April in the School Garden

Results from our weather station have now been sorted and shown below.  It is pleasant to watch as the daily temperature slowly rises leaving Winter behind.  Again very little rain fell in April on the school garden

Day	Midday Temp C	Highest Temp C	Max Wind Gust m/s	Wind Direction	Pressure
1	4.3	6.3	3.4	Cyclonic	1005
2	9.1	11.3	2.7	Cyclonic	1007
3	6.0	9.3	4.1	N/NE	1007
4	5.0	5.2	4.8	N/NE	1004
5	7.0	10.1	4.8	N/NE	1007
6	9.2	11.2	2.7	N/NE	1018
7	7.9	8.9	4.8	S/SE	1008
8	7.5	7.7	2.4	S/SE	994
9	6.3	6.9	3.1	Cyclonic	986
10	7.8	8.6	2.7	S/SE	995
11	10.2	12.7	3.1	S/SW	990
12	9.3	12.1	3.4	SW	996
13	8.8	9.2	5.4	SE	1000
14	11.0	13.6	5.8	SE	1003
15	10.4	13.3	3.1	Cyclonic	1011
16	10.5	11.5	3.4	S/SW	1010
17	10.7	13.2	4.8	S/SE	1004
18	11.2	13.1	5.8	Cyclonic	1009
19	13.9	15.7	3.1	N/NW	1020
20	9.5	11.8	3.3	S/SE	1023
21	8.9	11.3	3.1	S/SW	1014
22	11.2	12.2	3.4	S/SW	1010
23	13.9	15.4	3.1	Cyclonic	1015
24	10.2	10.8	3.1	S/SW	1018
25	10.1	13.2	2.4	Cyclonic	1013
26	12.4	13.0	3.7	N/NW	1009
27	9.7	13.2	5.4	N/NW	1008
28	8.5	9.2	2.7	S/SW	1010
29	12.4	13.6	4.8	Cyclonic	1014
30	14.1	18.6	2.7	N/NE	1018

Remembering the Magna Carta

We start the blog this week with no apologies but once again we dip into Kipling. From his poem 'The Reeds of Runnymede' we quote

"The lissom reeds that give and take
That bend so far but do not break..."

With that in mind the Garden Group decided to replace the aged Hazel hurdles which were on their last legs with a tidy reed screen but on a more formal approach to that made to screen the compost bins. Again we thank our friends at Abbotsbury Swannery for supplying the reed and also their wonderful hedge cutter which gave us a splendid finish to the job.

Despite the cooler weather over the weekend yet another bee species was identified in the garden.  The Common Carder Bee.

In the afternoon we traveled across town to pick up some Bamboo which we were donated. It will help screen the Jurassic garden later and also enhance the avenue effect as you approach the garden with the Aeolian Wind organ on the right  and the newly planted Bamboo on the left.  A sign has been put alongside the Wind Organ giving a brief description of them and their use

The Bamboo arriving in style!

The pair of Robins which have nested near to the World War 2 shelter are busy. All weekend the pair were active around the pond area collecting food for their young.

The pair of Blue Tits which have nested in the green nest box in the garden have ten eggs in the nest.  The nest was lined by hair supplied by the school in string bags hung in the bird garden. We can only hope that this year the weather will be kind when the young hatch. Last year the young perished as torrential driving rain for a week prevented the adults from foraging for food for them. Fingers crossed!!

Can anybody count more than ten eggs!

The garden group will shortly be holding  a meeting one evening to discuss fund raising at the open day in June.  The date and time and contact will be posted on the blog once decided. We always welcome more helpers

Finally why mention the Magna Carta? Signed in 1215 by King John at Runnymede which made him proclaim certain liberties to the population of England.  The most important clauses still remain today and make up the basis of the law in England and Wales.  It has been described as the most important constitutional document of all time.  We have a lot to thank those Feudal Barons for!

The Magna Carta was inspiration to Kipling's poem and well worth a read.

A Bee-autiful weekend!

In a week where much attention has been made about the plight of our bees with various insecticides  we are pleased to report that we have over the weekend identified six species of bees using the garden, seven including the 'honey' bee. As mentioned in the blog last year we are determined this year to pay a lot more attention to the bees which use our garden.  Apart from the more common bumble bees at this time of the year we have identified this weekend other species, which although not particularly  that rare, are using the garden.


 The Red Mason Bee - this one is a male as it has a white tuft on the head

The Tawny Mining Bee

The Ashy Mining Bee

This one was busy by our greenhouse

Other wildlife interest today included a Comma Butterfly sunning itself on the wall and a large Slow Worm found in the compost bin.

More mundane garden jobs included the restoration of a picket fence by the eco-loo and the painting of the new fence between us and the residential home.  This has had a wonderful effect of redefining the garden boundary. We are grateful to our neighbours for allowing us to paint the fence green in this way.

Proof that Winter is over is the masses of delightful blossom in the garden. The pear tree, the blossom on the apple trees and the cherry trees are all looking great now as fresh flowers burst into view

Pear blossom

Apple  blossom

Cherry blossom- perhaps the most delicate!

Finally next door the nesting Herring Gulls were sorting themselves out.  Two is company, three is a crowd but what is five!

Judging from the noise - five Herring Gulls together is not a good combination!