Widmer End News Autumn 2024 – by David Field

I can scarcely believe I am writing my regular contribution for the Widmer End News Autumn edition.  Summer, has been a bit of a disappointment with the few days of summer heat last month seeming to be a long time ago now, although as I write this, the good old weather presenter on the Beeb is predicting another “heat wave” albeit for only a couple of days before returning to the cooler and more mixed weather which has characterised this summer.  The apparent reason for the disappointment is now down to the dastardly jet stream, or rather its position in relation to the UK, with it spending most of winter, spring and summer close to our shores, bringing endless areas of low pressure with their associated cool, cloudy, wet and breezy weather our way.  However it’s not a new phenomenon as I recall as a boy my father studying the weather map in the Telegraph during our summer holidays, which showed the areas of high and low pressure.  In those days the prospect of good weather depended on the “Azores High” which, if it moved north, over the Bay of Biscay assured us of fine and settled weather.  It’s no wonder as a nation we are obsessed by the weather!  Hopefully the more settled weather will last and maybe we will get the “Indian Summer” which we have experienced over the last few years.

One topic which has been in the news recently has been the absence of the usual plague of wasps which we normally experience at this time of year.  Having a largish apple tree in my garden, August is a time when we are normally plagued by wasps feasting on the wind fall apples, and happy to sting you in their “drunken stupor” whilst you attempt to collect them up and put them in the bin.  Even before reading the articles in the newspaper I had noticed an almost total absence of any wasps in the garden, and unusually there have been no reports of any nests within the Widmer Fields.  Most years there are a number of wasps nests in the fields either in the ground or more often in an around the trunks of some of the perimeter trees where there are cavities, either in the tree trunks or in the fallen or cut branches, which form a natural habitat for not only wasps but also many other insects.  Whilst these pesky yellow and black striped bugs are normally hated, or even feared by us, compared with our beloved bees, wasps do play a crucial role in the food chain.  I was surprised to read that whilst we normally think of wasps as irritating pests, wasps are actually important pollinators.  Whilst they don’t intentionally pollinate, wasps – of which the article stated there are around 7,000 species in the UK – fly from flower to flower to feed on sugary nectar, accidentally picking up and dropping off pollen along the way.  Whilst they are not as substantial as bees in the pollination business their contribution is still valuable.  In addition it was reported that the absence of wasps will impact us in a number of ways, with a spokesperson from a Peterborough-based pest control company stating that normally at this time of year he is called out to treat some 60 to 80 wasp’s nests.  This year he has only been

called out to deal with eight nests during the same period.  Yet again the fickle finger for this occurrence is pointing to the direct consequences of the wet weather.  A wet winter led to much more mould growth than usual, meaning that the survival rate for wasps was already in decline.  Add to this the humid and damp conditions in spring and summer, along with more flooding, and the consequences for wasps were catastrophic, as they often create their nests in the now – waterlogged ground.  The loss of wasps will also impact us in a number of other ways.  A spokesperson from an insect conservation charity Buglife is reported to have said that “without wasps, our plants are more likely to be eaten by insect larvae which are controlled by wasps”.  This is because, whilst adult wasps feed on nectar, their young feed on other bugs, hunted and killed by their parents.  Without this process the numbers of spiders, caterpillars, aphids and other insects will increase, although this could be beneficial for the bird population, however I am not sure the birds in my garden are aware of this as the number of windfall apples have significantly increased this year as a result of them being pecked by – the birds!

Whilst the number of wasps has significantly reduced, the same appears to have impacted the bees, with bee numbers being similarly down on previous years.  It has been reported that a few people using the fields have noted the reduction in the bee population – and have suggested that this could be due to some of the mowing undertaken by the Trust.  However, we continue to follow the advice which was given to us and incorporated in our Land Management plan, where most of the mowing is undertaken in late August and September after the plants have set seed, although the grass in the Oak field is cut earlier as, in previous years, we have had problems with mildew on the Oak trees which we were advised was probably as a result of increased humidity and lack of air flow under the trees as a result of tall grass.  We also mow the field margins earlier to control the ingress of bramble and blackthorn and of course keep the various “informal” paths mowed to maintain access. On the subject of pollinators, despite the damp conditions there is a gradual increase in the numbers of wild flowers, with Ox-eye Daisies, & Cowslips appearing in late May / June and Ragwort flowering in August.  Whilst Ragwort is a controversial plant, as it contains toxic chemicals which can harm livestock, especially horses it is also a vital food source for many pollinating insects and whilst it is covered by the Ragwort Control Act of 2003, conservationists argue that removing a native wildflower impoverishes our natural world.  Whilst there is no compulsion to remove the plant it will be necessary to control its spread especially if livestock will be grazing on adjacent land.