Mobirise.comAnother place Chris found interesting was Dead Vlei valley (image 1), it has been claimed to be surrounded by some of the highest sand dunes in the world. 700 years ago, water stopped flowing because of the height of the sand dunes. It has become a salt pan. It is so dry that there are no bugs and so no decomposition of the dead dried out trees. Chris had many photographs from all his trips, so we were able to see various shots of mammals, including leopards and cheetahs (images 2 & 3), and he gave us interesting information about their habits and family groups. He informed us that 80% of elephants live in Botswana and had benefited from years of protection which unfortunately may not continue. The Rock Dassie or Hyrax (image 6) is the African elephant's closest living relative, despite the size difference. This close evolutionary relationship is deduced from similarities in the structure of the feet and teeth. (c. africageographic)
The range of mammals he spoke about included:
1. rhinoceros, (the ‘white’ rhino is a corruption of wide, as in wide mouthed.) 2. Warthog, 3. Lions
Award winning photographer Mike Wilkes was welcomed back to the club and didn’t disappoint us with his excellent photographs. He is obviously a very patient man to achieve such amazing results. He gave us tips about achieving well planned shots; he also explained which lenses he had used for them. He builds his own gates and fences with food attached to get those wonderful photographs (not just random chance) and gave us a tip for action shots. He had hung a small bunch of berries on a branch outside his hide and then lined up his camera for the photograph. Using a remote shutter release he could take rapid exposures without taking his eye off the subject. This resulted in multiple shots but caught the action of a robin, in this case, flying up to get the berries.
Trying to look through the view finder on the camera and pressing the switch in time to catch the action, which may be less than a second, will usually result in disappointment! The advantage of digital cameras and multiple shots, which can be set up on a lot of cameras. Gone are the days of manual cameras and waiting weeks for photos to be developed! Hence - from many shots comes the perfect one of the barn owl.
This month we were joined by Brian Skeys who introduced us to his ‘Inspirational Gardens of East Anglia and Essex’. Brian is a regular visitor to the club. He is the founder member of The Black Pear Gardening Club and invited us to their meeting held at Powick Village Hall. He also told us to look out for the Open Gardens in Hanley Swan, where he lives, in June next year.
Brian started his slide show with Beth Chatto’s garden which had transformed a rough dry area, with low rainfall, into a world-famous garden.
Beth planted on the ‘Triangle Bed’ format which started with her background in flower arranging. She had been influenced by ikebana, the Japanese art of arranging flowers, learned from her days as a florist. Ikebana places importance on simple lines, balance, harmony and simplicity, using an asymmetrical triangle as a basis to create an outline. Beth grouped her plants in a similar fashion; often several “triangles” are placed to interlock. It is 7.5 acres of garden, based on ecological planting: the right plant for the right place.
What was once a car park is now a world-renowned Gravel Garden (which is never watered - image 2) There are five main areas of the garden: all dealing with challenging soils and aspects and showing what becomes possible when you work with nature rather than against it.
Brian also talked to us about Bressingham Gardens, Hyde Hall, Houghton Hall, East Ruston Old Vicarage’ and Penesthorpe Wildlife Habitat Gardens, which had been the setting for a B.B.C. ‘Spring Watch ‘series. He finished with his unique presentation of a slide show of close ups of various plants set to some 1920’s style jazz.
Beeston Iron Lock in 1982 looking from Bridge 107 (Image 1) Claydon Locks Oxford Canal (Image 2)
Our first meeting of the 2019/2020 club year was ‘Canals in the Landscape’, a talk by Tony Conder. He explained how the geology and geography of a place influenced the construction of the canal and its place in the surrounding environment. Canals changed the landscape from agriculture to industry in the 18th century and now in many places the canals have become green areas once again. Engineers began to discover more about the geology of the country as they dug mines and canals, as a result, two hundred years ago, a geologist called William Smith became the first person to map the geology of Britain, thus helping to develop the scientific and economic development of Britain.
The Canal Trust say on their site - ‘We need to protect our wildlife. A direct link has been shown between American mink and the fall in water vole populations that used to be common along our waterways. Invasive shrimps have also been shown to harm our native invertebrates, which then impacts fish and bird populations. One of the reasons that life is better by the water is the variety of wildlife there, so it’s important that invasive species are kept at bay. Did you know that many of our invasive species were decorative plants introduced by Victorians that have rapidly spread in the easy conditions offered by canals? These include duckweed, water fern, floating pennywort and Himalayan balsam. Some take over land around them, others damage the water itself. Duckweed and water fern starve the water of light and oxygen, so kill off other plants. They are also a health and safety risk as they make the water look like something you can walk on. Floating pennywort is a major problem and costs a fortune to remove without making a real dent. Himalayan balsam is an even bigger problem than Japanese Knotweed because it spreads ferociously. Creatures such as water voles were once considered a nuisance for destroying canal banks but are now encouraged and flourishing in nature reserves as part of the canal environment. Nowadays tow paths are used more than the waterways it seems. An interesting and informative first meeting.
(Image 1) Ground Elder (Dog Elder, Garden Plague, Herb Gerard, Goutweed, Bishopsweed)
(Image 2) Buttercup - you either love it or hate it.
In May, for our last indoor meeting of the 2018/2019 programme, we were looking at Weeds with Roger Umpleby. This was an ‘Alternative Look at Weeds,’ encouraging these plants rather than trying to rid the garden of them. There has been some discussion in the village about killing verges with weed killer or unnecessary strimming, now that people are much more aware of the need to protect pollinators. Perhaps the days of pristine gardens with everything in order, in rows or being encouraged to stand up straight and be tidy are going to become a thing of the past? Have you thought about setting aside an area in your garden where weeds might flourish and provide habitat for some of our struggling insects? Ralph Waldo Emmerson said, A weed is - ‘A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.’ We had recommended eating your ground elder in our last Over the Fence and Roger pointed out that many of our wild plants were used in medicine and for food in the past.
From Spring 2019 ‘Over the Fence.’:
One of our members had been sorting through books again and came across ‘The Virtuous Weed’ garnered by Joy Griffith-Jones. This small booklet sets out to praise the humble weed. ‘’What did the Romans ever do for us?’’ Well, according to Joy they introduced us to the pleasures of Ground Elder in our gardens. Believed to have been used by them for its ability to relieve gout, the plant was dedicated to St Gerard who was formerly invoked to cure the gout. Ground Elder was cultivated by the monks in the Middle Ages as a herb of healing, as bishops seemed to suffer a good deal from the gout, hence some of its other names include Goutweed and Bishopsweed! The young leaves make a tasty vegetable if cooked in a little butter, a small amount of water and some seasoning. John Gerard’s ‘Herball’ of 1597 reminds us that once it has taken root it will hardly be gotten out again. The only course of action, it seems, is to eat it!
Thank you for visiting our website, we hope that it inspires you to join us at one of our meetings.
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