I took the day off to catch up on some much needed sleep - thanks to "Mick" for the text and photos...
'Digging and burning were the order of the day at Speke today. We were working alongside the Merseyside volunteers again, removing rhododendron ponticum from Stockton Wood (on the left as you drive into the estate). As you can see from the photos the groups have worked here many times before and the rhody is getting very sparse.
This meant the volunteers (eight from Manchester and seven from Merseyside) were spread out through the woods and two fires were lit to avoid dragging the rhody a long way to be burnt. There were also piles of brash and some felled birch trees which went onto the fires as well.
The Head Ranger at Speke prefers the roots of the rhododendron to be dug up rather than spraying the stumps. The digging turns the soil and long-dormant wildflower seeds wake up and germinate in the clearings. The birch is being thinned to allow more light and space to help the process.
We finished a little early to enjoy a tour of the Tudor hall in the afternoon sunshine.'
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