Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2015 / January 2016 | Page 76
COUNTRY LIFE
Countryside
news
with
Tony Ridd
What to look out for...
The Bay Coastal
Community Team
O
ver the last couple of months The Bay Coastal Community
Team (The Bay CCT), have been holding Campfire Sessions
at Shanklin, Sandown and Lake.
They involved storytelling, live music and cooking marshmallows
over open fires whilst young and old were encouraged to share
their ideas by filling out the ‘What if?’ postcards, on how they
would like the bay to develop in the future.
A public exhibition to display as many of the cards as they can
pack in will be held early next spring. To download a postcard
and to find out more about the Bay team’s programme of events
go to: www.arc-consulting.co.uk/2015/04/upcoming-events/
Bullfinch
Privet Berries
The male Bullfinch is unmistakable,
having a bright pinkish-red breast
and cheeks, black cap and bright
white rump. They feed on buds of
trees in spring and were once a
nuisance to fruit tree crops. Their
numbers have since declined and
are now classed as Amber on the
RSPB ‘endangered list’. In severe
cold weather lookout for them on
bird tables.
Wild Privet is ideal for our
windswept island. Being semievergreen, it will lose its leaves in
exposed locations as winter goes
on. One benefit it has over the
‘evergreen’ garden variety is that
the wild Privet has an abundance
of attractive white flowers, albeit
they are often unpleasant to smell,
but this does mean that they are
followed by blackberries, ideal for
birds in the winter.
Staghorn Fungi
Also called the Candlesnuff
Fungus, it can be found
throughout the year, but is
particularly noticeable over the
winter months when it tends
to turn black. They are small
(3-5cm) upright finger-like spikes
with many looking like mini
antlers, called stroma’s. After
other fungus’ have visited the
host, this is one of the last fungi
to attack rotting wood.
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Winter Heliotrope
If you get close enough to
the flowers of the Winter
Heliotrope you will find they
are richly scented, and smell a
little like cherry pie. Non-native
it was introduced from the
Mediterranean region in the 19th
century, being planted in large
gardens. With a very vigorous
rhizome it has become a rampant
weed and tends to dominate
where it has escaped in the wild.