Town Trail - Raspberries and Roman salads

Our latest session on the Town Trail was on Mon 21st March. We finally got down as far as the Woodleigh Road bridge - just! We now need to change location as we're into the nesting season and there's a lot of wild life in this section. It felt like a real achievement to get this far and our work has let so much light into the area. We're looking forward to seeing what plants grow through now they've got some light.

The plant finds this time included raspberries! We cleared the ground around them so who knows if they'll bear fruit later in the year. We also spotted ground elder. Did you know that the Romans brought this plant over to use as a salad vegetable? They probably didn't realise how invasive it would be if you get it in your garden!

Our next session is on Monday 4th April. We'll be up where the Trail starts, near the station, where we'll be clearing ivy off some of the ground - to encourage more wildflowers.

The group is growing and new members are always welcome. If you're interested, contact us on sustainableledbury@gmail.com for more information.

Town Trail - Woodleigh Road, wild flowers.

We were back working last Monday (7.3.22) down near Woodleigh Road. The robins joined us again but were definitely camera shy this time and I didn't manage to get their photo.

We're starting to see more wild flowers coming through though. There were Celandine, Lords and Ladies (sometimes known as Cuckoo Pint) and even some Cyclamen. Did you know that the roots of Lords and Ladies were gathered for their high starch content. In Elizabethan times this was used for stiffening the high, pleated, linen ruffs that were fashionable at the time.

We'll be back for one more session in this area of the Trail on Monday 21st March. Then we'll be into the nesting season and will move to the top end of the Trail, near the station. We can clear ivy off the ground along that stretch without disturbing the nesting process.

If you would like to come and help, do get in touch.

sustainableledbury@gmail.com