Blackthorn Blossom

Wildlife report  - just in! BP reports this week, that the Blackthorn blossom growing in our young hedge around the bonfire field is in blossom. The blackthorn will produce sloes in autumn, which we will be adding to our jams. He’s also seen a couple of mallards on the pond and down in the woodland greenfinch, bullfinch, nuthatch, long-tail tit and a mistle thrush. Why not pop down to the gardens for a breath of fresh air and see what you can see this week.

Wildlife sightings 12 March 2012

Wildlife report just in! BP always does a weekly walk round the Gardens and records his findings. The warm weather of the last few days has seen insects stirring. All sighted at the Gardens today, a seven spotted ladybird, a bumblebee, and a millipede. Close to our bird hide a great spotted woodpecker and a goldfinch have been spotted. BP also reports hearing a mistlethrush, a buzzard and a greenfinch. New flowers this week, are the lungwort.

Easter Egg Hunt Sat 7 April

Easter Egg Hunt, Saturday 7 April 2012, 11am – 1pm.

Calling all intrepid Egg Hunters! Follow a Trail around the Gardens, answering a nature quiz along the way and at the end, you’ll receive a chocolatey prize for your efforts.

Plants, preserves, Martineau Gardens’ t-shirts, produce and compost will all be available for purchase, plus hot and cold drinks. Enjoy the Gardens in all their spring glory.

Cost: £1 per child, Adults free.

Information: 0121 440 7430 www.martineau-gardens.org.uk  info@martineau-gardens.org.uk

Martineau Gardens, 27 Priory Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B5 7UG

Butterflies sightings

The mild sunny days last week brought our first butterfly sightings, with a Peacock on the Friday (24 February) and a Red Admiral on the Saturday (25 February).

Red Admiral Butterfly, Martineau Gardens

Also, the birds have been more active with Spring approaching.  Some have started singing, including Dunnock, Wren and Nuthatch, and Great Spotted Woodpecker and Treecreeper have both been present.  The treecreeper is a small, inconspicuous brown and white bird that climbs trees looking for insects.  An old name for it is ‘Mouse Bird’.

Several species of fungi have also been found, including Candlesnuff Fungus, Jelly Ear Fungus and Scarlet Elf Cup.

Candlesnuff Fungus / Stag Horn Fungus, Martineau Gardens

Seed Event Sat 3 March

Sat 3 March, Seed Event, Martineau Gardens, 1pm – 4pm.

 Grow something new this year! Join us for an afternoon in the company of Garden Organic, the organic growing charity, to find out more about non-traditional crops like shark fin melon, chickpeas, haloon, mustard and many more.  Experts from Garden Organic will be running a growing workshop and a talk on seed saving  - telling you everything  need to know to try out these crops. There’s even a seed giveaway laid on, so you can get free seeds and information to take home.

It will be a chance to refresh your plans for the gardening year ahead, all in the  surroundings of a beautiful organic community garden. Tea and cake available, picnics welcome.

Dudi Fruit

Jamaican Pumpkin

sharkfin melon

Kodu Seeds

Photo credit: Garden Organic – for more photographs and information about these non-traditional crops, visit Flickr and for mouthwatering recipe ideas, Garden Organic has lots of ideas.

Seed Event : 1pm – 4pm       Free entry.  Martineau Gardens, 27 Priory Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B5 7UG

0121 440 7430 www.martineau-gardens.org.uk

This event is part of the Sowing New Seeds project, funded by the Big Lottery Fund Local Food Scheme  and ensures that the skills for growing non-traditional crops is preserved for the future.To find out more about the people that have been involved visit www.sowingnewseeds.org.uk.

Rare Plant Spotted

A rare non-native plant found last year, at Martineau Gardens, that has kept the experts guessing, has finally been confirmed as the tooth-pick plant (Ammi visnaga (L.) Lam). A garden volunteer was weeding an area around the sundial lawn and spotted a plant that she didn’t recognise. Our wildlife advisor, Brian Perry (pictured here) , called in Mike Poulton (Botanist for the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust) who took a sample which was sent to the Botanical Society for the British Isles (BSBI) referee for alien plants Dr J. L. Mason who confirmed our find. Mike says: “The Martineau Gardens tooth- pick plant find is a first for Birmingham.” The plant is an annual, so we will have to see if it returns.

Fungi in the Woods

We have been appreciating the fungi in the woods today. I am told by BP our wildlife recorder, that the mild weather has extended the season for mushrooms and toadstools. Today I have just been shown wood blewit, milk cap, bell cap and a wonderful shaggy parasol nestling in piles of leaves in the wildlife area of the Gardens.

Why not come down to the Gardens this week and see if you can find any fungi? You’re welcome to borrow a field guide to help you with a fungus walk whilst you’re here. Have a look at these pages on the Woodland Trust’s website for further details.

Seasonal Greetings Cards

Robin on the Liquidambar Tree, Martineau Gardens

Sundial on a frosty morning at Martineau Gardens

The Gardens on BBC 1

Martineau Gardens will be on national TV this Saturday!

Tune in to a short piece on ‘The National Lottery: Secret Fortune’ which starts at 8pm on BBC1, on Saturday 10^th September. OPAL (the Open Air Laboratories Project) selected Martineau Gardens to be the venue for the promotional film to support its bid for the finals of the National Lottery Good Causes in the Best Environment project category. The film is short – just over two minutes long, but it’s a chance for you to see scientists and children exploring the environment, together, in our beautiful gardens. A great example of the educational work that goes on here.

We’ve Won a Green Flag Community Award

We’re delighted to announce that Martineau Gardens has been awarded a Green Flag Community Award for a second consecutive year.

The Green Flag Award Scheme has given Martineau Gardens  a ‘thumbs-up’ ,  in recognition that the site is a well-managed and welcoming place, central to the local community. We celebrated the good news on the official announcement day (Monday 25 July 2011) by unfurling the flag and inviting visitors to join us for a cuppa and home-made scones. Martineau Gardens is a community-run garden that’s open for free to the public. This award is a tribute to the dedication of our volunteers who work hard to keep the gardens a beautiful and tranquil spot for Birmingham people to come and relax in. If you haven’t been to the Gardens recently, come down  and enjoy them in all their summer glory. In the orchard, pears, apples, mulberries and figs are ripening; there’s shade and tranquillity on the sundial lawn and the glimpses of darting dragonflies really lifts the spirits. And, if you’ve enjoyed yourself, why not go to www.greenflagaward.org.uk and vote for us in the People’s Choice Award to win a further award.