A Six Spot Burnet Pays a Visit

If you would like more information about UK butterflies and moths please visit the Butterfly Conservation website here.

Cinnabar caterpillar enjoying some of our ragwort

Summer in the Garden 03/07/10

The Marsh Street Arches and Garden CIC would like to invite you to join us at both:

The "Summer in the Garden" event on the Green Heart Den and our AGM at Greengate Junior School. For details please see the poster below.

Alternatively a pdf copy of the invitation can  be downloaded here.

Our arbour is nearing completion.

Climbing plants such as; honeysuckle, jasmine, clematis and grape vine will shortly be planted in the large planting boxes.

View pictures detailing the progress of the arbour here.

FREE Plant Pots and Seed Trays

Following an exceptionally generous and anonymous donation earlier today, we now have thousands of new plastic plant pots and seed trays. 

Once they have been sorted we would like to offer them to say; local  schools, community groups and residents. If you, or anyone you may know are interested in the FREE (not for resale) plant pots and seed trays and would like to arrange to collect some -  please contact Project Coordinator, Graham Bromley on: 07919 991 989.

Our Bramleys Seedling

These are one of  the most popular cooking apple of all time. Bramley's Seedling - nowadays just know as the Bramley Apple tree - produces great big, flat bottomed apples with plenty of colour, usually boasting an orange-russet flush over their greenish yellow skin, with wide strokes of red completing the picture. The white flesh has a sharp flavour and juices very well - mixed with sweeter apple varieties, it makes excellent apple juice - go for about 70% bramley's, 30% other sweet varieties and can also be added to cider. The sharp flavour mellows with storage, so they become interesting dessert apples by the spring - a Bramley's apple contains about 2.5 times more vitamin C than an average apple, which is another good reason to save some to eat raw. Despite the fact that these fruit are pretty versatile, they are just so good at one thing that you will be excused for not bothering to experiment. Few other cookers bake so easily into the deliciously light, fluffy, syrup infused puree that is the ideal cooked apple - the flavour is mouth wateringly tangy and fruity and the texture is simply perfect.

North Plot Banking - Splash of Colour

Wildflower seeds -  scattered last year with the help of Central and Hindpool Junior wardens as part of their John Muir Award activities -  are beginning to add colour to the north plot banking wildlife haven

.............................Inspiring !

Our Egremont Russet

Our Egremont Russet appears to be flourishing and is now beginning to produce apples.

Recently Update Flickr Photo Sets

We have recently updated several of our Flickr photo gallery sets. If you would like to view them please click on the links below.

• Green Heart Den 2010
• Flora and Fauna
• Natural Wildlife Haven
• Arbour Installation Process

Green Heart Den - View from railway arch D

New Community Wildlife Funding Programme

A brand new grant scheme from The Big Lottery Fund awards National Lottery money to nature projects that bring local people together. The Community Wildlife programme will fund between £300 and £10,000 for projects that:

i) Improve rural or urban environments for people to enjoy, for example by:

• protecting wildlife habitats
• creating a nature trail, woodland walk or wildlife garden for people to enjoy
• improving natural community spaces, such as rivers, ponds and woodlands 

ii) Get people more active and healthier, for example by:

• exploring parks, rivers and the countryside to look for rare or endangered species  
• encouraging people to take up gardening or go on nature walks  
• providing opportunities for children to learn about nature through play

If you would like further details, please visit the Big Lottery website here.

Soroptimist Group Visit and Donation

Thank you to Margaret Burrow and members of the local Soroptimist group who visited the Green Heart Den in celebration of World Environmental Day and generously donated various plants including buddleja and heathers.

Special thanks to Margaret for arranging the visit and donating a large variety of seeds including -  poppies, marigolds, honesty -  and vegetable plants donated friends that included tomatoes, lettuce and courgettes. Fantastic

Our Raised Planters

Among the herbs in our raised planters include; rosemary, lavender, mint, chives and sage.

Ladybird Larvae

First sighting of an actual ladybird larvae.

You can download a ladybird ID chart here.

You can also download a ladybird larvae ID chart here.

Our Corn Cockle

One Of The Many Inhabitants Of The North Plot Banking - "Wildlife Haven"

Our Arbour Is Taking Shape

Female Common Blue Damselfly

Again,  although not certain but I understand that this is a female Common Blue Damselfly as pictured on the North Plot Banking - natural wildlife haven.

Arbour Progress

Gilmour Fabrications Ltd have begun the installation of our large arbour feature. Funding for this work has been provided as part of the grant we received from Our Green Space.

North Plot Wildlife Haven - Damselfly ?

Although not certain I understand that this is a male Common Blue Damselfly pictured on the North Plot Banking - natural wildlife haven.

Blue Tit Nesting Boxes

Our blue tits are proving to be doting parents!