We have kept busy throughout the first part of the summer, a period marked by variable weather conditions including an intense heat wave in July that caused a Health Warning to be issued.
The Old Churchyard was looking lovely for the Palm Sunday service held there, and after that our priority became preparation of the Middle Bourne Lane Community Garden for the RHS In Bloom competition which took place in early July. In the immediate run-up to that we had to take action to warn the public of the presence of a wasp nest close to the footpath path. This also affected the route for the judge’s tour but he had a close look and accepted the idea that the presence of the wasps was a sign of the overall good health of the site. It is good to be able to observe that, despite their rather aggressive reputation, wasps are now recognised as an essential part of the array of pollinating insects that serve us and the planet well.
In that early part of the summer we also installed the very attractive new signs prepared by Clinton Bradshaw to mark the start and end points of the Millennium Walk and to highlight the importance of grass verges in the urban area.
Our attention next turned to Himalayan Balsam, another part of the natural world that has a mixed reputation. It is indeed a beautiful plant that is enjoyed by bees but is very invasive in damp places.
We have been keeping it under strict control along The Bourne stream for many years and held our main session this time in mid July when we were pleased to find little that needed attention. That work was combined with trimming the other vegetation along the excellent footpath running between Tilford Road and Waverley Lane also known as Boreas Dene.
As this update is being prepared we are putting the finishing touches to our plans for the Bioblitz on the Bourne Green area to be held on 1st-2nd August led by Myung Hye Chun. We are also making sure we will be ready for our participation in this year’s Heritage Open Days in September, the theme of which is Architecture. We shall be leading a Guided Walk and making a Presentation on the human and animal architecture of South Farnham.
All the dates for our activities are given on the Calendar.