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More Wetland Maintenance

Thursday, September 12th 2019

The Foxglove team have been back on the wetland this week and what a difference they have made! The view from the hide has been completely transformed after the removal of more vegetation from the banks and islands. Ideally, this area would be grazed but this delicate series of ponds would not be able to cope with heavy livestock which means that looking after this habitat is very labour intensive.

The first job was to finish locating and marking up the dams and pipes. These are now clear to see and will make life a lot easier for contractors later in the year when they come to carry out important strengthening of the main banks.The yellow flowers in this picture are Sow Thistles which have been left for now.

On Tuesday scrub and coarse rushes were cut and raked up allowing the pools to become clearly defined again.

Tonne sacks were used to drag the cuttings away.

Some of the seed heads were removed from Reed Mace (Bullrushes) to prevent this plant from spreading even more and completely taking over!

Thistles were also pulled out before they had a chance to set seed.

Moving about between ponds was quite a challenge with some of the water being above 'welly' height!

Time lapse photography would have been interesting as people busied about cutting, raking and dragging sacks!

It has been a tough few days in all kinds of weather conditions but the difference is incredible and we promise to do something else next week! 

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Friends of Foxglove

The Friends of Foxglove Covert is for those individuals, families and organisations who would like to support the reserve through an annual membership subscription. Friends receive a regular newsletter and invitations to attend our various activities and social events.

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Upcoming Events

Minibeast Safari 2

Wednesday 12th August 2020 | Various time slots available

Come along and find out which minibeasts are living in some of the habitats at Foxglove. Book a minibeast session for your family bubble of up to six people. There will be a socially distanced brief to set you off and then you can use the equipment for the remainder of the session. You will be requested to use hand gel on arrival and the equipment will be cleaned between sessions. Please call the Reserve Managers on 07754 270980 to book your allocated slot. You are advised to arrive 15 minutes before your allocated time. A donation in advance (card payment by phone) of £5 per family bubble is required in order to secure your booking. 


Family Pond Dipping 3

Wednesday 19th August 2020 | 45 minute sessions on the hour

Come along and find out which animals are living in some of the Foxglove ponds. Book a pond dipping session for your family bubble of up to six people. There will be a socially distanced brief to set you off and then you can use the equipment for the remainder of the session. You will be requested to use hand gel on arrival and the net handles will be cleaned between sessions. Please call the Reserve Managers on 07754 270980 to book your allocated slot. You are advised to arrive 15 minutes before your allocated time. A donation in advance (card payment by phone) of £5 per family bubble is required in order to secure your booking.  There will be a socially distanced brief to set you off and then you can use the equipment for the remainder of the session. You will be requested to use hand gel on arrival and the net handles will be cleaned between sessions. Please call the Reserve Managers on 07754 270980 to book your allocated slot. You are advised to arrive 15 minutes before your allocated time. A donation in advance (card payment by phone) of £5 per family bubble is required in order to secure your booking. 


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The Dragonflies of Strensall and Foxglove Covert
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This book has been published with the aim of enabling people visiting these, immensely important Flagship Pond Sites in North Yorkshire, to identify the dragonflies and damselflies they encounter - by reference to a simple text and photographs. Credits - Yorkshire Dragonfly Group & Freshwater Habitats Trust

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