Hythe Environmental Community Group Newsletter Feb 2021 – Community Orchard and Bumblebee Conservation

Community Orchard: In the Community Orchard we were happily able, before Covid lockdown interfered with our plans, to plant up the 18 selected 2-year old half-standard fruit trees that form the heart of the orchard – mostly apples but some pears and plums. Every tree is a different variety, most with Kent connections, but selected to ensure pollination partners are available.

In their first year, any tree will need special attention, and we needed the dedicated group of volunteers who took their exercise y walking to the orchard and watering the trees in the hot summer last year. As a result, all our trees are well and hopefully will blossom and thrive this year. Other group orchard-centric activities have had to be deferred due to the need to socially distance, including hedge planting and path layout – let’s hope for the opportunity to move forward with these and other works such as designing and commissioning information boards for the orchard. We would love to have more people able to be involved and will make sure to communicate our future activities as broadly as possible.

Bumblebee Conservation: We continue to support the Bumble Conservation Trust with some of our members attending training in species identification, carrying out surveys to monitor bumblebee numbers and the flowers on which they are feeding at different times in the year. Habitat improvement is equally important, and we have supported the planting of pollination-friendly plants in suitable areas from Hythe across to Dungeness and working with local farmers and local authorities to give guidance. This project has now been running for 10 years and has demonstrated an 8 fold increase in rare Bumblebees. All of these activities will be continuing in 2021 and if you would like to get involved, then just drop us a line.

Hoping for a return of some normality this year which will allow us to restart many of our group activities such as the Bird and Butte4rfly Walks and Moth Evenings.

If you would like to get more involved or rece4ive further information, then drop us a line to hythecg@yahoo.com