Veteran apple tree in blossom, Back Lane, Eynsham. Photo C. Bass. The presence of trees in urban areas evokes a multiplicity of responses, ranging from deep concern and annoyance to feelings of joy and contentment. The concerns range from fear that a tree or branch might fall and cause damage, injury, or even death, or that their roots will cause damage to pavements or undermine foundations of houses, give us the annoying Autumn chore of sweeping up dead leaves, or drip sap on our parked cars, give off pollen and biogenic volatile organic compounds, and of course, trees provide encouragement for children to climb them and risk their life and limb. On the plus side, many scientific studies show there is a strong positive correlation between the density and diversity of urban trees and the well-being of the people …
Nature Recovery Network A Network of People working for Nature Recovery Long Mead in Flood - photo Jodie Baker Hello, As you might expect at this time of year, we are now experiencing flooding across the meadows in Eynsham, meaning that for our regular plant propagation group members, wellington boots have become must-have essentials. They have been busy tending the hedges that have been planted by the network - pruning, filling in small gaps left by any plants that have failed (or floated away!) and mulching as best they can in these conditions. Network members in this season's "de rigueur" accessory - photo Terri Frecker This week Nick and Allen were also busy putting up seven handmade recyled wood nesting boxes for blue tits and great tits. Their next project: Otter Holts! If you'd like to join us …
Wednesday Group Clear the Coppice! This Wednesday network members worked hard to clear the willow coppice of abandoned cut material, bundling it up and raking a huge area in anticipation of the creation of a new wet woodland. Well done all! Water Vole Spotting! Our resident water expert and trustee Lucy Dickinson was astonished to see a water vole swimming in broad daylight in the Chilbrook in Eynsham last week! She says: "Just swam past me on the Chilbrook! I've been looking for about the last 4 years and never seen one before [...] I was so excited I nearly dropped my phone in the water!" Kestrel Dinners Discover what the Kestrals nesting at Long Mead ate over the course of a year, from analysis conducted by Linda Losito, a beetle expert, and Bob Cowley, a small mammal expert in …
NRN is working to identify, protect, and propagate rare native black poplars—one of Britain’s rarest trees—by mapping existing specimens, genotyping them to distinguish natives from hybrids, and propagating new trees to restore genetic diversity and wetland habitats.
Nature Recovery Network A Network of People working for Nature Recovery Meadow Restoration Day – THIS Sunday 21st Sept, 2–5 PM Join the Green Gym at Long Mead! As a network we’ve propagated hundreds of rare wildflower seedlings to restore community meadows for us all – but now we need your help to pot them on so they can thrive! Whether you stay for 30 minutes or the full afternoon, your hands will make a real difference. No experience needed – just bring your energy and enthusiasm. We’ll be making use of our new greenhouse if the weather is inclement. More info here We Won! Oxford Climate Awards Recognition We are delighted to have won the Oxford Climate Award for Biodiversity and Ecology. Thank you everyone for your amazing contributions! It is so important to us to be able to …
Checking for ground nesting birds before harrowing. Photo Catriona Bass Changeable Furlongs was mown for silage and hay was made on the Neyotts meadows and parts of Long Mead by Luke and George (once students at Bartholomew School), who use it to feed their cattle and sheep on the farm that they have taken on from their ‘Gramp’ in Wootton. (Changeable Furlongs are the fields beyond the Wharf Stream are leased from Smiths of Bletchingdon). Bales of hay on Long Mead. The remaining standing patches of meadow were harvested as 'green' hay. Photo Kevan Martin The next task was to take the first step in creating a new wildflower meadow in Changeable Furlongs for our wildlife and for us all. You may have joined in the hedge-planting two winters ago. You may have joined the dock-pulling in the …
Nature Recovery Network A Network of People working for Nature Recovery Scything Eynsham Playing Fields' Carnival Meadow Hello [firstname], 9.30am to 12.30pm Saturday 19th July Scything is best green gym you can get - stretching, flexing, bending, loosening, and strengthening, all at the same time. If you've not done it before we can teach you! We hope to mow Dovehouse Close, the Churchyard, the Fishpond's Car Park Meadow and the Newland's Street Meadow Come and join us! Please sign up here so that we know how many scythes to sharpen! Best wishes, Catriona Articles for May 15, 2025 to Jul 14, 2025 The Big Midsummer Nature Celebration - Saturday 21st June - New additions Nature Recovery Network A Network of People working for Nature Recovery The Big Midsummer Nature Celebration - at …
Nature Recovery Network A Network of People working for Nature Recovery The Big Midsummer Nature Celebration - at the Neyotts Our five year celebration event is in just one week and we can't wait! Join us all on Saturday, 21st June to celebrate our collective efforts that have made such a remarkable impact. We have some exciting new additions to announce including: Music We have some special guests joining us from 2-4 with some lighthearted tunes played on keyboard and musical saw! Neves Bees We’re delighted to share that Local Eynsham brand, Neve’s Bees, will be present! Incredibly they will be donating every penny of sales made on the day to NRN – so do come and stock up on their award winning face care, natural deodorants, hand salves, lip balms and gift sets…as well as limited remaining stocks of …
Understanding the quality of the water in our brooks, streams and rivers has been a central concern of the NRN since its inception. Thanks to a generous grant from Councilor Charles Matthew of the OCC, we were able to acquire professional laboratory equipment to assay quantitatively the levels of chemical pollutants in our water courses and Councilor Dan Levy has kept the lab running by funding the reagents. Of particular interest to us were the eutrophic pollutants like phosphate and nitrate, but our photometer is very versatile so we can also measure other pollutants, like ammonia and nitrite. We also measure the water’s pH (‘potential of Hydrogen’ – a universal measure of acidity/alkalinity) as well as the dissolved oxygen level, which is crucial for aquatic life. NRN's Photometer used to test water samples from 10 different …
Klärwerk Werdhölzli, Zürich Zurich lake with Alps. Author photo. When you think of Zürich, you may think of the lake, the Old City, the local mountain, Uetliberg, with its views to the Eiger and Jungfrau, its many museums, its exceptional transport system, or its rich cultural and street life. You probably don't imagine that Zurich is also home to Switzerland’s largest sewage works (‘Klärwerk’), which is located at Werdhölzli, next to the Limmat, one of Zurich’s popular swimming rivers. Zurich City have made a short film about the works, but given our current crisis of river, lake, and sea pollution by raw sewage, and given our own on-going NRN project to document the water quality of our local watercourses, I was interested to see for myself how Werdhölzli compares to Cassington’s Sewage Treatment Works, the subject of a …