Alison Griffies's Page

"Allotments, weedy corners and fancy gardens are all urban havens for bees and other pollinators, a study has found. The widespread decline of bees resulting from the loss of wild areas and pesticide use has caused great concern in recent…"

"Thanks Alison, it is a good read and the ‘comments below the line’ in The Guardian show it was much appreciated by lots of people. The common names for this plant are many, and the comments refer to some of them. I must have a look at…"

"There are several garlic mustard plants (Jack by the Hedge) on the bank near the pond. These are a food source for the larvae of orange tip butterflies. These butterflies seem common this year so hopefully there will be alot of food for their…"

"Well done the pond maintenance team. A great effort. The goldfish is probably one which escaped the heron's efforts last year; I have seen a couple in the pond."

"The fish was not looking too well today - some kind of fungal infection of the fin perhaps? Never mind."

"The pond: before and after some  plants were removed to allow the wildlife to be seen more clearly."

"What we rely is that pond visitors appreciate that its maintenance is all voluntary; and that they might be more careful and clean up after their visit -perhaps they have yet to notice there is a waste bin near the pond, by the park gate into Melita…"

"No... but the "child's" train ticket could indicate a young person was there! Best not to jump to conclusions though..."

"Thanks for clearing it up, Alison. I don't know what we can do - but Wagner's Ring Cycle is worth considering. p.s we don't know it was teenagers, do we?"

"The pond does seem to increasingly attract adolescents - there are always some young people sat there when I visit - most are no doubt OK but I can't help thinking the trend will lead to more rubbish being deposited. Short of piping…"

"This is a lovely site! I added some seed cases from the Pink Campions and Ox eye daisies growing around the pond bank. Hopefully these will germinate and flower next summer."