GOING GREEN – August 2024
Recently I had the pleasure of showing a visitor from Copenhagen some of our lovely town. As we walked past the newly replaced adventure playground, I was very pleased to see the planting added to the design, in particular the tall Purpletop Vervain (verbena bonariensis) to attract pollinators. Although it is not native to Britain, it does a marvellous job attracting butterflies, bees and hoverflies.
To be honest I was not a fan of the crazy golf when the plan was first mooted. I was worried about the loss of biodiversity and the possible sterility of the soil. However, the wildflower and meadow planting the folks from the Parks and Amenities department have done there is superb – it really impressed my companion.
From there we walked along the wildlife trail footpath bordering the Cold Bath Stream. This is another wonderful asset created by the Wildlife Working Group – if you haven’t done the trail yet you can pick up a newly revised leaflet from the Information Office at the Town Hall or the River & Rowing Museum.
Eventually we came out on Marsh Meadows near the ponds. This area of wetland managed by the Wildlife Working Group (under license from Henley Town Council) is another fantastic natural resource for Henley. Surprisingly it is not marked as a site of natural interest on local maps. If you are interested in joining this group, please get in touch with Greener Henley. I can vouch for it being fun and friendly, and you come when you can.
Calling into the Museum for refreshment, we admired a long wave of hand-crafted butterflies pinned to netting on the side of the bridge entrance. This art project, made by different groups from Whitchurch on-Thames, has been exhibited on Whitchurch Bridge, and various places in and around Reading. Each butterfly maker also made a personal promise to change one thing in their life – to either reduce their carbon footprint or improve biodiversity. What a lovely idea especially as some of the 800 metres of butterflies might be visiting Denmark now!
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Most gardeners around here would agree it has been a bumper year for slugs and snails – but flying insects have been scarce up until this last spell of hot sunny weather. Wild buddleia has almost gone over. Older generations will remember when these plants would be smothered in butterflies and bees – hence its nickname ‘the butterfly bush’. Each generation sees less and less visitors to these bushes, so our grandparents and great grandparents must have seen hundreds more butterflies and other species than we do now. And what will be left for our descendants?
Remember the story of the man who planted a young tree knowing he would not see it mature but his grandchildren and future generations would enjoy the life, shade and goodness a mature tree gives.
Well we can’t all go around planting acorns but we can grow plants that support our biodiversity – a mixed native hedge, night-scented stock or summer jasmine for our important nocturnal pollinators. Or why not pick up a free packet of wild flower seeds from the Town Hall to help us achieve our target of 500 individual square metres spread all over Henley and district?
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Changing the subject completely, Greener Henley have been supporting local schools with their Climate and Nature Policies which are a legal requirement by the government. One of the events we are planning for the autumn term is a Science Fair for Schools. The plan is to have a carousel of simple experiments that identify pollution and its effects. We are hoping that the older students will lead the activities for the younger students.
If you are a retired teacher or scientist, who might have a few hours to spare, would you consider helping us to devise some suitable activities. We have several ideas in mind but it would be great to have someone who is equally keen on encouraging an interest in environmental science for youngsters. Please contact us through [email protected] or https://greenerhenley.org.uk