March..ing into Spring!

Well March has certainly been a step from Winter to Spring!

In the first few weeks we have had some tree work done within the reserve, removing old Oaks and replanting lots of new ones in the cleared area!

We also went along to Rum Tum Tuggers nursery group to help them build a beautiful bug hotel in their garden. The children were fantastic and made lots of beetle and lacewing bottles, using cleaned plastic bottles they had collected and filling them with a variety of things including corrugated cardboard and wood and leaves. Although the weather was against us at times, we all got stuck in, filling the hotel with straw, flower pots, canes, logs and twigs as well as creating a frog and toad hole at the bottom with some old masonry.

The Nursery are also going to cover the top part of the hotel with flowering plants and ivy to attract bees and increase the shelter offered to the inhabitants. Can’t wait to hear who’s moved in!

Rum Tum Tuggers Bug Hotel

We were lucky enough to have a really lovely bit of weather for the joint event with Harlow council, for toddlers and parents. The sun was shining and this really brought the families out, who enjoyed a story themed treasure hunt around the trail, followed by arts and crafts on the picnic benches outside the front of the visitor center.

Towards the end of the month we had out Amphibian weekend! Displays went up in the classroom to show the species of newts you can find in the UK (with special attention on the Great Crested Newt, of which we have present in the reserve!), It wouldn’t be an amphibian weekend without mentioning the frogs and toads and as the sun had started poking its head out, we managed to collect some frogspawn and the tadpoles had hatched. Children were also given instructions to find the life cycle of the frog and put it in order as they worked their way around the trail too. The frog and toad spawn in the ponds within the reserve still hadn’t hatched for this weekend, which at first we thought was a shame. As our tadpoles had hatched though, we were able to then direct visitors to the pond dipping pond (without nets unfortunately) to see the frogspawn floating on top and, for the quieter visitors, they were able to spot lots of smooth newts swimming amongst the pond weed. Proof to show you don’t always need a net to see the life in a pond!

Frogspawn

Smooth Newt having a mooch

We've seen quite a bit of wildlife too now that Spring is showing its head. Top spots for this month include a pair of Muntjac, Nuthatch, Sparrowhawk, Treecreeper and a few Buzzards, as well as lots of Great Tits, Long-Tailed Tits and Blue Tits, Wrens, Blackbirds ad Dunnocks. .