Hedge Walk Cancelled due to Covid Sunday 21 August Litter Pick 10-12
Leaf Drop in the Copse by David
Report of Tree Walk with Bettina
European Cricket Heard in Park
Alyson's Rubbish Tapestry
Gladstone Gardening Group Report
Brent in Bloom Competition Closes 19 August
Help Brent Council Prevent Illegal Motor Scooters
Let's Talk Climate: Have your say: Link
JOIN EASY FUNDRAISING Nominate FOGP as your Charity
AMAZON: When buying choose FOGP as your Charity
Memorial Benches. How to buy one. New Photo
POLICE: New Info for reporting Mopeds in the Park
This Saturday's (20 August) Hedge walk is cancelled due to Covid Our apologies.
Photo: Betony along hedge
LITTER PICK SUNDAY, 21 AUGUST FROM 10-12
Meet at the Anson Road entrance
What3words: ///scuba.going.soup
Litter picks and bags provided. Wear gloves and sensible shoes.
Do join us to pick the edges and hedges, the parts Veolia doesn't reach. In particular the children's playground areas need clearing. I was shocked to find glass in the lower playground Children welcome
Leaf Drop this Summer by David The photo shows the copse not in autumn but in late July. Leaf drop is not unusual as summer proceeds. I have a similar photo from 2017. What is different this year is the amount of leaves that have been discarded due to the lack of rainfall and very high temperatures.
Trees transpire, or lose water, at the rate of up to 90% of their intake. During a drought they protect themselves by retaining as much water as possible at the expense of some of their foliage. This loss of leaves in old, diseased and young trees can prove fatal as an unhealthy tree that has discarded most of its leaves is unable to convert sunlight into enough sugars and carbohydrates. This food is vital for growth.
If this year's temperatures becomes the new normal then repeated drought will take its toll on existing tree stock. It will not as visually dramatic as a forest fire but in the long term just as destructive especially when we are relying on trees as a major component of carbon capture.
Report of Tree Walk with Bettina We started with the common ash, Fraxinus excelsior.
1) We discussed what is meant by a leaf, whether it is a simple leaf, like an oak leaf, or a compound leaf like an ash which can have between 9 and 13 leaflets.
2) We learned that where a 'leaf' meets a branch there is a bud in the axil. This bud contains a whole leaf ready to grow and sometimes the tree flower is within the same bud. We looked at the buds of the ash which are black and mitre-shaped.
3) A twig is a this year's growth. Last year’s growth is called a branchlet. They are separated by a circular scar.
We moved on to another British native, the field maple, Acer campestre. This has a simple leaf which mostly has 5 points.
4) We looked at whether leaves were alternate or opposite on a twig. The leaves of the field maple were opposite.
5) Studying the veining of the leaves we found that the field maple has veins starting from the leaf base and are palmate ie like one's palm.
6) It is of interest whether there are serrations or not around the leaf margin. There were no serrations on the field maple whereas a sycamore, with a similar leaf shape and also with opposite leaves has serrations.
7) The seeds or samara of the field maple are not angled, whereas the seeds of a sycamore are at an acute angle.
8) Lastly when looking at leaves it is important to look at the underside of a leaf. The underside of the leaves of the red maple, Acer rubrum has a silvery blueish greyish colour and the leaf has forward-pointing lobes
Photos: Field maple samara or seeds and the black buds, old flowers and new leaves of an ash
European Cricket Heard in the Park???
I was contacted by Enrico who sent me a recording of what he thinks is a European cricket chirruping in the park, the first he has heard.
I have sent his recording to the London Natural History Society's cricket and grasshopper expert and we await her response.
Alyson's Rubbish Tapestry!!
Alyson from the gardening group has been working on a tapestry made from discarded waste, enthusiastically collected by the gardening group for her. The orange and reds designs are the plastic netting bags around oranges, the green around limes and vegetables, along with plastic bags as you can see from the rear! Watch out for her Christmas decorations in the walled garden!
Gladstone Gardening Group
What joy to have some rain. All the group have been doing recently is trying to keep some of the plants from dying and trying to ensure the late blooming plants flower rather than give up.
But we succeeded in establishing marigolds in the hot-coloured beds despite the weedy seedlings we grew which we hope will seed themselves around filling in gaps.
We are trying to plant drought tolerant perennials of which there are quite a few and one of the successes this year has been Calamintha nepeta, photo, which, along with the perovskia, or Jerusalem sage, (now re-named as a salvia) is flourishing. It's not an in-your-face plant but it nestles well under the perovskia enhancing its colour. The well known Stachys byzantina, or lambs ears, is also flourishing. That too is a recent introduction that has romped into bare patches in the blue beds. And I tossed some seeds around on the day before it rained weeks ago and am thrilled by the eschscholzia, photo below, or Californian poppies that made it despite the drought and are flowering profusely along with the phacelia, another tough plant we seeded.
BRENT IN BLOOM ENTRIES CLOSE 19 AUGUST
How to win an award. Follow link below: Brent in Bloom Application Form You have just over 5 weeks to enter your or a friend's front garden, window box or wildlife garden. Do you know of a communal garden or a business that you think could win? There are categories for junior gardeners under 18 as well.
BRENT COUNCIL WANT INFO ON ILLEGAL MOTOR SCOOTERS CROSSING THE PARK
Brent Council's Kelly Eaton would like anyone seeing motor scooters illegally crossing the park which have clear signs of the company the rider is working for to inform them by email as below. If you notice the time of scooters crossing the park and whether that is a regular occurrence that would be helpful. Brent will take it up with the companies involved.
Email: brent.parks.services@brent.gov.uk
LET'S TALK CLIMATE: BRENT COUNCIL
Samantha Haines at Brent Council is asking Brent residents to participate as below:
The climate emergency means the way we do things as a council and as a community has to change. We have launched Let’s Talk Climate: waste and green space to ask for your views on what we can do differently and what you expect from us as we work together towards a cleaner, greener Brent.
We are looking for fresh bold ideas. Your feedback could change how waste and recycling is managed, how we keep streets clean and how green spaces are maintained. It will also feed into the delivery of our Climate Strategy and help shape the future of Brent >> Watch this video to learn more, then get involved and start sharing your ideas
DO PLEASE JOIN EASYFUNDRAISING IT IS SUCH AN EASY WAY TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FRIENDS OF GLADSTONE PARK.
For example if you buy anything from John Lewis they donate 2% of the value to the Friends! These donations help the Gladstone Gardening Group to buy tulips, alliums and other bulbs for spring colour and contribute to the perennial beds in the walled garden.
HELP MAKE YOUR PARK EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL BY CONTRIBUTING
RAISE MONEY FOR THE FRIENDS OF GLADSTONE PARK
VIA EASY FUNDRAISING
A huge variety of companies are paying charity donations via the website Easy Fundraising.
Follow the link below and nominate the Friends of Gladstone Park as your charity. Download the app which allows you to see which companies support charities this way when you use your browser. https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/panel/ AND VIA AMAZON SMILE https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/1180529-0
We will use your funding to encourage the park's wildlife, plant in the walled garden and copse and for projects to enhance the park
MEMORIAL BENCHES: MORE NEEDED AS WE WOULD LIKE SOME ALONG THE NEW CYCLE PATH AND IN THE PEACE GROVE. People like to rest, stare at the sun, comfort their baby or just admire the view when walking the park especially along the new cycle track where there is just one bench at present.
Is there a loved one you would like to remember and think about when visiting the Gladstone Park?
PHOTO: Husband and wife, Paul and Yvonne with Helen A taking a welcome break from gardening. COST: Email: brent.parks.services@brent.gov.uk
or speak to Brent Council on 020 8937 5619
NO MOPEDS PERMITTED TO DRIVE IN THE PARK If you see a moped in the park, photograph it with the number plate visible and take down details of the time and where you saw it. Email your ward SNT as below and the police have agreed to follow this up where there is sufficient evidence.
Mopeds are not allowed to drive through the park and people are not allowed to sleep in the park. If you have information about mopeds, rough sleeping or antisocial behaviour:
Email or Tweet your ward, either Dollis Hill, Dudden Hill or Mapesbury Safer Neighbourhood Team, (SNT), as below.
Do not put yourself at risk by taking photographs of people, but make a note of registration numbers, descriptions, time and location.
Remember that the SNT can only follow up messages when they are on a working shift, so they should not be contacted about urgent issues.
PHONE 999 if the suspect is nearby or if anyone is hurt or in danger. If you see a weapon or drug dealing and the dealer is visible, call 999. If you find a hidden stock of drugs, call 999.
