The Longton Nursery allotments are rich in wildlife, from bats, bees and birds to foxes and pond life. On this page you can find out more about our resident wildlife and the visitors to our Sydenham site, and how you can report sightings.
BatsIf you see bats flying around the site (and that normally happens at sunrise and sunset), please record your sightings by following the link to the GiGL (Greenspaces Information for Greater London) website. It's a simple process but helps to build biodiversity data not only about the allotment site in SE26 but the whole of London.
We know that two species of Pipistrelle bat (Soprano and Common) as well as Noctules and Leisler's bats are using the allotments for foraging. You can record any other interesting and/or unusual species of wildlife that you see around the allotments at GiGL, such as hedgehogs, newts and stag beetles. FoxesSome have a love-hate relationship with foxes, as many of us have had them trampling over our fruit and veg.
However, foxes have never been classified as vermin and are protected under a series of wildlife protection laws against poisoning, gassing, asphyxiating, clubbing, most forms of snaring and other methods of killing, with anyone carrying out such acts liable to up to 6 months imprisonment and/or a £5,000 fine per animal. We have quite a few foxes at Longton Nursery. Protecting your veg with temporary fencing - chicken wire or similar - will help keep them away. Remember that some fertilisers, such as blood, fish and bone or pelleted chicken manure will attract them. If you find a badly injured fox in distress on the site, please contact the Fox Project mobile ambulance on 01892 731565 (9am 9pm daily). Outside these hours call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999. |
HedgehogsHedgehogs are rare these days but if you find one on the site that's injured or in obvious difficulty, please see the Churchley notice board for details of what to do and who to contact (the details are also in the LNAA shed).
Members were given an excellent talk on hedgehogs by Emma Pooley of London Wildlife Trust's Urban Urchins project at the Grove Centre in Jews Walk, Sydenham. She gave us lots of useful information on how we can help encourage hedgehogs on the allotments - read the details here - and report sightings to help build a map of where they live in London. BeesOur resident bee keeper Phil is at Plot 23. His details are below if you'd like to try some of his excellent honey or report a swarm.
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Pond and Bog Life
Our pond and bog are looking much more established now and the native oxygenating plants are growing well, which will hopefully help to keep the blanketweed under control. Barley straw bags have been added to aid with blanketweed control. Please don't add anything to the pond without checking with the Management Committee first.
Frogs have been abundant over the last couple of years while Sue's amazing photos above show a Broad Bodied Chaser dragonfly and damselflies around the pond.
The front of the pond has been planted up with creeping thyme, which will tolerate being lightly stepped on and should be good for pollinators. There are also small flowering bulbs amongst the thyme including alliums and scilla's. The yellow daisy-like plants that have looked so good around the pond over the late summer are Common Fleabane that has been reared from seed.
Froglife visited the site in and delivered a fantastic workshop as part of their London T.O.A.D project.
There is a brief film about the project featuring our pond available to view here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ4CCAsCzvg&feature=youtu.be
Please remember to take care near the pond as it's up to 3ft deep in places. Children must be accompanied and supervised at all times.
We're following guidelines and information in the Wildlife Trust's 'Wildlife Pond Pack' to make the LNAA pond into a fantastic wildlife habitat, so if you'd like to learn more just view the file here:
Frogs have been abundant over the last couple of years while Sue's amazing photos above show a Broad Bodied Chaser dragonfly and damselflies around the pond.
The front of the pond has been planted up with creeping thyme, which will tolerate being lightly stepped on and should be good for pollinators. There are also small flowering bulbs amongst the thyme including alliums and scilla's. The yellow daisy-like plants that have looked so good around the pond over the late summer are Common Fleabane that has been reared from seed.
Froglife visited the site in and delivered a fantastic workshop as part of their London T.O.A.D project.
There is a brief film about the project featuring our pond available to view here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ4CCAsCzvg&feature=youtu.be
Please remember to take care near the pond as it's up to 3ft deep in places. Children must be accompanied and supervised at all times.
We're following guidelines and information in the Wildlife Trust's 'Wildlife Pond Pack' to make the LNAA pond into a fantastic wildlife habitat, so if you'd like to learn more just view the file here:
wildlifepondpack.pdf | |
File Size: | 1535 kb |
File Type: |
Wildlife and Pollinator-friendly Planting
We have plenty of wildlife and pollinator-friendly plants in the border along the path from the Churchley Road gate, including Echinacea, Rudbeckia, Cranesbill, Achillea, Honeysuckle, Hoary Plantain, Ox-eye daisies, Astrantia, Knautia, Digitalis, Verbena and herbs including Hyssop, Rosemary, Lavender, Oregano, Thyme, Feverfew, Sage, Lovage, Bronze Fennel and Chamomile.
Annual flowering plants favoured by pollinating insects have been added previously and 400 Narcissus bulbs were planted ready for spring. A hardwood loggery has been installed near to the gate, and on the opposite side of the path the Hazel hedge has been underplanted with Geraniums and more bulbs. Lots of climbing plants have been added towards the back of the border, including rambling roses, clematis and honeysuckle.
Annual flowering plants favoured by pollinating insects have been added previously and 400 Narcissus bulbs were planted ready for spring. A hardwood loggery has been installed near to the gate, and on the opposite side of the path the Hazel hedge has been underplanted with Geraniums and more bulbs. Lots of climbing plants have been added towards the back of the border, including rambling roses, clematis and honeysuckle.
Some photos of the pond and associated wildlife from the last few years...
Stag Beetle Sighting
Here's a female Stag Beetle spotted flying from the garden at Churchley Road across the path into the allotment pollinator-friendly flower border, where it was photographed resting on a thistle.
This is an exciting sighting and shows that there is a good habitat for these venerable creatures in the area. The sighting was reported to GiGL. |