The next Friends of Rawcliffe Meadows Work Party is on  Thursday 21^st May from 6:30 onwards on the New Meadow. We’ll be weeding up to 30 cm around the tansy plants to reduce competing vegetation while letting the Tansy Beetles feed on adjacent non-tansy plants, and leaving us a path to manage, count and admire them. There’ll be a strimmer in action, rakes and some fine hand weeding jobs to do. There were so many beetles around on the 10^th May we had to tread and cut very carefully!

There are many hundreds of beetles in the Pond compound now, but less at New Meadow. We’ll also have the other new and potential beetle areas to manage during the summer, including Blue Beck bank, adjacent the cattle grid at the north of the site, along with some in the Reservoir Basin.

Volunteers are welcome for all or part of that period. Wellies and gloves may advisable, at least as protection from the nettles.