scots pine patch - this Area Is Changing

​As you may have seen, the signs have been up for a while saying that there were plans for the small fenced-off area where the children’s playhouse used to be. We wanted to improve the habitat to provide food and shelter for a range of mammals, birds and insects so we’re increasing the number of native trees and shrubs; in 2026 we’ll be working on the wildflower patch.

Already there are several tree species there, though many of them are not native to the UK. There is a fully-grown horse chestnut, four Scots pines, two black pines recently planted by the council, the fallen Lombardy poplar (happily sprouting again from the roots), several ash saplings and an osier willow sapling. 

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Prior to the work, these metal cages protected the Black Pines from damage (above), but have now been removed to enable the pines to flourish (below).

The hedgerow marking the Ardagh boundary has hawthorn, elder, hazel, dog rose - and brambles. The council has just responded to our request to take away the mesh tree guards which had become straitjackets round the black pines.

FoHC volunteers have now collected a number of naturally regenerated tree and shrub seedlings from the immediate area of the common and have transplanted them among the existing trees to form an understorey – a lower layer beneath the canopy of the tall mature trees. Spindle, blackthorn, hawthorn, dogwood, wild cherry and oak are all now nestling in the grass and will be dormant there for a few months. We hope they will survive the winter and come to life in the spring.

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You can clearly see here that the fallen Lombardy Poplar is sprouting from its roots.

The most noticeable mammals on the common, of course, are the grey squirrels. They don’t hibernate so will have been “squirrelling away” nuts, fruits and seeds on which they will feed during the winter. With our new plantings they will hopefully have a lot more to choose from in the years to come!