A new era for nature?
26 July 2010
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman called on the public to help shape the government's policy on the natural environment today. The resulting White Paper will be DEFRA's first in 20 years.
Collectively, the Wildlife Trusts have suggested a framework for the Natural Environment White Paper - an ambitious vision of living landscapes, with habitats for wildlife restored and reconnected across the UK, on land and in the sea.
More on the Wildlife Trusts' vision for the White Paper
An invitation to shape the Nature of England - DEFRA's website
Join in the big butterfly count
21 July 2010
Butterfly Conservation are asking for your help to record butterflies between 24 July and 1 August. Write down all the butterflies you see in your chosen area, in the space of 15 minutes.
There are lots of great nature reserves you could choose to visit to do your count - Aldbury Nowers Nature Reserve is one of the best sites for butterflies in Hertfordshire. Or try Hexton Chalk Pit, Alpine Meadow or Tewin Orchard Nature Reserves. Or why not do your count on our Butterfly and Bug Walk at Pryor's Wood this Sunday?
Download a butterfly ID chart, record your sightings and find more information on how to do your count at http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/
Advice on alien invaders...
21 July 2010
Is your garden being invaded by aliens?! The Environment Agency has launched Managing Invasive Non-native Plants - a handy booklet providing guidance on seven of the most problematical alien species.
There is advice on how to control Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed, Himalayan balsam (pictured), Australian swamp stonecrop, parrot's feather, floating pennywort and creeping water primrose. Many 'aliens' cause no trouble to our wildlife at all but some can take over and suffocate native plants.
The Small Blue is back!
22 June 2010
Britain's tiniest butterfly, the Small Blue, has returned to Hertfordshire for the first time in eight years. This dinky little delight, which is barely bigger than a five pence piece, was spotted at Aldbury Nowers Nature Reserve recently.
The return of this species to Aldbury Nowers NR is thanks to extensive work carried out by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust in the last few years to encourage the plants that butterflies favour, such as Kidney Vetch in the case of the Small Blue.
The reserve is now the number one site in the county to see butterflies, with 25 species present.
Good vole vibes at Purwell Meadows
22 June 2010
Children had fun making music about water voles and their wetland friends at Purwell Primary School in Hitchin recently. Here's just a sample of the tunes they came up with, after a walk round Purwell Meadows to seek out watery wildlife.
Open day at Lemsford Springs
16 June 2010
Join us for a free day out at this lovely nature reserve to help celebrate its 40th anniversary on Saturday 19 June. Activities for children will be provided, including pond dipping and wildlife identification.
Guided walks will be taking place at 12.15pm and 2.15pm. There will be a demonstration of bird ringing and an opportunity to sample some cake too! Join us by 12 noon if you want to see the cake cutting ceremony.
Gates open to the public at 11am and and the day is completely free. We will be winding down at around 3pm. Bring suitable footwear as this is a watery reserve! How to get to Lemsford
Orchids in bloom
14 June 2010
Catch a fantastic display of wild colour at Amwell Nature Reserve right now - hundreds of marsh orchids are out in bloom.
Other good reserves for orchids include Ashwell Quarry, Blagrove Common and Stocking Springs Wood.
Why not go on one of our guided walks to see the orchids this month? Visit our events page to find out more.
'Go 4 Green' for World Environment Day 2010!
5 June 2010
World Environment Day is celebrated every year on the 5th June in more than 100 countries around the world, with the aim focusing worldwide attention on the importance of the environment.
The best way to take action on global environmental issues is to start locally, and that's where 'Go 4 Green' comes in!
Getting involved is easy, all you need to do is wear something green during the six weeks between Earth Day on the 22nd April and World Environment Day on the 5th June, and give a minimum donation of £1 to help Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT) protect the many habitats that are under threat across our two counties.
For more information, visit our 'Go 4 Green' webpage or email sarah.mee@hmwt.org. Springwatch snaps!
31 May 2010
The new series of Springwatch has just started and you can post your wildlife photos on Springwatch's Flickr group.
We would love to see your snaps of Hertfordshire and Middlesex wildlife too, so why not email us (attachment should be no more than 5MB) or post them on our Facebook group?
We recently found this May Bug literally on our doorstep in Verulamium Park in St Albans - have you spotted any this year? They are sporadic visitors to Hertfordshire these days, but used to reach plague proportions. We will feature the best local wildlife shots in our magazine. Happy snapping!
Get active during Wildlife Week
28 May 2010
Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust are running a range of activities for you to get involved in during Wildlife Week. Fancy making music about wildlife? How about a walk to see some stunning wild orchids? Go to our events calendar to find something happening in your neck of the woods!
For even more inspiration The Wildlife Trusts have just launched 152 Wild Things To Do which is packed with ideas for getting closer to nature, whether at home, out and about in the countryside or in the heart of a city. Amwell Nature Reserve, one of our flagship sites for wildlife, is featured.The book is full of stunning full-colour photography. It includes entries from each of the 47 Wildlife Trusts across the country, describing what you’ll see during a reserve visit – be it a sea of bluebells, diving ospreys, or an awe-inspiring waterfall.
Vote for wildlife at Waitrose
24 May 2010
Every month Waitrose supports three local charities with a £1000 donation as part of its Community Matters campaign. Shoppers can vote for the cause they would most like to help and each charity gets a proportion of the money, depending on the number of votes. Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust is one of the charities you can vote for at the South Harrow branch of Waitrose, until the end of May. At the checkout you will get a green token to put in the box of the charity you want to support.
Don’t forget to vote for us next time you shop!
Bounty of rare orchids found in Stort Valley
11 May 2010
A survey by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust has found record breaking numbers of a beautiful rare orchid flowering at a nature reserve in the Stort Valley.
Thirty six Green-winged Orchids were counted during recent survey work by Trust staff. In Hertfordshire, the orchid is known in only seven places and has suffered a significant decline in the last 50 years.
The orchid gets its name from the green striped sepals - the 'wings' on the flower. They are found in damp meadows, many of which have become unsuitable or been destroyed.
Ratty returns after 13 year absence
6 May 2010
The water vole has set up home once again on the River Beane near Hertford for the first time since 1997, thanks to the efforts of Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and local people.
The Trust's Wetlands for Water Voles and People project, backed by the Heritage Lottery Fund, has brought the species back from the brink of extinction in Hertfordshire. Water voles are the fastest declining mammal in the UK, with 90% of the population lost in the last century.
Ratty's return to the River Beane indicates that the animals may have moved up from the river from important sites in Hertford like King's Meads Nature Reserve, where a core population is being protected.
Adopt a water vole and help us to Rescue Ratty.
Trust Backs new Royal Mail stamps
Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust has backed a new set of stamps which feature some of the two counties' threatened mammals.
The otter, water vole, hedgehog and brown long-eared bat appear on the stamps and can be found in Hertfordshire and Middlesex. "It is brilliant that some of the species highlighted are really making a come back," said Tim Hill, Conservation Manager for Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.
More
Veolia Environmental Trust Grant helps Long Deans Nature Reserve
Long Deans Nature Reserve is to receive a £24,936 boost thanks to The Veolia Environmental Trust. The award was made through the Landfill Communities Fund to conserve Long Deans Nature Reserve, a 15 hectare meadow site near Hemel Hempstead. Home to declining birds such as Song Thrush, Linnet and Bullfinch, work will start immediately to restore the site.
HMWT will use the award to protect the site’s veteran trees which are in urgent need of maintenance. Chief Executive Judy Adams, explained “Veteran trees support a range of hole-nesting birds, insects and bats, but without conservation work they are in danger of splitting and dying, and losing the rich species they support.”
Download the Press Release
Woodland restoration begins at Balls Wood NR
This winter has seen the completion of our first programme of major woodland management works to improve the wildlife value at Balls Wood.We have restored 1ha of old hornbeam coppice, opened up an overgrown woodland ride, widened around 100 metres of existing ride and thinned an area of oak plantation. All of these works will increase levels of sunlight within the woodland- benefitting populations of woodland wildflowers, insects such as butterflies and dragonflies and the birds that prey on them. Bats too will use the additional open areas for hunting at night time.
The Archers encourage all to join the Wildlife Trust
On Wednesday 10 February, The Wildlife Trusts were once again mentioned on Radio 4's The Archers, with a specific mention of joining your local Wildlife Trust. This was well worth a listen if you didn’t hear it. Just follow this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/archers/catch/ and click on ‘listen to latest episode’ Bitterns Smitten with HMWT Reedbeds!
Record numbers of bitterns,
one of the UK's rarest birds have taken up winter residence on our nature reserves in recent weeks. Only 100 birds are found in the country during the winter and eight have been spotted on the HMWT's wetland reserves - with four at Amwell Nature Reserve (near Stanstead Abbotts) alone! This is particularly exciting as it is the first time this many bitterns have been recorded together at the nature reserve.
The bittern is a small brown heron that lives in reedbeds growing in lakes where there are plenty of small fish - their main food. During the recent big freeze, HMWT had to resort to putting out fish for the bitterns as they were unable to feed as the lakes and reedbeds became frozen solid. HMWT’s Conservation Manager, Tim Hill said, "We have been working with our partners in wildlife conservation for over ten years to restore and create reedbeds for bitterns and other wetland wildlife and have more than doubled the area of wet reedbed in Hertfordshire (to 22 hectares) since 2002. We are delighted that all this hard work has resulted in fish-filled reedbeds which are now proving to be such a hit with bitterns this winter."
In Hertfordshire, the Wildlife Trust leads a partnership of environmental organisations who are working together to improve conditions for bitterns. Because of their rarity, special biodiversity action plans have been written to guide the conservation of this elusive bird. The Hertfordshire bittern action plan aims to create conditions that will encourage them to breed in Hertfordshire by 2014. In the past three years there have been booming (singing) bitterns in the county which means that male birds feel the reedbeds within our nature reserves are now suitable for breeding. It is now hoped that with so many birds present, a booming male will find a mate this year. If breeding takes place it will be a ‘first’ for the county!
