An Outbreak of Wildlife at West Beckham

There were 10 of us at the work party at West Beckham Old Allotments on June 1st. It was hardly flaming June, but we soon got warm once we got to work. It was a morning of varied tasks: a bit of woodwork, scything the path margins, mowing the paths and the Turtle Dove feeding area, clearing around saplings and replacing tree guards, and conducting an onslaught on the Dock plants before they shed their seeds.

Although we worked hard, there was still plenty of time for some interesting conversations, coffee and flapjack and to watch and listen to the wildlife – Swallows swooping overhead, a troop of Long-tailed Tits in the Hawthorns by the tea-break area, Whitethroats singing in the hedgerows and an abundance of flowers, including a sea of Campion and Creeping Buttercup, and Guelder Rose and Spindle in flower for the first time.

Val Stubbs

June 1st 2023