Horticultural & Wildlife

Alan Harrington, known to many of you for his tree walks, spent his professional life studying mosses. He continues to observe them wherever he goes, and has agreed to come to Holland Park 11am-1pm on Saturday, 10 March 2018, to see what is new since the last walk for us on a similar date in 2017 when he made some interesting finds. Numbers are strictly limited, so please book your place on 020 7602 0304 or on rhoddy.wood@virgin.net. You will need a hand lens of at least 10 x magnification to appreciate fully the beauty and intricacies of these natural wonders.

[Winter 2017]

Ecology Events Sponsored or Run by the Friends

The Ecology team have planned a full and varied programme of talks, walks and events for 2017, all aimed at encouraging children and adults to explore and understand the natural world we are lucky enough to have around us in Holland Park. In order that the events can be free for participants, the Friends will continue to sponsor the walks and talks that are led by independent experts in their field and ensure their costs are covered. Some dates for your diary:

Events sponsored by the Friends

29 April: The Dawn Chorus Walk is an annual fixture for those that are keen enough to arrive at 5 a.m. to hear the birds wake up and start their songs. If the weather is good we also witness the sunrise over Holland Park. Once again, this walk will be led by David Darrell-Lambert. He is clever at identifying the sounds of individual species in what seems a mass chorus, and shares interesting facts about birds as we walk.

29 April: After the Dawn Chorus Walk, David will lead the Family Bird Song Walk, starting at the more reasonable time of 8 a.m. This is a beginners' introduction to the birds found in Holland Park and their calls.

11 May: Bat Walk. Discover the park's flying nocturnal residents with an expert from the

London Bat Group. After an introductory talk, head out on a walk in Holland Park, equipped with bat detectors to help locate these mammals. The talk starts at 8.30 p.m.

More details in our summer newsletter about events later in the year: Wild Plants of Holland Park on 24 June, Parakeets on 6 July and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust on 20 July.

All the above events are free, but you do need to book on ecology.centre@rbkc.gov.uk or 020 7938 8186.

Events run by the Friends

The Friends run a Nature Walk on the first Saturday of each month for which you do not need to book. We meet outside the Holland Park Café at 9 a.m. and choose a route to see whatever is of interest at the time, whether birds, plants or trees.

On 20 May, the Friends have once again invited Dr Alan Harrington to show us some of Holland Park's collection of exotic and native trees and explain how to identify them. He is always ready to share his knowledge of fascinating tree facts and figures. Meet at 11 a.m. outside the Stable Yard. There is no need to book.

The full Ecology programme can be found on the Ecology page of the council website: www.rbkc.gov.uk.

[Spring 2017]