Laying a Hawthorn hedge along the Blueway.
Greenane has become an important site for us in terms of improving biodiversity and habitats. We are naturally limited to working during the non nesting season, but this is often when water levels are at their highest. This year we moved operations to the other end of the Greenane river walk. This begins on slightly higher ground before it falls away to flood levels. With this section now laid, the view as you enter the site is a joy to behold and opens up the vista for walkers. Cutting willow for use in the tying down of hedges has also improved biodiversity, using natural materials as would have been traditionally done.
Following on from our workshops in 2024, we returned to Greenane late last year and early this year to expand our work on laying the hedge. The annual flooding of this wonderful floodplain got in our way but the work we did is blooming and we will return in the autumn.
Part of our Pollination corridor runs along the Blueway through an area called Greenane. Following on from aworkshop which reawakened some old half forgotten skills in a couple of our volunteers, we set about exploringthe possibility of laying the Hawthorn hedge that lines the Blueway along Greenane. We had an educationalmorning showing the other volunteers all we had learned. The subsequent laying has proved to be a greatsuccess. Going forward we plan to lay the whole hedge. We met with the Community Water Officer and discussedusing this river side hedge to promote the importance of strong biodiverse planting in flood areas and themaintenance of such planting.
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