GVCG and Bure Valley Conservation Groups volunteers met,on 06.06.22. for a guided walk around the wet woods and meadows of the Rushmeadow area, Dereham. This is part of the improvement scheme, the Wendling Beck project, explained William Russel NWT heath’s manager. The first part of the walk was through an ancient wet woodland where the growth of the vegetation alongside the path was enormous in the warm wet conditions. Here one of the trees specifically the Bird Cherry, had an infestation of the Ermine moth whose numbers increase every 4-5 years. This path led to the side of the Rushmeadow where in the summer the vegetation is grazed by th e ancient cattle breed, the British White. At this point a cuckoo was heard The river alongside had been canalized in the 1700s but now is going to have meanders put back to increase the rate of flow and to cleanse the gravel at its base to benefit the invertebrates, fish, Otters, Water Voles and Kingfishers. Finally in another woodland a number of mature Ash trees had suffered from Ash Dieback and Honeyfungus attack and had been blown over as a result. At the end of the walk William was thanked by John with the support of all those present.
Additional photos of the visit, taken by Hamish can be viewed by clicking on the link to the .PDF file, below
