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Well the effects of this glorious hot weather are very evident on the upper meadows at Castle Meadows at the moment; the normally lush green grass is looking decidedly brown and crispy, even worse than June last year. We will be cutting the hay in the lower meadows and at Riverside shortly but, as the grass is about half the height it normally is, the yield will be much reduced.
Despite the heat work still carries on. Our main annual summer task is weed control – this year the ragwort and thistle problem at Castle Meadows has drastically improved thanks to the tireless efforts of our volunteers, and we have not even had to resort to herbicide treatments this year as they have worked so effectively for the last two years. We have also been hard at work repairing some damaged fencing along the towpath, replacing a rusted field gate into the lower meadows and a new interpretation panel for the pond area is due to be installed shortly.
The Burh to Borough archaeologists are back for their final dig at Castle Meadows from the 9th – 24 July. They will be excavating a structure in Queens Arbour that has shown up on Geophysical survey. Please go and have a look, they are always happy to show you round and answer questions. There will be a public open day on 18th July to coincide with the National Festival of Archaeology and a guided walk of the whole castle site, including the trench, on the 15th July. Check out their web page or head over to Wallingford Museum for more details on exactly what they have uncovered over the last 3 years throughout Wallingford.
Over at Riverside Meadows, the area into which we sowed wild flower seed two years ago has been extremely successful; in fact the rectangle of white oxeye daisy in the middle of the field of yellow buttercups is very apparent at the moment. We hope to sow more areas at both Riverside and Castle Meadows in the future to further increase biodiversity on the sites. We have also finished laying another layer of willow “faggots” to help prevent erosion of the riverbank in places as this has proved so successful in trapping silt over the last year and the bank is starting to vegetate up quite nicely.
Now for some really good news - Wallingford Castle Meadows has retained its Green Flag award for the third consecutive year! The Green Flag is a scheme that recognises and rewards the best green spaces in the country and everyone in Wallingford can be proud that they have such a place right on their doorstep. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helps make Castle Meadows the very special place it is, whether you pick up a bit of litter as you walk through, clean up after your dog or come down to one of our volunteer days, every bit makes a difference, so thank you all! You now have the opportunity to vote for Castle Meadows as your favourite Green Flag award-winning site. Please click here to register your vote.
If you would like more information about the sites and events or are interested in getting involved with one of our volunteer groups or as a warden please contact me, Lorretta Waters, on 01865 409410 or 07982 218493, or email lorretta.waters@northmoortrust.co.uk