Today the orchard trees arrived and with the help of a few very determined volunteers, we managed to get them planted just as the sun was setting. We put in apples, pears, gages and plums, some of them of a really good size, so it shouldn’t be too long until Duxford has its own apple days.
The remaining planting will take place in the coming weeks and is mainly small bare rooted saplings that will go in around the mound and some plants for the nectar garden. We will put out another call for volunteers and try to make it on a weekend this time.
The Swale (the dip next to the pond) has been lined with plastic and will hopefully be topped up in the coming weeks to cover the edges of the liner. This will create a wet/dry area which should attract some interesting flora.
Today we saw a whole troupe of peewits, heard our large flock of sparrows and saw signs of a hedgehog! As we add to the planting, we will attract more and more wildlife and the Chair of the Cambs & Essex Branch of Butterfly Conservation is advising us on how to attract as many different butterflies as possible.