Barnsley Nats brings together people who share an interest in natural history and the wildlife of the Barnsley area. We have a programme of meetings and field visits throughout the year. Meetings are beginning again in September 2022 at Barnsley Town Hall. Field visits are taking place on the first Saturday morning of each month and on some Wednesday evenings in the summer. See our programme page for details.
Gordon and I are lucky enough to own the field beside our house. It has clay soil and had a persistently boggy area near a sycamore tree which locals said was a spring. We hired a digger and with the help of a contractor dug a sizeable hole last year. We are very pleased that this has been filling up nicely over winter and, in spite of some naysayers, has remained full to overflowing.
We are now thinking of planting some rushes and other flora to encourage wildlife, and would be happy if anyone could share some local experience of this. In particular plants that may encourage the water to clear if possible.