Category Archives: Flora and Fauna

Oh dear…

Posted on November 3, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

If you go down to the woods today you are sure of a big surprise – sinister figures riding around on quad-bikes. It is however for serious endeavour- not a picnic. Now that the rutting season has finished, when stags … Continue reading →

Posted in Flora and Fauna, Surveys, Wildlife | Leave a comment

Minority Groups

Posted on August 7, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

The National Trust are currently keen to highlight the achievements of minority groups at their properties, where they may well have suffered hostility. At Ashridge we can continue this theme with an expose of the Welsh legacy which runs deep … Continue reading →

Posted in Flora and Fauna, History | 2 Comments

HAY THERE

Posted on July 27, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

Make hay while the sun shines is an old English proverb meaning to make good use of an opportunity while it lasts. Well the sun rays were very short lived last week for making hay in Meadleys meadow – the … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Flora and Fauna, History | 1 Comment

A Good Read

Posted on June 29, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

Summer time and book reading seem to go hand in hand, like  Wimbledon and strawberries. With his last book about Britain’s ancient pathways, author Robert Macfarlane completed a trilogy on his acclaimed meditation on landscape. Finding a bad word to … Continue reading →

Posted in Flora and Fauna, Walks, Wildlife | Leave a comment

VANISHING VISITORS

Posted on May 18, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

The Trust have been concerned for some time about the declining numbers of certain types of visitors, so with the help of the volunteers they have created a water feature in a wild pleasure – garden setting. This is to … Continue reading →

Posted in Flora and Fauna, Sunday Group, Thursday Conservation Group, Volunteer Rangers, Why I Volunteer, Wildlife | 1 Comment

The Iconic Oak in Spring

Posted on May 12, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

There is one other event that we can expect in life as well as death and taxation, and that is the changing of the seasons. It is nature’s alarm clock and it happens every year. As the Spring temperature rises … Continue reading →

Posted in Flora and Fauna, Wildlife | 2 Comments

Back to its Roots

Posted on May 3, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

For those of you who did not spot the announcement in March of this year, The National Trust is to go back to its roots after admitting it had lost sight of one of its core founding principles – to protect … Continue reading →

Posted in Flora and Fauna, History, Walks, Wildlife | 2 Comments

The Bluebell

Posted on April 20, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

John Keats called it the “Sapphire queen of the mid-May” in his poem Fancy published in 1820. Two hundred years later we have to move that into April because of another early Spring. No other flower holds quite the same … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Flora and Fauna, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Bless the S S S I

Posted on April 10, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

A site of special scientific interest is designated and regulated by Natural England as an area of special interest by reason of its flora, fauna or geology. Ashridge have a number of these designated areas within the Estate and for … Continue reading →

Posted in Flora and Fauna, Sunday Group, Thursday Conservation Group, Volunteer Rangers, Wildlife | Leave a comment

DIG those DAFFODILS

Posted on March 30, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

Let’s tackle Britain’s invasive species – just leave the daffodils alone some say. The volunteers are at it again – digging up the daffodils. Sunrise, Golden Harvest, Cheerfulness, Magnificence, Soleil d’Or – the names of cultivated daffodil varieties are as … Continue reading →

Posted in Flora and Fauna, Volunteer Rangers | 7 Comments