Not long now.....

The hedges have been layed, planted up, and watered ........

Moths have started to be caught in the trap.......

 

Oak Beauty

The first bumblebee, wasp, and hoverfly have been seen.................................

  

And in just two or three weeks the swallows will return, and there's a new home ready in the shed........

Chainsaw Massacre

A gappy, old and dying hawthorn hedge on one side, and a field maple hedge becoming a row of trees on the other, meant one thing - chainsaw massacre.

After checking out the Hedgelink Website (all about hedges and how to care for them) it was clear that the way forward was to lay the hedges. Hedgelaying is the traditional method of restoring a hedge - and it's great for increasing wildlife value.

Bank Vole - hedge resident

I did consider doing the job myself but the scale, 70 metres, really needed a professional, so I called in the services of Paul Owen who is an accredited hedgelayer based in Northumberland. A list of accredited hedgelayers can be found on the National Hedgelaying Society website.

Paul did a great job, and I can recommend him without hesitation............

Work in progress

Field Maple

Hawthorn nicely finished off with willow bindings,
gaps planted up with whips of local provenance.