What's eating the willow?

One of our customers planted a lovely, living arbour in the garden for the kids to play in.  However, it was not only the two-legged critters enjoying the willow.

We think these are the sawfly larvae having a good old munch on the leaves - they practically stripped the plant bare.

According to the BBC website, sawfly larvae skeletonise (good word!) leaves or eat them to transparency, leaving just the veins remaining.  If disturbed, they curl up into an 'S' shape (just as they are doing here).

They are probably under-recorded as a species and come in different groups, often defined by their menu of choice: the gooseberry sawfly, the turnip sawfly; the rose slug sawfly.

Great crested newt habitat creation

Filey Leisure Park

This is a caravan leisure park on the north east coast with a nationally significant population of great crested newts.

JPR Environmental were engaged for Bourne Leisure by Tyler Grange Environmental Planning Consultancy to enhance the mitigation area; an area of fenced off, natural land.

Invasive species continue to plague development sites

January kicked off as a busy month on the invasive species front with a requirement for some extensive Japanese Knotweed management with one of our long-standing clients. The next phase of development is already in full swing opening up the perfect opportunity to excavate and deep bury the remaining stands of Knotweed. Our prime objective is to form a current and specific Species and Soil Management Plan to ensure efficient use of time and resources to eradicate the knotweed on site once and for all.

The perfect pond liner?

Want a practical liner for a pond?  One that blends into the local environment?  Bentonite might be the one.  Once installed, we cover it in compacted soil with the result that the liner is completely hidden.  Standard butyl liners on the other hand, are hard to disguise.

For more information, contact JPR Environmental on 01453 822584 or visit our website at www.jprenvironmental.co.uk

Here's a pond we created in Chepstow a few years ago