Willow Emerald Watch

Just 25 years ago, the Willow Emerald Damselfly had only been reliably recorded in the UK on 2 occasions, in 1979 and 1992. A single individual was then recorded in southeast Suffolk during 2007, followed in 2009 by a sudden boom of 400 records of the species from this same general area (SE Suffolk/NE Essex). Since this time, the Willow Emerald has spread rapidly across the south-east of England, gaining footholds in new counties on a yearly basis.

The natural colonisation and spread of this damselfly in the UK is incredible. It is important we track the species in order to understand how it is spreading so rapidly and what might limit the species in the future. For this reason, the British Dragonfly Society (BDS) have developed the ‘Willow Emerald Watch’ project.

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

Slow worm hibernacula at Welland.

Slow worm entering newly constructed hibernacula

Slow worm

JPR constructed some slow worm hibernaculas at a client's site in Welland.  The video shows an obliging slow worm entering its newly constructed home.

Constructing hibernacula as a refuge for slow worms is often a planning requirement on developments and they can provide excellent stops for these reptiles to over-winter.  However, hibernacula constructed with slow worms in mind can enhance refugia for a whole range of animals from insects to small mammals.

Help for the Slad Valley

Gloucestershire County Councillor for the Greens,
Sarah Lunnon next to a log pile on the Slad Brook

Deep in the upper reaches of the Slad Brook (in Stroud, Gloucestershire), among the remains of mills and leats, what can only be described as a revolution is taking place. Rural Sustainable Drainage Systems (RSuDS) have arrived in the Five Valleys - essentially a system of reducing flood risk by using natural processes to hold back flood water up-stream where it doesn't cause any problems.

After much lobbying and encouragement (and cross party support including from County Councillors) the Frome Catchment was selected as suitable for a pilot project by the Environment Agency in 2011 and work started along the Slad Brook and Painswick Stream in 2014. The pilot project is supported by the National Trust, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Gloucestershire County Council and Stroud District Council. It received its primary funding from a body called the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, which enabled a project officer to be employed.

Willow erosion control

Newly installed spiling in the winter

If people have problems with eroding banks next to rivers and streams, live willow spiling installation could be the solution.  This low cost method of erosion control often works in areas that are not so easily accessible for either large machinery or where it would be difficult to transport hard landscaping materials.  If concrete piling or stone gabions are not an option and a gentler, cheaper solution which is better for local biodiversity is required, then live willow spiling could be perfect.

Steart Marshes

Work underway on the Steart Marshes

Working on the Steart Marshes has been one of our favourite projects this year.   We have enjoyed helping The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust turn hundreds of hectares of the Steart Peninsual into both freshwater and saltwater wetlands.  These will become much-needed habitat for wading birds and wildfowl as well as rarer wetland species.  Follow this link from The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust to find out more: http://steart.wwt.org.uk/

Farmyard runoff and compost leachate treatment system

Bristol University has a veterinary school which operates a farm and large dairy unit. The runoff from this unit had caused a pollution incident within a local watercourse resulting in the threat of action by the Environment Agency unless steps were taken to provide a treatment system.

Newt ponds on old Concord site

Filton Airfield in Bristol - the place where Concord used to fly from - is now being redeveloped by BAE Systems.

What BAE need is a habitat for newts that will eventually be translocated from the redevelopment area.

With this is mind, JPR was contracted earlier this year to create two newt ponds with the associated planting - all is going well, on time and to budget, and we are preparing to move off site having finished the work.

The end of the willow season

Teepee by Julia Clarke

The willow season comes to an end as the weather warms up.  Bees are buzzing on the Osier catkins and the last bundles of spiling material are being cut and bundled for the Environment Agency.

Willow customers have produced a range of projects this season including Julia Clarke in London with her beautiful teepees and tunnels.

Here are just a few images of some of the structures which are now gracing gardens and schools.

The price of newt fencing - it's coming down

Unusually in business there is actually a service where prices are falling. The cost of newt fencing has dropped by around 20% in the last 3 years as competition in the market has increased and materials have become cheaper.

People, Ponds and Water Project

Pond protection in England and Wales is to get a welcome level of support after a grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) totalling £1,344,500 to conduct the UK’s largest and most ambitious freshwater monitoring and protection project to date: the ’People, Ponds and Water Project’. The three year project will train thousands of volunteers across the country as ‘citizen scientists’

Diffuse pollution by agriculture

The UK Government has produced a briefing paper on the diffuse pollution of water by agriculture and has summarized measures that have the potential to reduce the effects on waterbodies by agricultural activities.  This can be found here:

 http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/briefing-papers/POST-PN-478/diffuse-pollution-of-water-by-agriculture

In summary: ‘Surface, coastal and ground waters in England suffer from significant pollution problems: 78% of surface and groundwater bodies fail to meet the ‘good’ ecological status prescribed by the EU Water Frameworks Directive. Pollution increases water treatment costs and adversely affects wildlife. Compared to treatment, preventing water pollution at source can have a cost-benefit ratio as high as 1:65.

CABI releases rust fungus to control invasive Himalayan balsam

Himalayan Balsam (image courtesy of CABI)

Himalayan Balsam Rust fungus released

Himalayan Balsam is the bane of many a river managers life, with often the only effective treatment being hand pulling over a number of years.  Now a new agent is possibly coming to the rescue of reducing the impact of this pernicious non-native in the form of a fungus that is host specific.

On the 23 July 2014, the Himalayan balsam rust was approved for release by Defra Ministers making this the first fungal biological control agent to be released against a weed in the European Union.  The release was co-ordinated by CABI under licence from Natural England

Biggest coastal flood management scheme completed

Sunrise 8th September 2014 & the high tide enters the newly
created Steart Marshes -
image from The Environment Agency website

JPR Environmental was involved in the UK's biggest coastal realignment scheme to date - a joint project between the Environment Agency and The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at Steart Marshes on the Severn Estuary.

The Marshes are important in protecting the surrounding land - this is from the Environment Agency's website:

"Rising sea levels are predicted to result in loss of inter-tidal habitat in the Severn Estuary. Steart Marshes will replace about half of this loss and reduce the flood risk for local communities. Just before 7am on Monday 8 September, high tides entered 250 hectares of low-lying land for the first time in centuries...

Malthouse wine making

There's a beautiful vine outside our offices, lovingly tended by the Arboricultural Association (our landlords) which last September, had a mass of grapes, ripe for harvest.  We decided to make some Malthouse Wine - vintage 2013.

Here's Mike cutting some grapes.  We prepared the juice by pulping the grapes through a straining bag (a clean pillow case) into a bucket.  We added sugar and used a hydrometer to check the sugar levels (all impressions were that this was going to be a low alcohol wine from the start).

The juice was left for a few days, decanted into 3 demijohns and then we waited.

If you search 'making wine from grapes' online one result says, "It combines the process of fermentation with the creativity of the winemaker.  The fermentation process starts when yeast is added to grape juice.  The yeast consumes the grape's sugar and converts it to alcohol and carbon dioxide."

Exe Estuary Erosion Control

New video of the erosion control project on the Exe Estuary.  

Turkey Brook Landslip

After a large tree fell into the Turkey Brook at Forty Hall Country Park Estate, the bank of the brook was scoured out by fast flowing water.
Enfield Council contacted us to help with the revetment work and we came up with an unusual solution involving willow planting, gabions, infilling with soil and coir matting to keep the whole thing in place.
All looks peaceful and calm in this photo taken in June but in winter when the works were carried out, it was necessary to keep the water away from where we were working.  A temporary silt barrier was constructed from an impermeable curtain woven with a geotextile and floating oil boom, secured to the base of the riverbed.
The willow is growing well and the bank is much more secure than before - the clients are very happy with the result.