Butterflies, Bonfires and a Blast From The Past

Morning mist soon cleared to leave behind glorious blue skies. There was a definite feel of Spring in the air, confirmed by several sightings of Brimstone butterflies. It is unusually early in the year to observe these stunning bright yellow insects. They were seen close to the lake hide.

Volunteers were hard at work with different jobs. Up in the plantation more brash was cleared in order to make the top of the woodland walk passable again. 

Bird feeders were also filled with fresh seed. The aim is not only to give a helping hand to the wild birds but also to ensure that there are plenty of birds for visitors to spot from the main hides and Field Centre over the weekend.

With one hundred acres of habitat to manage, volunteer help is really valued and appreciated. A familiar face was back in town too although it is ten years since Trevor (from Custom Made Wooden Buildings Ltd) was at Foxglove to construct many of the wooden structures around the reserve. When Foxglove Covert entered the Higher Level Stewardship scheme with Natural England a large amount of money was invested in new hides, walkways and an outdoor classroom. A combination of wear and tear and the well known Yorkshire weather has left many of these structures in need of maintenance. Trevor travelled all the way from Norfolk to survey the damage and will be back over the coming weeks to treat and fix some of the features that he built with his team a decade ago. Where does the time go?!