Page 26 - Oundle Life November 2021

AUTUMN
COLOURS
Barnwell Country Park
As the last of the leaves relinquish their hold and fall to the ground, and the thankless task of sweeping them up finally looks like it might be coming to an end for this year, the park begins to look bare as it prepares for its winter snooze.
The task of cutting back has already begun and will continue throughout the winter months, weather allowing. Last year’s flooding meant the lake edges were inaccessible for many months, and by the time we could get there the trees were in leaf and birds were beginning to nest.
This year the plan is to try to catch up with
all the cutting back and coppicing that couldn’t be done last year. This will open up the fishing pegs around North Lake and Mill Lake, making it easier for anglers to cast without getting their line caught in the neighbouring trees. It will also open up some of the views around all the lakes. As well as the aesthetic advantages cutting back some of the vegetation is good for the wildlife.
It provides the park with a diverse age-range of plants and trees, making it more inviting to a greater variety of wildlife species.
One example is the Willow Emerald Damselfly, which lays its eggs under the soft bark of young trees overhanging the water. We will be checking for egg-laying scars before coppicing anything overhanging the lake edges, but trimming back older growth and allowing it to regenerate will
create more habitat for these rare damselflies. Although the park may be beginning to look a little bare, hopefully you have spotted some of the last splashes of colour. Spindle is distinctive
with its orange berries in pink casings, and patches of cyclamen can be found on some of the path edges. And of course, there is the vast array of weird and wonderful fungi to look out for!
Looking for an excuse to visit? There is always plenty to do in the park, activities for children and adults, many run by our Active Parks team.
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Visit our website at
www.northamptonshireparks.co.uk
and check our Events Page for all the latest information.