Well here we are in July, and I guess this subject won't go away for a while. It is, as many of you will undoubtedly know, that  the 14th of this month marks the 3^rd anniversary of the fire on the common. No special events, just a quiet mention and move on.

The legacy though of these events though still dominate my work schedule. The boardwalk network still has a long way to go (having said that, I had the kind help of 4 locals on Sunday 7^th June, we had a great day and some good progress was made, I intend to hold another day this month, see below).

The Bracken, another post fire problem. This invasive fern would quickly dominate the site to the detriment of other plants if not controlled. So it's knapsacks, strange white suits, wellies, gloves and chemicals at the ready during July and August, not my favourite job I must admit.

Last month I encouraged you to get out on the reserve, particularly to the wetter boggy (mire) areas. I hope you made it. This month is no different, a whole new set of plants and animals will be about.

Different species of dragonflies which emerge later in the summer, such as the larger hawker species, and the darters will be dazzling us all. One interesting quirk amongst the dragonflies, is the unique behaviour of the southern hawker, the male of this large species patrols a defined area and will actually come over to the casual observer, seemingly to investigate this new presence in its' territory, then move on back to its' original flight path.

One plant in full bloom this time of year that you can't fail to notice is the bog asphodel. Large swathes of this deep yellow flowering plant, turning a beautiful deep orange as it goes to seed can dominate parts of the mire. This plant did have a rather unfortunate reputation in the long forgotten past. It's local name was "bone breaker", it was thought that this plant was responsible for broken and week bones in cattle, not the case! Heathlands are naturally very low in calcium ( the stuff bones are partly made from), so as they grazed their diet contained almost none, thus the weakening of their bones, and not due to the poor old bog asphodel, this legacy still exists through its' Latin scientific name Narthicium Ossifragum, the second part refers to ossification which is the process bone building.

I am once again planning a boardwalk work day. This will be Sunday 12^th July 10.30 at the Moat car park, on the Thursley road between Elstead and Thursley villages. Working through until 3pm ish ( or as long as you can spare). I will provide all tools and training, wear some old work clothes and footwear and gloves (I have some), bring along food and drink. Please register your interest on the contact details below, so I know how many to expect. I look forward to seeing you there.