On the 8th February we welcomed Charlotte Forrest and Jeff Sim of the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust to talk to us about our very own Gentleshaw Common. Charlotte is now looking after the Common as the previous officer is on maternity leave, and Jeff is the SWT’s Senior Conservation Manager. Quite a few visitors joined our members to hear all about the restoration work currently being undertaken by staff and volunteers (some of whom had come along) and to appreciate more fully why it was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)  – not that we take it for granted!

Whilst many of us are lucky enough to see the sundews and other beautiful plants in the three different types of heathland – the photos above were taken on an SWT guided walk – some creatures such as the nightjar and Welsh clearwing moth are harder to spot. Charlotte encouraged us to report sightings of less common birds & invertebrates on the Common, and also talked about Bleak House and Cuckoo Bank, which come under her remit. Jeff shared useful information on other local SWT reserves, plans for the future and the importance of involving the local community in these, also in the reporting of fires and other antisocial behaviour that damage this precious environment.

Before drawing the raffle, they gave helpful & informative answers to questions covering a range of issues, and chatted to members & visitors afterwards. For anybody who is interested in more information please have a look at www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/gentleshaw common from where you can explore their wider website. The super kingfisher and blue tit photos below were taken by Maurice at the SWT’s Wolseley Visitor Centre.

We started our 2022 programme on January 11th with an excellent talk from Peter Thomas of Keele University on the “Internal Clock of Plants – Keeping Track of the Seasons”. It sounds a rather dry topic but he really made it come alive, like having our own David Attenborough in the room, with his easily understood explanations of how plants function and measure the length of the nights to determine when they should start to re-grow in spring. Temperature is a factor and also the reason behind the folklore “oak before ash we’re in for a splash, ash before oak we’re in for a soak” as oaks respond to warmer spring temperatures, which we are seeing more often as a result of climate change. He helped us to understand how the practical effect of global warming will impact the survival of so many things from food crops to bluebells. As gardeners we are aware of the practical results and it was fascinating to explore the science behind them in a very relatable way.

After his talk Peter drew the raffle then chatted with members and answered more questions. He gives talks on other subjects and we hope that he will be back in the future to share his knowledge with us. The opportunity for members to join Zoom meetings either directly or via YouTube continues and details are on our programme page. But we are really looking forward to seeing Hayley Dorrington of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust at the Village Hall next month talking to us about our very own Gentleshaw Common!