Wapley August 2018 a from Paul Hulbert on Vimeo.

A brief look at Wapley in the last few days of August 2018.

Seen in the farmer’s field next to Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve this afternoon.

We shall be undertaking the annual stream clearance and other reserve maintenance walk on this autumn workday. Please wear stout footwear.

Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, BS37 8US, 10.00am.

Family friendly, under 12s must be accompanied by an adult. Bicycle Safari sets off at 11.00 am from Riverside car park next to Yate Cinema BS37 4AY. Meet from 10.15 am for briefing and to check bikes.

Organised by the Joint Cycleway Group with bike checks and riding hints from South Glos Council’s “Dr Bike” team”.

We had a productive work morning this weekend – it was so hot that we had to keep it slightly shorter than usual. Six of us cleared the bramble and other growth round the young fruit trees in the bottom hedge of the lower meadow to give them room for growth. We also cut back overgrowth on the top path and behind the seats on the Common.

While we were there we watched the leaf cutter bees hard at work at our new Bug Hotels on Wapley Common. They lay their eggs in a hole, seal off the cell with leaf fragments, lay eggs in another cell, cap it with more leaves and so on.

We also saw quite a few crickets – here’s one resting on one of our tools.

Young people from the 4th Chipping Sodbury Guides and Brownies have helped enthusiastically to furnish a new bug hotel for the orchard at Wapley Common. The event was organised after Dodington Parish Councillor Paul Hulbert, a member of Wapley Bushes Conservation Group, ran an Environment Evening for them at Abbotswood School.

“The girls were so enthusiastic and knowledgeable that I invited them to do some practical work at Wapley” said Cllr Hulbert. “We’ve put a total of three new bug hotels on Wapley Common, and this one is very impressive”

“The Brownies and Guides worked really hard under the direction of our contractor Chris Belcher, who had already constructed the framework”

The bug hotels are part of the Orchard for the Future project organised by Wapley Bushes Conservation Group. There are three groups of young orchard trees on Wapley Common, and each group of trees now has its own bug hotel or “pollinator palace”. The intention is to encourage pollinating insects, so increasing the apple crops in future years so that local people can come and pick their own apples, all of which are local historic varieties that are not available in the shops.

There were ten Guides and Brownies plus four Leaders, plus the three of us that are involved with Wapley Bushes.

As well as pruning stoned fruit trees such as plums and gages, we shall also be attending to odd jobs on the reserve.

Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, BS37 8US, 10.00am.

Nine of us joined Rupert Higgins of Wessex Ecological Consultancy to explore the “Ashtrack” that runs alongside the railway just across from the Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve. It’s obviously an important wildlife corridor, bringing new flora and fauna into the area. There were lots of interesting plants, though no great rarities, and Rupert taught us a lot.

The event was sponsored by South Gloucestershire Council as part of Councillor Tony Davis’s Member Awarded Funding grant.