Tuesday 27 January 2015

Working Party at Red Hill Nature Reserve.

NO MORE MOLE HILLS AT RED HILL – FOR TODAY AT LEAST!
John, Brian, Colin, Julie, Mal, Margaret and Anne. Ray took the picture.


Eight of us parked in the sunshine at Red Hill on the morning of Monday 26 January armed with buckets, spades and a wheelbarrow. Our aim was to move the fresh soil pushed up by burrowing moles from the meadow across the road from the Coronation Meadow onto a rough bank to provide a seed bed for some of the seeds that we had collected last autumn.
We scooped the soil into buckets with our gloved hands and moved it across the field and down the slope to the bank. After an hour the mole hills were cleared and we were glad of a rest. So we have picked the seeds and  provided the seed bed. Volunteer Reserve Manager Harry Turner will plant Betony, Cowslips and Pyramid orchids amongst other wild flower seeds whist we will come back in July to enjoy the display.

I know that moles are not always popular with gardeners nor with some wild life experts who claim that moles create a lot of damage which is  a side-effect of the moles subterranean lifestyle — they live on a diet of worms and other soil invertebrates and, although they do not eat plant material, they could damage roots during their tunnelling activities. However, in wildlife areas the wind rain and sunshine soon cause the molehills to flatten out and provide a good tilth for dormant seeds. Ray Woodcock

Further reading about moles:

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