Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2012/January 2013 | Page 66

Countryside news
with Tony Ridd

Adopt-A-Garden digs donation

What to look out for...
The Island’ Footprint
Trust charity has received
a £2,500 grant from the
Santander Foundation’s
Community Plus initiative.
The grant will help dozens
of unemployed young
people gain gardening
training so they in turn
can help older people,
though the popular
Adopt-A-Garden scheme.
Ray Harrington-Vail of
The Footprint Trust said:
“We have a real shortage
of gardeners to ‘adopt’
uncared-for gardens. Many
young people want to help
but lack the skills. The
funding from Santander

Foundation will mean we
can train young people,
so they in turn can help
others.”
For more details about
the scheme see the website
www.footprint-trust.co.uk/
adoptgarden.html or call
01983 822282.

Fancy a wild garden party?
The RSPB is calling on
Islanders to venture outside
and help their garden wildlife
through the cold winter months.
In harsh winters, birds like
blackbirds, song thrushes,
and even exotic waxwings
– seasonal visitors from
Scandinavia – come to our
gardens in a search for food.
“Feeding in winter can be a
life-saver for a wide range of
species and will help birds to
be in good health when the
breeding season arrives next
spring”, says Samantha Stokes
of the RSPB.
Different birds have different

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tastes and you are likely to
attract far more species if you
go for variety. Try pastry, cooked
rice, mild grated cheese and
cooked potatoes, they won’t
moan over a bit of mould on
their bread! But avoid salted
foods, and buy toxin-free
peanuts from reputable dealers.
Birds need water to drink and
bathe in all year. Especially in
hard frosts, open water can be
hard to find. Change the water
regularly and never add salt.
For more information and ideas
on what you can do visit the
campaign website www.rspb.
org.uk/steppingup

Birch Bracket Fungus
Also known as ‘Razor Strop
Fungus’, because, the velvety
cut surface of the fruiting
body, were used as a strop for
finishing razor edges. This is an
edible mushroom, with a strong
‘mushroomy’ smell, but has a
bitter taste. Only found on birch
trees, it will cause brown rot and
eventual death of the tree.
Hen Harrier
This is the UK’s, most
intensively persecuted bird
of prey. Formerly feeding on
free range fowl, from which it
gets its name. It now predates
the grouse moors of Wales,
Northern England, Northern
Ireland and Scotland, were it
breeds before travelling south
for the winter. Males are a pale
grey with females being brown.

Winter Heliotrope
Originally from, and around
North Africa, it was planted
during the 19th century in
larger gardens for its fragrant
flowers, which smell a little like
cherry pie. Unfortunately, it has
vigorous rhizomes and is now
seen by most as a rampant
garden weed. Only the male
plant flowers in this country.
White Worms
These are thin, segmented
hermaphrodite worms, 0.5
– 4cm long. They are often
colourless, but can be red or
yellow. They live in damp earth,
compost heaps and piles of
autumn leaves, feeding on
dead plant matter and organic
material.