August round-up: Tree watering, the eclipse & the Summer party
Usually a quiet month, August was more busy than usual, with the drought prompting us to set up a team of volunteer tree waterers. Newly planted trees (planted over the past three years) are regularly watered by the Council’s contractors, but it has become increasingly clear that with zero recent rainfall, it wasn’t enough, with several trees struggling and some already dead. We’d thought about going down this path last year but were finally prompted by an approach from a volunteer who was already watering about 20 trees with the help of a neighbour, and in the knowledge that others were also watering already. So we invested in a couple of mobile bowsers and put out a request for other volunteers. We were pleasantly surprised to find several others were already watering too and some had bought there own bowsers. With new waterers coming forward, there are now 16 of us watering around 100 trees in most parts of the Common. This will certainly keep the trees going until wetter conditions return and we can already see signs of new life in trees that had looked dead. So, huge thanks to our volunteers. Water is heavy!!
August brings a chance to thank ALL our volunteers at our annual Summer party, where volunteers go free. As well as our new tree waterers we have long standing volunteers who litter pick (every Monday & some weekends), swan & duck food baggers, speakers and walk leads, including our two birders, citizen science leads, habitat management, bowls hosts, dog show helpers, quiz organisers, our heritage team and of course our Committee. All these activities proceed on a regular basis in the background, often with little fanfare. This month saw a bird walk and a bagging session.
A particular highlight of the party was our formal thanks and presentation to Stephen Midlane - former Heritage chair, now sadly moved to Bristol. His gift was his very own green plaque, unveiled by Emma Anthony from Wandsworth Heritage Service, who was delighted to be able to unveil a plaque herself for the first time. She and Stephen as well as the ‘all knowing’ Philip Boys have been instrumental in erecting several green plaques on and around the Common. Stephen’s, however, will go home with him to Bristol!
We marked the partial solar eclipse with an impromptu gathering of 30 at the bowling green, which has a perfect aspect looking west to the setting sun. We had a few eclipse viewing spectacles, a pinhole camera and more colanders than we’ve ever seen in one place. Pity it happens so rarely.