 #wildlifeworkshop #wildlifefriendlyvillage #ecologyworkshop #lovewherewelive
Ground Ivy 💚 a member of the mint family, this little plant is important for pollinators. Yesterday there were both Peacock & Small tortoiseshell butterflies feeding here, as well as Buff-tailed & Red-tailed Bumblebees plus this honey bee enjoying the nectar and pollen. This plant 🌱 is traditionally seen as a weed but as with many ‘weeds’ people have seriously undervalued its worth. So great to see a patch of it in Risby on some fallow land #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Bluebells are out! Delighted to see these flowers coming out in flower in Bluebell Wood on the Hall Lane Footpath #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Common Shrew 💚 found this small dead rodent on the track near Fishers Field. They are amazing animals: great facts include that they are the second most numerous mammal in the UK (nearly 42million) after the field vole (75million); they need to eat prey (insects, worms etc.) that weigh 200-300% the shrew’s body weight every day to survive & will die if they don’t eat every 2/3 hours; they reduce their skull, skeleton, brain & other organs upto 30% in size the winter to reduce the food/oxygen they need to survive #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Greengage in blossom 💚 so pleased to see the Greengage young tree that we planted 2 years ago in bloom this spring. We chose this species of tree as the Greengage is believed to have been brought to England by Sir William Gage to the Hengrave estate in 1724 of which the village of Risby was part of. There is a story that claims that the naming of this tree was due to a missing label off an imported tree from France, the gardener on the estate didn’t know its name so he named it after his lord, but this may not be true & it might just be named because this nobleman imported it here. In France it was called the Reine Claude after a 15th century queen. Originally these plums came from the Middle East, so it’s not native however it is believed to support many pollinators, birds & mammals & we hope some people might enjoy the fruits too #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Pointed sepals mean these violets are not Sweet violets but either Dog or Early dog violets. I haven’t seen any in Risby only Sweet violets. These plants were on the nearby National Trust Ickworth estate #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Thanks to our local resident artist, Roger, for creating this beautiful metal stylised flower sculpture for the Memorial Wildflower Spiral. We hope that people will enjoy looking at it when they visit the Lower Green this year. Thanks also goes to the Coffee Club for funding the cost of the sculpture #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Bulbous buttercup 💚 amazed to see buttercups out in flower in March but over the last couple of weeks everything seems to have come on very quickly. This one is down Hall Lane footpath. Bulbous buttercups have a bulb at the base of the plant that also gives it another name St Anthony’s Turnip. St Anthony is the patron saint of Pig herders & pigs enjoy eating these buttercups so in times gone by herders would search for them to give their pigs a treat #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
So many violets! This year there seems to be tiny violets everywhere on our wild areas. These ones were on the Chalk bank near the entrance to Lackford Lane. They are also on several verges & Wild Areas on the Greens, which is the most we’ve ever noticed before. This is now the 5th year these areas have been allowed to grow taller for longer over the summer & that means that more species are able to complete their lifecycles & so hopefully increasing the biodiversity in these spaces 💚 #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Field Pansy 💚 Love this little plant & it’s out in flower along Hall Lane Footpath. This wild relative of the brightly coloured bedding pansies that are out in the shops at the moment, has a cute flower face which gives it the traditional names of ‘Cat’s Face’ & ‘Three-faces-under-a-hood’. It’s a tough annual plant that grows best on disturbed arable soil, coming up every year wherever its seeds have fallen #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Practical workshop on how to record wildlife where we live 🔍📝💚🪰🐌🦎🐛 #recordingwildlife #makingspacefornature #wildlifesurvey #wildlifefriendlyvillage
New Tree on the Lower Green, thanks to a generous resident who has donated a Sessile Oak to the Parish Council to plant here. Sessile Oaks are native to the UK but are more often found on wetter upland areas. The Pedunculate Oak is found more often in the southern lowlands. The names are based on the stalks of the acorns: Sessile means stalkless, whereas Pedunculate suggests that the acorns swing about like a pendulum. However the leaves of these 2 species are opposite, so the Sessile Oak has stalked leaves, whereas the Pedunculate Oak’s are practically stalkless. Sessile Oak leaves also have wedged shaped leaves but Pedunculate Oak leaves have ‘earlobes’ #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Queen Bumblebee enjoying this daffodil on a blustery afternoon 💚 Not sure 🤔 if she was resting or feeding but one can imagine that coming out of hibernation & flying around on a windy March day can be exhausting, so a daffodil trumpet would be a great place to take time out #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Thanks to the people who came this morning to sow seeds in our Memorial Wildflower Spiral today. It was a lovely sunny but windy morning to sow the seeds. People brought their own seeds as well as using the ones donated by other residents to sprinkle in the small trench dug last week. We are looking forward to seeing the plants grow over the warmer months #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Views around the village recently, some lanes still flooded and paths are quite muddy! Few spring flowers out now and some early bees 🐝 ## #caterpillarhill #bark #bracketfungi #celandine #speedwell #dogsmercury #muddystile #stiles #footpaths #villagelife #wildlifefriendlyvillage #churchyardflowers #wildflowers #flowersforpollinators
Come along tomorrow to the Lower Green from 10am to 12pm to sow seeds in our Memorial Spiral, then have tea, coffee & cake in the Village Hall #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Native daffodils 💚 lovely to see these flowers on the triangle near Nellie’s pond on the Upper Green. This triangle area is cared for by nearby residents who kindly look after the young Cherry Tree here as well as the daffodils they planted for all to enjoy #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Jelly ear fungi 💚these ear shaped fungi are growing on the seating logs under the Large Sycamore Tree on Wild Area 1. We love the way the ear looks like it has veins #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Delighted to be at Dogs Enriched today with Wickford Flyball Club doing a Dog First Aid Course. This venue is a great place to bring your dog for a different positive experience. See their website for details. Thank you to Sue from Wickford Flyball for booking us 🙏 #wildlifefriendlyvillage #animalaiders #dogsenrichedwickford #dogfirstaidcourse
Jelly fungi 💚 found this hard fungi growing on one of our Artworks beside Welham Lane pond. It looks a bit like slug eggs & a slug was near it when it was spotted. However slug eggs move when touched but this fungi was rigid. It’s is a saprophytic fungi, which means it releases chemicals that decomposes the dead wood so the fungi can consume the resulting nutrients #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Pink blossom 💚 the young tree (we think it’s a Cherry Plum, not 100% though) planted by the Parish Council near the Welham Lane pond is looking very pretty at the moment with its starry like flowers. These flowers are very similar in shape to the blackthorn featured in our last post. Both trees will produce fleshy berries later in the year: blackthorn makes purple/black sloes; cherry plums, make sharp tasting pinky/orange fruits. Both fruits taste delicious when used in preserves or steeped in alcohol #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlufefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Blackthorn Blossom 💚 An alternative name for these was Starwort & with the 5 white petals & stamens tipped with gold, you can see why. People used to say that malevolent faeries protected Blackthorn Blossom & so it was unlucky to pick it & put it indoors as it would bring bad luck to your household #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Lent Lily 💚 Wild Area 2 has several little native daffodils dotted around. These spring time flowers follow the white snowdrops that came up at the beginning of February here, which followed the yellow aconites that came in December #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlufefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Snowdrops even shine in the dark ✨ the white petals of these cheerful flowers are looking glorious & there are several patches around Risby that we see even in the dark on evening walks. Snowdrops multiply quickly at the rate of 1-3 bulbs every year & 4 years ago our Wildlife Group planted 1000 bulbs around the village, so if we have had no losses (highly unrealistic) we could have between 1000 & 27000. I think we’ve got about 1500! #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
We are beyond delighted with the success of the first Ash Wildlife Day. We welcomed around 60 attendees throughout the day and were inspired by a brilliant workshop, led by our ecologist on the importance of recording wildlife in Ash (or elsewhere!), and a fantastic Q&A session facilitated by Anthony Curwan, Country Estate Manager @quexpark A huge thank you to all our expert contributors, information stall holders #friendsofbetteshanger #saveashlevel #StapleWildlifeFriendlyVillage @olisgang @cpre APSGroup @rspb Hills Court Nature Trail @KentPolice (Rural Crime officers) and volunteers for their time, energy and support ❤️ #wildlifeday #wildlifefriendlyvillage #lovewhereyouliveinkent
Enoki fungus - thrilled to see this orange gilled fungus growing on this tree stump in the nearby parish of Culford. These grow on dead elms so that means this stump was an Elm tree in the past. Sadly many elms don’t grow because of Dutch elm disease but even though it’s ‘dead’, life springs from it 💚 #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Have you seen the tree stump down Lackford Lane? It’s got lots of fungi & lichen growing on it. The lichen is in the family, Teloschistaceae, which is a lichen-forming fungi that exist in symbiotic communities with algae or bacteria. It’s a large family with many species, do can’t say what it is, but it looks amazing 🤩 #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Lesser Celandine 💚 these pretty little flowers are showing on the entrance to Hall Lane. Such a cheery sight to see even when it’s drizzling. The are of high wildlife value as they help queen bumblebees feed when they emerge this time of year #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Have your say about West Suffolk Council’s Local Plan. Suffolk Wildlife Trust are asking people who live in West Suffolk to ask their council to be more ambitious when it comes to housing & industrial developments to deliver more for nature. Go to our link in bio to have your say #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Ever wondered what the inside of a Snowdrop looks like? Saw this amazing poster of the Common Snowdrop showing the different parts from the bulb to the flower. At the moment we have them flowering around the village including down South Street, on the Lower Green, on Hall Lane & on Woodlands Close. Has anyone seen them about anywhere else in the village yet? #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Hall Lane Snowdrops 💚 now that February is here the Snowdrops are popping up all over the village. On the bank opposite the sign for Hall Lane off the Flempton Road are several snowdrops welcoming walkers up this little lane #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Oooo what’s that poking through the long grass on Wild Area 3? Why, it’s more fabulous fungus! This area under the Silver Birches has more fungi in it than the other 2 wild areas on the greens. We’ve had Fly Agaric, hard Puff balls, Shaggy parasol & now Turkey Tail, which is fantastic. This bracket fungus grows on dead & live wood. It’s a white rot fungus that can break down lignin, an organic polymer that gives wood its rigidity #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #teamwilder
Lower Green tree work - today the tree surgeons ground up the Sycamore tree stump. Apparently this means that the nutrients will be recycled more quickly into the soil by decomposers: fungi, earthworms & insects including millipedes, beetles & woodlice. The yellow aconites are still poking their heads through the splinters & the tree surgeons assured me the bulbs will be unaffected #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
DYK that there’s a White Tailed Eagle in Suffolk, which is often seen not far from Risby, around Ickworth, Woolpit & as in this photo, Stowlangtoft. I love this photo as it has both a WTE & and the biggest bird often seen in Risby, a Red Kite, which looks so small in comparison. The maximum wingspan of a Red Kite is1.8m vs 2.4m for the WTE, which is just HUGE. Apparently if a WTE is flying above you it looks like a flying barn door! Many thanks to #stuartatkinsphotography for kindly allowing us to use this photo. Visit his Instagram account to see more amazing photos of the WTE & other fabulous wildlife #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Snowdrops and crocuses poking through on Low Green. The snowdrop bulbs were planted in Autumn 2021, but remained dormant during the preceding two winters, possibly overshadowed by the prolific daffodils. Beyond their aesthetic charm, crocuses play a vital role as an early source of pollen for bees, particularly the queen bee who often faces hunger after hibernation. This pollen, rich in protein, becomes essential nourishment for their hungry larvae after the eggs hatch. #isntnatureamazing #NatureLovers #LoveWildlife #wildlifefriendlycommunities #wildlifefriendlyvillage #HelpThePollinators #Darley #ProtectOurCritters #nature #lovemothernature #everyoneneedsnature #lovewhereyoulive #woodlandbulbs #snowdrops #Crocuses
#biggardenbirdwatch is happening now! But it’s not too late to take part as it’s from 26th to 28th January. We’re looking forward to doing our watch tomorrow after filling up our bird feeders as that helps. It’s easy to join in & lots of fun too, just go to the RSPB website & sign up to take part #wildlifefriendlyvillage #rspb #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Snowdrops 💚 These white beauties are out underneath the Cherry Tree on Woodland Close. There are also daffodils next to them with buds showing. Looking out for signs of early spring like this is a great way to help us through the dark days of winter #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Oooo what’s that growing on that blown over Alder? It’s an Umbellifer plant, either Cow Parsley or Hemlock. Plants that grow on other plants that do not apparently harm the host are known as Epiphytes and examples of this are algae lichen & mosses. An Umbellifer is an unusual epiphyte but this tree is obviously able to give the little plant enough nutrients to survive #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Crab Apples 🍏 the hedge along the candlestick footpath has several crab apple plants & at this time of year the fruits are important food sources for mammals & birds such as voles, mice, blackbirds & thrushes, all of which we have seen along here on our walks #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
#biggardenbirdwatch is only a few weeks away, 26th to 28th January. Our bird feeders are full of birds atm so we can’t wait to join in again on the biggest bird survey in the UK. It’s easy to join in & lots of fun too, just go to the RSPB website & sign up to take part #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Aconites in flower 💚These pretty little yellow flowers are in flower several weeks before they normally come out. Earlier this month a large Sycamore was felled here due to it being potentially unsafe & so the ground has been disturbed. Maybe this disturbance has contributed to this early flowering #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Merry Christmas everyone 💚 #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities
Rainbows are unique to you 💚🌈 DYK that seeing a rainbow is different for each person who observes one? It’s due to the angle that you see it at a point in time & as we all stand at different heights & places the angle that the light travels in the raindrops through to our eyes is different too resulting in different rainbows. To see a rainbow you need to have the sun behind you & the raindrops/mist in front of you: the sunlight enters the water droplet & the change in the density from gas to liquid splits the sunlight into the different colours (refraction); the refracted light bounces off the back of the water droplet, is refracted again as it exits & then travels into our eyes to give us our own unique rainbow #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Juniper Haircap Moss 💚 This important species is growing on the concrete pad near the orchard. It’s an important food source for animals & insects, growing on every continent including Antarctica. It also prevents soil erosion & is an early colonising species that creates a medium for other plant species to grow especially in exposed or recently burned areas. It’s named for the shape of its leaves that look like Juniper leaves & the hairs on its cap #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
DYK that gram for gram Ivy berries have as much fat content as a Mars bar! Ivy berries are poisonous for humans but for Blackbirds & other birds that can tolerate them. they are a highly dense food source enabling the birds to “Work, rest & play!” 🤣💚 #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Wild Radish 💚 this plant is often used as part of autumn cover crops. It’s useful in Regenerative Agriculture as it helps to improve soil structure, nitrogen cycling, weed suppression. These ones are near the track off the candlestick footpath #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Wildlife Group Outing - today we went on a fantastic talk by Tony at Larkwood Lakes & learnt about an array of wildlife topics: from chalk streams to sharks; kingfishers to bullet trains. We stayed indoors as it was raining so hard but still got to see a kingfisher & a little grebe amongst the rain. Tony had lots of videos of the wildlife that live around the lakes as well as photos & examples including a Swan muscle & a grass snake skin. A massive thank you to Tony & everyone who came #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Our latest blog is out on our website, link in bio. This month’s theme is about Reindeer & Father Christmas 🎅 🦌 #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Regenerative Agriculture is happening in Risby. There are no actual rules that make agriculture regenerative (unlike organic agriculture) but it generally means that the soil is minimally tilled with soil covered by plants over the winter to reduce carbon loss & improve soil structure. Here there are 3 different areas: There’s a cover crop, Phacelia, that’s viewed as a green manure that fixes nitrogen & suppresses unwanted plants. Then there’s an area which has been left since harvest with volunteer plants growing & finally a cultivated area. Sheep are used in Regen.Ag. to eat the cover crops & volunteer crops with their poo making ‘natural’ fertiliser for the future crops that will be drilled next year. These methods are believed to improve the soil structure which ploughing every year is believed to destroy. However Regen.Ag. is not a ‘no till’ practice as now & again the farmer will decide to cultivate the land as shown here #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Hedges 💚 Yesterday as the thaw started you could see the lines of ice beside the hedges. Hedges are so important for our ecosystem as they provide shelter & warmth for our wildlife from the cold weather #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Frosty Rose Hips 💚 DYK that rose hips are a natural and efficient source of pectin, vitamins A, C, B1, B2, B3, K, and many other active ingredients. Rosehip tea was believed to protect against winter illnesses, and schoolchildren were given rosehip syrup during World War II to make up for the lack of minerals in their diets #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Frosty morning 💚 it was a beautiful morning in Risby today. The ice looked amazing on the grass & in the puddles down the Welham Lane footpath #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Early morning birds 💚 Tawny Owl & Robin were calling & singing this morning on the Lower Green. The Merlin App is really useful for identifying the birds around us & often the calls are easier to capture on a smart phone rather than a photo #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #teamwilder
Come & join our Wildlife Group on an Outing 💚 On Saturday 9th December we are visiting Larkwood Lakes, 10am to 12pm. We’ll be walking & talking with the owner Tony, who will show us around this beautiful private nature reserve, seeing the tranquil waters & finding out about the fish, the flora & the other fauna that live here. All welcome,only £10 per person. Book on by emailing [email protected] #wildlifefriendlyvillage #wildlifefriendlycommunities #mywildeast #wilderteam