It was lovely to have Charlotte from Cumbria Wildlife Trust on Sandilands taking core soil samples and discussing a future partnership as part of the B-lines project. It turns out the soil is high in phosphorus which could mean some species of flowers will find it hard to establish.
Because of this the yellow rattle (kindly donated by The Woodland Trust via Forest of Flowers, York) that we're planting now is being planted in a localised area to see if it will take and self-seed, and the majority of the sward is going to be cut twice a year to take down the fertility levels of the soil.
But that doesn't mean we're stopping working and getting together to create biodiverse habitats. Our last volunteer gathering saw lots of scything, a huge amount of cake, and for those with a lot of pent-up frustration, digging an enormous hole for the wildlife pond.
Planting the yellow rattle needs a good deal of ground preparation as we need to break up the soil cover but still leave some grass growing as it's semi-parasitic.
Creating biodiverse spaces is hard work. We talk (a lot on social media) about helping the planet by planting trees to sink carbon, and reinstate wildlife habitats. It's easy to talk about it but when it comes to doing it there's physical labour involved. AI hasn’t cracked traditional working by hand. In the past whole communities would have undertaken the looking after the land. Here, we’re coming together, creating community and tending land mindfully in caring and nurturing action that creates a sense of union and goodness in us, as we help to bring back what has been lost, while reminding ourselves of how we fit in to the larger landscape of the natural world in a very physical and intimate relationship.
John Muir wrote
“I am losing precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get out into the mountains to learn the news”
Come back to the land, under the small mountains and make time sacred. Sandilands has a 360 degree view from the Pennines over the Eden Valley to the Lake District fells. This is a lot of landscape to listen to.
Our next volunteering dates are Sunday’s - 01, 15 December 2024 and 05, 19 January 2025. Join us.
