There’s not much to feel positive about at the start of 2020 as the COVID pandemic continues, but at least we can seek refuge in the beautiful nature surrounding us in Broadhempston.
As some of you may already know, B-Wild is a small group of volunteers in Broadhempston looking to promote and protect natural habitat within the parish. So far we have managed to achieve some small but not insignificant projects. We have left areas of grass in the Church Yard to grow long during the summer months and to our joy there were many wildflowers already existing in those areas, they just needed the chance to grow. And grow they did, providing a wonderful display as well as habitat and food for insects and birds. We have also planted four trees at Headlands: three oaks and a field maple.
In March of this year we have native saplings arriving from the woodland trust to plant a new hedgerow between the play park and the small playing field. Hedegrows provide shelter for small mammals, such as hedgehogs and dormice, nesting space and food for birds and highways to connect other habitats. We also have five members attending training provided by Teignbridge council to become Wildlife Wardens for the Parish. This will help us to give advice to residents and land owners in the parish about protecting and enhancing wildlife.
More recently we have formed a whatsapp group where we share photos of flora and fauna sightings within the parish. We then upload these images to the national biodiversity record using the iRcord mobile phone App. We hope that by contributing to the national biodiversity records we can build a picture of the different species living in and around the parish and can then ensure that their habitat remains protected for future generations to enjoy.
So if you’re bored this lockdown, why not get involved in nature and help us in spotting wildlife around our parish. You can either join our whatsapp group or email us a photo of your wildlife sighting, stating where it occurred and when it took place. We really look forward to hearing from you!
Harriet Hughes. Email: harrietlhughes@gmail.com or Whatsapp 07894167532
