Greetings all on what may be the last really hot day of the year. I am delighted to report that we gave out thirty or more bags of apples from tables around the community. Our first real community harvest!

I thought you might be interested to see some of the more unusual delights of the orchard this week. This is known as a purple chokeberry, rather like a blackcurrant.

While this pretty is an autumn olive, not really for eating, but the first time this bush has borne fruit. It is the one on the bend as you go round the path.

I am afraid the grapes this year are a little small and variable. I think some of this this may be because we suffered from a late frost.

This is particularly to invite you to our AGM which will be held online this year, for obvious reasons. It will take place on Monday October 5th at 8pm and we will use Zoom to do it, which is very easy. All that is needed is for you to let me know that you would like to come eg using the contact form on this site. I will then send you an email invitation to the meeting. The AGM is a chance to talk over anything of interest to you about the park as well as deal with the formal business like accounts and elections. We would be very pleased to welcome you to the meeting – and you don’t even have to leave your own house!

This week we harvested the apples from the two large trees in the orchard. One is a Bramley and the other Blenheim Orange. The apples are not at full ripeness at this stage but we wanted to get them safely off the trees to make sure the apples were not wasted or the trees damaged. it felt very good to harvest them. These two trees will be ten years old in February and this is the first year we have had a substantial crop. We are making the apples available to the community by means of tables outside a few of the houses in Emersons Green.

News from our bat survey with Ed Drewitt, we detected noctule, serotine and common pipistrelle bats flying on the edge of Green Lane around dusk. Some of these bats, especially the noctule, live in holes in trees, either where a branch has fallen or in a hole made by woodpeckers. Others live under the eaves etc of buildings. They can eat up to 3000 insects per night.

For those of you who can make it, we have our orchard workshop this Saturday Sept 5th at 10am just for two hours. Slight change of plan in regard to tools – suggesting shears, trowels and spades and to wear long-sleeved tops, long trousers and gloves if you have them, to ward off the stingers.

More news of the Painted Stones Garden coming shortly…

We are very pleased to announce that we can go ahead with our  plans to create a Painted Stones Garden in the Park. It will be sited near the rectangular formal garden and will be prepared in the next few weeks. Our first aim will be to make a home for the trail of stones by the Johnson Road art installation that so many people have contributed to.

This little chap introduces the next step in our ecology survey.

Moths, birds and bats – join us for our second session with Ed Drewitt, developing our ecological survey of the park. On the evening of 24^th August, starting at 7.30pm we will set up a moth trap, go out in search of birds, then as dusk falls, we will tune into our local bats.On the morning of the 25^th at 8.30am we will survey the moth trap. Meet at 50 Guest Avenue, Spaces are limited –  please contact Chris  if you would like to come via the Contact form or otherwise.

Also to say that our next working party on the orchard will be on Sept 5th, 10am as usual for two hours. Please bring your own tools. A rake and a barrow may be particularly useful this time in addition to other tools. We will split into two groups and work different parts of the site if we have more than the current limit of six people.

To close here are some pics of nighttime visitors to one garden in Emersons Green that I thought you might like to see.

Working with Ed Drewitt is truly fascinating. Our ecological survey of the park and surrounding area got off to a great start on Friday.  We were astonished to discover the variety of wild flowers already present in the wetland areas of the park and also on the Green next to Emersons Green Lane. The Green has developed a rich showing of wild flowers this year.

And as you walked through the grass you discovered that the place was alive with insects. We discovered some extraordinary creatures with our sweep nets, but this one you will recognise.

Grasshoppers have apparently been around on earth for about 250 million years! They look a bit like ancient monsters, don’t they?

We shall be continuing our survey on August 24th and 25th when we will be studying local moths and bats. I will let you know more nearer the time.

Meanwhile I am glad to report that this Saturday July 18th, with lockdown easing, we plan to have our first orchard working party. 10-12 noon as usual. Please let me know if you can come because numbers are limited by government and South Glos guidelines.

I am also pleased to report that I think we have found a home for the painted stones – more shortly.

I am delighted to announce that, following the loosening of restrictions on assembly, we are now able to go ahead with a project that we have been longing to do.

We have invited the local naturalist Ed Drewitt to help us do an ecological survey of the Western side of the Park including Green Lane and Emersons Green.  The idea is that a small group of us work with Ed so that we learn the ins and outs of ecological surveys and can continue to monitor the wildlife in and around our park afterwards.

Our first session is to take place on Friday July 10th from 10am – 3pm with a break for lunch and will  focus on sweep netting, pond dipping and making plant transects. (transects are a way of dividing up the area for study). We may split into a morning and afternoon session if numbers dictate. Please book your place on Eventbrite or let me know personally if you would like to be involved.

Everyone with a wildlife interest is welcome to join in but please note these sessions are not particularly orientated towards children. We will do other events for them in due course.

Also The Snake is seeking a home –  I am glad to report that the Covid 19 snake of painted stones that has been developing around the art work in Johnson road has now grown to be 500 stones long! The family that began it all have asked whether the snake might find a more permanent home in the park as a lasting sign of these strange times we have lived through and a mark of respect and thanks to all those who have worked to keep us safe and well.  it sounds like a great idea and we are exploring with South Glos whether this might be possible.

It was so dry for so long that I feared we might lose some of our young trees in the orchard. The raspberries died back in the heat of May, their fruit hard and small. But when the rain came everything changed. Here is a tayberry, just coming ripe.

Raspberries are filling out and turning red now and the damson tree is bearing fruit for the first time. The damsons should be ready around the end of July.

I am sorry we have not been able to do our usual work parties so far this year, but the magic of a ‘forest garden’ approach is that it all goes on without much attention. The Frampton Magnum plum, nearest to Emersons Green Lane was carrying a terrible bacterial disease after our wet winter and I feared we might have to take it down, but the drought seems to have resolved it and it is looking better than ever and bearing fruit.

Wandering away from the orchard one day, I found this rather lovely insect on a leaf near the middle pond. Anyone know what it is called?

Finally, I thought you might like to see this racing pigeon, who landed in our garden just before the thunderstorms. It has rings on its feet which allowed me to trace its owner and I gather that it was released from Frome and was aiming for Birmingham before it was overwhelmed by thunderstorms everywhere. He walked around our garden for a day and was so friendly and bedraggled we took him in and fed and watered him. He is looking much brighter and I will send him on his way when the rain clears this afternoon.

Best wishes to you all

I wonder if you have seen the painted pebble snake that is appearing around the metal sculpture in Johnson Road? A rather lovely example of community art organised by our young people.

Back in the park there has been great busy – ness. I was in the orchard the other day and there was a continual buzz as bee after bee toured the blossom. I reckon there must have been several hundred on site. This little fellow was tucking into a tayberry flower.

We have not been able to organise any work sessions on the orchard due to the lockdown but some of us have been out as individuals to do a little work. Thanks especially to Neville for clearing a giant patch of brambles and creating a whole new area for planting.

The late frost last week hit the grape vines and the lack of rain has been causing some stress to the young trees, but overall the fruit is coming on well. There are some gooseberries, nearly ready, for those who are partial to them.

I hope readers of this blog are keeping well. I am aware that some of us associated with Friends of Emersons Green Park are working very much in the frontline of the pandemic. We thank you, and all your colleagues, for your work. Keep safe.

By the way – did you hear that storks are breeding once more in England? At the Knepp Estate in West Sussex, they have been experimenting with ‘Rewilding’ a massive former farm. They have taken down the fences and let their stock of Old English Longhorn Cattle, Tamworth pigs, Fallow deer, Exmoor ponies and more all run free in a carefully managed transition to a much more natural and wild condition for their estate. Along the way they have been delighted by the return of turtle doves, purple emperor butterflies – and this year their storks have had chicks. It is the first time since the battle of Agincourt that we have had storks resident in England. It is amazing what nature can do when we give it a chance. You can read more about it here.

Thanks for your entries to our competition.  I hope you enjoyed studying the nature in your garden. Here are the results.

In the under 18 age bracket our judges liked this one the best. The cat is called Loki. Well done Alonzo!

And for runner up, not everybody’s favourite subject – this snail by Caitlin

In the adult category, again a creature of some dread – the spider by Helen

and the runner up , some rather beautiful flowers, again by Helen

Finally, and not part of the competition, I thought everyone might quite like to see this compilation of night films showing some wonderful creatures sampling a pond close to our park. Thank you to Paul for these. Delightful!

Have a good lockdown!

As we are all instructed to stay at home over the Easter holidays, why not brighten up your day by exploring the wildlife in your own garden? Take a look at those flowers blooming, the insects hovering and the birds gathering and either photograph them or capture them in some form of art like drawing or painting.

Then send what you have done to us as an entry to our Easter competition. We will be announcing  winners in various age categories and publishing the winning entries on our website.

Please send your entries (up to three per person) as an attachment. (You will need to scan your artwork) to friendsofemersonsgreenpark99@yahoo.com
Please give your name and an email address –  and also your age if you are under 18.
The competition closes on April 30^th.
It is open to everyone who lives in the Emersons Green, Lyde Green, Mangotsfield and Downend area.

David Attenborough is saying that we can find solace in the natural world in these times of deep concern. The blackthorn is a common bush but just now it is covered in beautiful white blossom.

Did you join in the clap for our health workers the other night? I found it very moving. When I see the blossom I think of all those health workers and others who are risking their lives right now to ensure our safety.

Herons are rather wonderful creatures. This one was on the pond by the Science Park  this morning. They look strangely prehistoric. But they speak to me of quietness and the quietness of this present moment in our lives. The ring road is so still. We notice the absence of its hum and find space within ourselves to reflect on life and think again about so many things.

The animals are aware that something is going on and they are coming closer to us as we shelter in our homes. I saw four deer yesterday right up close to houses on Lyde Green. A vixen was crying outside our house in Guest Avenue last night.

I have taken to exercising in the wild places and it has been strangely invigorating to discover new paths. I saw two little egrets ascending from the pond behind the garage yesterday, their beautiful, gracious, white bodies merging with the sky. They told another story, which I will leave you to interpret.

Keep safe. Best wishes.