Newsletters
Our Newsletter is published at the beginning of February, April, July and October. It is sent by email and delivered by hand to members not on email.
Click here to view the Winter 2024 Newsletter or read an extract from the Spring 2024 Newsletter below.
Tree Planting in Arundel
Nearly three hundred young trees, or saplings, have been planted so far this year with the help of children from our two local schools. Most trees were bought from the Woodland Trust but others were donated locally. The Arundel Tree Nursery has filled up again and now contains Lime, Hazel, Hawthorn, Oak, Field Maple, Rowan, Walnut, Scots Pine (1), Goat Willow and Fig. We are now using one of the Greening Arundel Group’s allotments as an overspill tree nursery.
The first planting season of the year has now ended and planting can resume in the autumn. Look out for another tree giveaway at the November Farmers’ Market.
Bring Back Our Birds (B-BOB)
The Greening Arundel (GA) team has been focusing on the significant decline in swallows, swifts and house martins visiting Arundel each year. We no longer see groups of them flying around town, plucking insects in the warm summer evenings, or gathering in large flocks on telephone lines before flying south to warmer climes every autumn. This is part of a national problem which is due largely to the decline in insect numbers due, in turn, to the use of pesticides, herbicides and other so-called agri-chemicals. Most flying insects are pollinators as they feed off nectar and cross-pollinate plants in the process. The huge loss in the nation’s wildflower meadows has played a significant part in the decline in flying insects and the subsequent loss of the summer birdlife.
That is why the GA group is spending so much time and effort in trying to reverse the trend locally, planting more pollinator-friendly plants and encouraging residents to do the same. For example, pupils at our two local schools will be planting sunflower seeds this month, donated by the Arundel District Council, and more are being distributed to local organisations, including through a Wild About Gardening event on 2 May. The town should be a sea of yellow, come summer.
Modern buildings tend not to be nest-friendly and the virtual disappearance of old barns, dairies, stables and other farm buildings means our visiting migrants have a tough time finding somewhere to raise their young. To compensate for this, purpose-made nest boxes and cups for swallows, swifts and house martins have been installed on local buildings – 50 at 35 locations so far this year – and a tower for house martin and bat nesting has been installed at the Community Orchard.
Please contact greenteam.arundel@gmail.com to take part in training for bird spotting and reporting or for inclusion in Phase 2 next year. You too could have a nest box or cup fitted on your property.