A farmer in East Bridgford who is interested in improving biodiversity: They are planning on planting a new 6 acre wood on the 6th and 7th January. 9am-3pm.  East Bridgford. Volunteers are needed to help with the and very welcome to drop in or go home at any point. Bring a spade if you have one. Refreshments available ….. tea, coffee, cake.

If you let us know if you can support this initiative please contact Springdale Farm, East Bridgford.  07592233575. Harvey Pickford. Gives us an idea of boots on the ground!

Railway stations and wildlife are two things you would not normally link together, but East Midlands Parkway is different. In a rural location, the station and car park are surrounded by over 11ha of wildlife habitat, part of a fantastic wildlife corridor linking with the River Soar and surrounding countryside.

East Midlands Railway’s Parkway Station group and Notts Wildlife Trust are looking for volunteers to help protect and develop this unique location and its wildlife.  More details can be downloaded here.

If you are interested in helping, please contact Ben Driver at bdriver@nottswt.co.uk

is open to all residents. So far this year some 700 trees have been allocated, but RBC still have some 300 that can be handed out. (Hazel, Crab Apple, Wild Cherry and Rowan). The final date for applications is 30th Sept and the trees will be despatched between Dec 2023 to Feb 2024. For more details go to https://www.rushcliffe.gov.uk/news-area/free-tree-scheme-returns-for-rushcliffe-residents/

Rushcliffe has been running this scheme now for some six years and circa 10,000 have been distributed in that time. Parish Councils can also apply for up to 10 trees (I think) under a different version of the scheme.

Nominations are now open for the 2023 Celebrating Rushcliffe Awards, which celebrates the Borough’s wonderful volunteers, businesses, clubs, organisations, environmentalists, sports clubs and athletes, and the best of its health and wellbeing and food and drink sectors. From our point of view the important category is

• Environmental Group or Project of the Year – Acknowledging individuals, organisations or projects that have an impact in making Rushcliffe a ‘greener’ place. This could include promoting nature conservation, reducing waste, improving energy efficiency, water conservation or improving quality of life for the people of the Borough

You can make nominations via this link https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CRAs2023  

You can also make your nomination by phone by calling 0115 914 8555, Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm. Please note the deadline for nominations is 11pm on Sunday 15^th October.

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Listened to an episode of “The Infinite Monkey Cage” (BBC Radio Four) about Fungi (listen to it on BBC Sounds). But the edited highlights are

The earliest fossils of fungi date to 1 bya, therefore Fungi seem to have been around before plants and animals had eveolved, Indeed Fungi are held to be closer to animals than plants and there are an estimated 3 to 6 million species on the planet (barely 10% have been documented). Fungi evolved in the icean and may have moved onto the land alongside plants, indeed may have made it possible for plants to exist on land. There are plants dated to 425 mya that show fungal connections. Fossil fungi have been found the size of a house.

The DNA of fungi is as diverse as that of a Flea and an Elephant and fungolgists have somewhat implausibly identified 23,000 different ways fungi might go about reproducing ! A distinguishing feature of Fungi is that they put themselves into their food, whereas plants and animals put food into themselves.

I have mentioned before how fungi can be active predators by setting traps and “hot pursuit, but to these we can add “harpooning” nematodes and poisoned baits. Alternatively there are parasitic fungi that take control of an insect hosts, in effect the zombie insect becoming part of the fungus.

As part of West Bridgford Open Gardens Nick Sparrow is opening his garden on behalf of Butterfly Conservation on the afternoon of Saturday 29^th July. The Sparrows have made their garden an urban haven for butterflies and other wildlife. All are welcome.

For full details follow this link. http://www.southnottswildlife.org.uk/content/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/N-Sparrow-Open-Garden.png