A thunderstorm on the 16th September over Bernards Heath broke the long spell of relatively dry weather in July, August and September, when local gardens and the Heath were looking parched. We’ve only been measuring rainfall and temperature over the last 2½ years, but this was a record. You can find our data here.
These hardy, but small, cyclamen flowers usually appear in autumn and winter and were found in a shady spot on the western side of the Heath.
Damage to bench and ‘tags’ inset right. Do you recognise them?
This oak bench by the Green Ring path, installed by the Friends of Bernards Heath in 2005, was seriously fire damaged overnight on the 30/31 August. A pile of burnt paper/cardboard was left by the path and the bench was smouldering in the morning (see below). Buckets of water put out the source of fire. Read more ›
The Heath has been subjected to drilling work in several areas as a follow up to ‘anomalies’ found in the ground that might be related to the subsidence in the Fontmell/Bridle close area. Work now continues by the children’s play area which is temporarily closed.
Update: Work completed
Photo: DP
Japanese knotweed, showing its characteristic zig-zag branch structure
There have been several outbreaks of the not unattractive, but very invasive plant Japanese knotweed on the Heath, mostly near the old Fire Station and behind the Judo Club. It is a major problem in that it grows very rapidly and can cause serious damage, especially to underground structures. A garden outbreak can easily be a reason to refuse a mortgage application.
Read more ›
Development of an OPM nest on the trunk of an oak tree
As you will probably know, there are a lot of oak trees on the Heath and these could be affected by the oak processionary moth (OPM) following an outbreak in Watford. Read more ›
Thanks Harry for all that rubbish you and others collected. Unfortunately, the chain saw on the right gave up the ghost in the effort.
After determined efforts, Friends of Bernards Heath has now opened up the Dyke so that it is possible to walk along the bottom from the entrance near the Ancient Briton junction to the railway embankment, a distance of about one mile. Read more ›
David Pearce giving young people a taste of hedgerow jelly (or jam) at Bernards Heath Infants School on Global Families Day. Read more ›
A verdant sward of new grass now runs across the Lower Field towards Fontmell Close. This was recently an unsightly mess following attempts to provide access for residents of Fontmell and Bridle Close after the sinkhole appearance last October. Photo: MN.
A slippery steep slope made access difficult during our efforts to clear the bottom of Beech Bottom Dyke, and this has now been addressed by clearing a path near the Ancient Briton Junction. The arrow shows where we started (see above and below). Read more ›
2016 subscriptions now due
Mugs available from the Heath Bakery (Londis) at £5 each
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