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Wasp Nest Beauty

Friday, December 23rd 2016

The last Friday before Christmas – how time flies! Thank you to Colin and Charlie who came in to help today. We appreciate that it can be a busy time of year!

One of the jobs for today was cleaning out the last of our small bird boxes. The wasps had filled this one with a beautiful domed nest, which they no longer need as each nest only lasts one season.

As well as the more typical hole at the bottom of their oval nest, these wasps appear to have been practically minded and also had a hole in the side to line up with the entrance hole of the bird box!

The nest is made of chewed wood pulp (it’s a bit like paper) and is a fascinating piece of engineering, with a series of layers on the outside (viewed here from the hole in the bottom) and tessellating cells inside in which wasp larvae were raised.

This box also contained a couple of lacewing, who perhaps found it a cosy place to hibernate. These are handy critters to have around if you’re a gardener as their larvae are voracious consumers of aphids.

By mid-afternoon the weather had got wetter, windier and wilder, but there were still a couple of little jobs that needed sorting outside so we wrapped up and braved the outdoors! We’re still smiling!

A well earned and warming cup of tea to finish!

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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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