Today was an amazing day, I did my volunteering in a natural conservatory that is about an hour and a half from Queen Mary University. I met with a group of volunteers, and since I and a few others were new to the place, our leader Clare gave us a tour around the area. We found a little tree house made by adolescents from the area. Spooky and sophisticated. Then, we were assigned to different responsibilities.

Initially, I worked collecting leaves that had been pruned at post 8, where, according to our guide, meadow areas are carefully mown to encourage a rich mix of plants. Cow parsley can dominate in spring and nettles in summer, but you may also catch the characteristic aroma of wild onion or spot the flower heads of teasel, an important winter food resource for goldfinch. The meadows are important for insects, and during the summer you may spot butterflies such as meadow brown, gatekeeper, and ringlet, as well as more uncommon species.

We had a coffee break, and then another volunteer and I cut weeds at post 7, where, according to our guide, the island’s ponds were originally dug as carp ponds for the owners of the Shepley Estate in the 18th century. Without management, the ponds would silt up and become overgrown, so sediment is occasionally removed to ensure open water. If you look across the pond, you can see a kingfisher bank they constructed from some of the silt. Kingfishers burrow into sandy banks to create tunnels in which they nest, and have been seen using the bank. During this task, I got stung by Common Nettles, a very interesting experience. Learnt the lesson: do not try to remove invasive species without gloves or proper clothing.

Then she told us there used to be an eucalyptus tree that honored an island’s lover who passed away. However, it was removed since it was not a native species, so we planted a few seeds of another plant in that area.

It was a lovely experience, and I cannot wait to come back next month. Hopefully, the weather will be nice and the common needles will be friendly.