As you may recall, Linda and I are part of a team looking into the state of health of a group of 23 White / hybrid Poplars that define the border of Hemblington Church on two sides. Today we spent a satisfying - if somewhat physically challenging! - morning with our friends Sue and Peter cutting back a deep growth of laurel and bramble that was preventing a close inspection of the Poplars. All the material we cut (and there was a lot of it!) had to be carried from the southern to the northern end of the churchyard, where it could be deposited discretely behind a hedge! As an idea of what this entailed, my 'Fitbit' informs me that the to- and froing totalled 5.3 miles!
After clearing away the scrub we were able to assess all ten of 'our' trees: most were in pretty good condition, but many showed signs of heavy infestation by Hornet Clearwings. I don't think these directly pose a problem to the trees, but at least one cluster of holes was associated with a rotten area that will need further investigation.
I know it's just a few trees around a tiny, insignificant Church, but it felt really good to be doing something practical and worthwhile...
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