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The Great Newt Expedition 2019Steven Heathcote, licensed newt handler, and his colleague Ellie visited ALNR on the evening of 15 April to check our ponds and place bottle traps to (hopefully) capture, record and release any newts that might reside there.
We arrived after sunset and walked round each pond on the Reserve with powerful lights, looking carefully in the margins for movement. We saw smooth and great crested newts in Watts and Beatles Ponds and sharp eyed Steven spotted the characteristic folded leaves where smooth newts had laid their eggs in AAA pond. We returned the following morning and checked the traps that had been left overnight - Beatles Pond yielded a male and female smooth newt and a large dragonfly larva! |
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We have a page on the Lincoln Lottery website - please support us!To buy tickets that support Nettleham Woodland Trust:
Congratulations to one of our Lottery supporters who won
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Spring is sprung!
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3 February 2019Seen on Green Lane at ALNR - a great photo by Susie Mendel
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THANK YOU!!NWT recently received £643 from Lincolnshire Co-op from our time as Community Champions in Nettleham store in late 2018. Thank to everyone who shopped in the Co-op and helped raise the money, which will go towards interpretation boards and nature trails in Monks Wood and Co-op Wood at Ashing Lane Nature Reserve, Dunholme.
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24 December 2018 at ALNR |
Photos by Susie Mendel
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A Forester's Jottings Rod Newborough is the Woodland Advisor for Nettleham Woodland Trust. A professional forester for half a century he has gathered together collection of short stories which he has published in this booklet " A Forester's Jottings"
A unique insight into the life of a forester and excellent value at £3.00 a copy, inclusive P&P. All proceeds to NWT. Order your copy through Paypal... |
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Autumn colours
With thanks to Susie Mendel 10/10/2018
New drone footage of ALNR - summer 2018
With thanks to Richard Ball and Stuart Dallas.
ALNR workday
2 September 2018
We had great weather, perhaps sunshine in excess, food, drink, and even a toilet. So civilised and highly appreciated.
It was a great day’s work by about 30 volunteers from the Coop, the Conservation Volunteers and NWT, contributing on average, I would say, four and a half hours. As you know some regular jobs were repeated. The path to our version of the Humber Bridge was mulched and the nursery bed was weeded and mulched. Some new signs were installed. The rapidly growing shrubs and trees close to some paths were lopped off or more gently trimmed back. The surface weed on Beatles Pond was raked off for the first time ever. There was some mowing of small glades and a major haymaking exercise on the Memorial Garden and South Glade, including some of the Conservation Volunteers taking us back to the Middle Ages with their scythes. Wonderful.
Chris Williams
NWT Chairman
It was a great day’s work by about 30 volunteers from the Coop, the Conservation Volunteers and NWT, contributing on average, I would say, four and a half hours. As you know some regular jobs were repeated. The path to our version of the Humber Bridge was mulched and the nursery bed was weeded and mulched. Some new signs were installed. The rapidly growing shrubs and trees close to some paths were lopped off or more gently trimmed back. The surface weed on Beatles Pond was raked off for the first time ever. There was some mowing of small glades and a major haymaking exercise on the Memorial Garden and South Glade, including some of the Conservation Volunteers taking us back to the Middle Ages with their scythes. Wonderful.
Chris Williams
NWT Chairman
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Please keep dogs on a lead when you visit Ashing Lane Nature Reserve. At this moment sheep are not expected in the meadows, but in any case there is copious wildlife such as deer which should not be disturbed.
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Help us buy a new hexagonal bench for the Monk's Oak.
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The Monk's Oak was planted in 2009 as a living memorial to our benefactor Dennis Monk. Suddenly, the sapling is becoming a tree, having borne acorns and been host to oak gall wasps - it has come of age.
We are planning to take down the fencing and replace it with a lovely hexagonal bench, to be made locally by Knights of Langworth. Will you help us fund this attractive new addition to the woodland? Thank you to our supporters who have already given us £627.30 (including Gift Aid) - half way there! The total we want raise is £1250, which will pay for the bench, delivery, slabs for it to stand on and installation. If you would like to donate, there are a range of options - Paypal, JustGiving, electronic transfer or good old cheque. Click through to Paypal or JustGiving using the links below, or to the contact form to get more details of donating by electronic transfer or cheque. And don't forget to sign a Gift Aid form and send it to us if you are UK tax payer. Thank You |
Woodland ride edge glades and scallops are important vertebrate habitats.
If you go down to the Woods today...
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Look out for the beautiful new resident in Monks Wood.
Sponsored by the Lincolnshire Deer Group and carved from redwood by Nigel Sardeson, this roe deer now stands in it's own glade not far from one of the main rides. For more information about the Lincolnshire Deer Group, visit their website... For more pictures of the sculpture, go to...
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1 June 2018 - spring!
28 May 2018
Can't this squirrel read?
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Red hawthorn in the Memorial Garden.
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20 May 2018 - a very successful workday
About thirty people enjoyed the sunshine at ALNR, working hard to tidy the reserve and complete some important spring tasks. We mulched the new oaks in Cathedral Copse, the rest of the woodchip was spread on the path through the edge of Middle Wood and onto the Bridge, the willow tunnel got a trim, the ground under the pedestrian gate into Cooperative Wood now has a French drain to (hopefullly) prevent the ankle deep mud, some of the picnic tables and benches were oiled and the nursery bed was weeded and mulched.
NWT would like to thank the Coop for coming out with their members and providing lunch for everyone and the Lincoln Conservation Group who put in a sterling performance as usual.
NWT would like to thank the Coop for coming out with their members and providing lunch for everyone and the Lincoln Conservation Group who put in a sterling performance as usual.
17 May New leaves in Cathedral Copse...
...and hawthorn blossom around Sylvia’s Gate
1 May - wild pear and cowslips flowering in Monks Wood
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25 March 2018
Out at ALNR this morning in the warm sunshine, this Prunus species is starting to flower in the AAA meadow, heralding the spring.
3 March 2018
And now the snow! This view of Coop Lake was taken by Rod Newborough
14 February 2018
After all the rain lately, our woodland is very wet. As you can see from the photo, the rides have become extremely muddy, so we ask our visitors to reduce their visits until the paths have had a chance to dry out. Thank you and please tell your friends!
17 January 2018
14/11/17 Rose hips and white poplar near the 'See' interpretive board in the AAA
8/11/17 Male Common Darter dragonfly basking on the new 'Touch' interpretive board in the AAA
Our work at ALNR has been Highly Commended in the category "Urban and Community Forestry Award", from the Royal Forestry Society!
Sara and Robyn Bright represented NWT at the event to collect the certificate. Credit to RFS/Les Starling for photos.
Sara and Robyn Bright represented NWT at the event to collect the certificate. Credit to RFS/Les Starling for photos.
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10 August 2017 - a lovely shot of a common blue butterfly, taken by Rod Newborough
Mark Johnson's latest drone footage
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AAA Nursery Bed
Next time you are at ALNR, go and have a look at the nursery bed in the AAA area in Monks Wood - St Mary's Welton have been! The children have researched what plants the deer won't touch and made a lovely job of sorting out the bed and planting it up on Friday 9 June. It will be very interesting to see how this area grows through the summer and what insects visit. Thank you St Mary's! |
26 May 2017
We are delighted to announce that we reached the final three in the Community category in the Lincolnshire Environmental Awards 2017. We didn't win this year, but are proud of our 'Highly Commended' certificate. Thank you to Chris Williams and Rod Newborough for their presentation to the judges and thanks to the judges for placing us in the final of this category.
We are delighted to announce that we reached the final three in the Community category in the Lincolnshire Environmental Awards 2017. We didn't win this year, but are proud of our 'Highly Commended' certificate. Thank you to Chris Williams and Rod Newborough for their presentation to the judges and thanks to the judges for placing us in the final of this category.
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Clean It Up!
There are a few visitors to Ashing Lane Nature Reserve who do not TAKE THEIR LITTER HOME, but there are other wonderful folk who help us to keep ALNR such a wonderful place to visit and to them a very big THANK YOU! Recent visitors will have noticed the installation of two new bright red dog mess bins, one in the LWT car park and one outside the Threshold into Monks Wood - please make use of these if you are exercising your dog in the Nature Reserve. |
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27 May 2017
Have a look at this video, how different the woods are since the previous drone videos! Also watch out for the barn owl from 0:46 as it flies south over the All Abilities Area over South Wood and out at the bottom right corner of the video at 1:01.
Have a look at this video, how different the woods are since the previous drone videos! Also watch out for the barn owl from 0:46 as it flies south over the All Abilities Area over South Wood and out at the bottom right corner of the video at 1:01.
29 April 2017
Chris Williams has been looking closely at the drone footage that Mark has shot, and has done some research about some of the details revealed:
"Back in the day, I was a historian and of course read about making discoveries of ancient sites by the use of aerial photography to show old lines in arable fields. Well, it also works down Ashing Lane without a lot of sunshine, although what I can see is neither medieval nor Roman nor Iron Age.
The best example is at 38 seconds on [the] latest film, where there is a good view of South Wood. The hedges dividing Monks Wood from Coop Wood (left … or east) and Watts Wood (right or west) are obvious, but there are also two more north-south dividing lines, roughly from top to bottom either side of the South Glade.
These date back to the Dunholme Tithe Award of 1844. If I am right
- the right-hand third was numbered 79, It was known as Hardings Meadow, owned by Edward Watson and farmed by Thomas Moffatt. It was 7 acres, 1 rood and 1 perch in area.
- the other two sections were both numbered 78. They were known as Far Hardings, owned by Eliza Dixon and farmed by John Morris. They were 10 acres, 3 rood and 8 perch in area.
All three were described as ‘Meadow'."
Chris Williams has been looking closely at the drone footage that Mark has shot, and has done some research about some of the details revealed:
"Back in the day, I was a historian and of course read about making discoveries of ancient sites by the use of aerial photography to show old lines in arable fields. Well, it also works down Ashing Lane without a lot of sunshine, although what I can see is neither medieval nor Roman nor Iron Age.
The best example is at 38 seconds on [the] latest film, where there is a good view of South Wood. The hedges dividing Monks Wood from Coop Wood (left … or east) and Watts Wood (right or west) are obvious, but there are also two more north-south dividing lines, roughly from top to bottom either side of the South Glade.
These date back to the Dunholme Tithe Award of 1844. If I am right
- the right-hand third was numbered 79, It was known as Hardings Meadow, owned by Edward Watson and farmed by Thomas Moffatt. It was 7 acres, 1 rood and 1 perch in area.
- the other two sections were both numbered 78. They were known as Far Hardings, owned by Eliza Dixon and farmed by John Morris. They were 10 acres, 3 rood and 8 perch in area.
All three were described as ‘Meadow'."
All Abilities Area
29 March 2017
25 February 2017
Photo by Mark Johnson - thanks again, Mark
New benches in Ashing Lane Nature Reserve
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We are pleased to announce that several splendid new benches have recently been installed in Monks Wood, thanks to a generous grant from the Dulverton Trust and a donation from Waitrose.
The gallery photos show the locations of the benches - you might like to take advantage of them yourself, to enjoy the now well-filled pond in the All Abilities Area or the classroom at the inner end of the willow tunnel. With thanks to the family using the picnic table and the dapper gent in the red jacket for permission to use these pictures. |
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Biodiversity
We like to record the different plants, birds and animals seen at our woodlands, please see the detailed pages in the ALNR menu for more information.
