Our Woodland Manager has been busy in Howes Wood again, and this update comes with a bit of everything: new feeders nobody’s terribly interested in, a pond that’s shrugged off a drought like it’s nothing, and one very determined rescue mission involving a container of water, a car boot, and a rare plant that absolutely was not going to die on Helen’s watch.
Two of the new feeders installed near the hide, fully stocked and ready for business.
First up, the new feeders. They’re now up by the hide and at three other spots around the wood, filled and waiting. There’s just one small catch: right now, nobody’s especially interested. With the woodland currently groaning under the weight of natural food, our resident red squirrels are eating like royalty without any help from us. Think of the feeders as the woodland equivalent of leaving out a cheese board at a wedding buffet: it’s appreciated in principle, but nobody’s rushing over while there’s a full spread already on the table. They’ll come into their own as the seasons turn and natural supplies thin out, so consider this less of a “grand opening” and more “quietly getting ready for when it matters.”
The pond after the summer drought, down about a foot but still going strong.
A wider view of the pond, with a young sapling standing guard on the bank.
Now, the pond. This summer’s drought did its best to make life difficult, and the water level dropped by about a foot, which sounds dramatic until you remember it started deep enough that even after losing a foot, there’s still a very respectable five feet of water sitting there. In fact you could even say that the pond, barely broke a sweat. Better still, everything around it is thriving: the bankside plants are doing well, and even the plants growing in the water itself are looking pretty good. A drought survived without complaint is exactly the kind of low-key woodland success story we like to celebrate.
Emergency rehydration in progress: narrow-leaved lungwort getting a top-up, care of Helen’s own water supply.
And finally, the story with a genuine happy ending: the narrow-leaved lungwort. This one got properly touch-and-go during the dry spell, to the point where Helen ended up bringing water from home just to keep it going, proof that plant conservation sometimes comes down to one person, one bottle, and sheer stubbornness. The good news is it worked. The lungwort held on, and now that the rain’s back, it’s looking noticeably perkier. Nothing beats a happy ending brought about by pure determination (and a car boot full of water bottles).
So there you have it: feeders standing by for later, a pond that laughed off a drought, and one rare plant that owes its survival to Helen’s refusal to let it go quietly. All in a day’s work at Howes Wood.
Do you have any budding Junior Conservationists in your family?
Read all about how you can get them even more involved with nature with our brand new Red Tail Rangers Group here: