Sunday 7th June 2 p.m. – The Tansy Beetle: putting research into practice: conserving the Jewel of York with Dr Geoff Oxford, University of York – Tansy Beetle specialist
Sunday 14th June 2 p.m. – A mini-beast tour: explaining how invertebrate surveys inform site management (ponds, grassland, dead wood etc) with Martin Hammond, ecologist
Thursday 18th June from 6:30 onwards meeting at the north of the site at the end of the Allotments track – we’ll be collecting seed for the Cornfield grassland.
Sunday 21st June we’ll be at the Pond – weeding 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 are so many beetles around we’ll have to tread and cut very carefully!
There are many hundreds of beetles in the Pond compound now and an increasing number but less at the 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.
In addition we’ll be hosting visits from Brownies, Beaver Scouts and (hopefully) York Cares.
Toads April 2015
The Friends of Rawcliffe Meadows 