See below for a short piece, written by me, for the Kenilworth Weekly News. The original was printed without editing.

 

Digging the Dirt…on Ditches!

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Out of sight of the car driver, by their very nature a magnet for rubbish, how many of us have ever spared a thought for The Ditch?

• When a piece of land is purchased, whether for grazing, housing or a building such as pub, school or business, there may already be a ditch along one edge.

• Quite naturally, the new land owner then builds a wall, erects a fence or plants a hedge on their side of the ditch. The wall/fence/hedge is then recognized as the boundary and the Poor Old Ditch is left out in the cold!

•  Attention is only paid to the POD if it becomes blocked, over flows and flooding occurs.

Most of us are aware by now, of the tragedy of the nation sized islands of plastic in our oceans. How aware are we of the rubbish in ditches, at the other end of the size spectrum? The cans, water bottles and other plastic are clearly visible as we walk past. What heavier, hazardous material lurks beneath the undergrowth?

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Next time you are using the pavement on Leyes Lane, glance towards the hedge. Whether discarded by pedestrians, compelled to the lowest level by the wind and gravity…or thrown mindlessly from car windows, you may be surprised by the quantity of waste in the POD. And, as in the sea, much of it will take centuries to break down.

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Yet when cleared, and kept clear, what an amazing habitat and refuge! Rather than being smothered and suffocated by our laziness, this tiny patch could host a wealth of wildlife…living literally and naturally alongside us.

 

On Saturday, members and supporters of Kenilworth Green Party extracted 15 bin bags of debris. Together with our Town Council candidate, the enthusiasts then sorted the rubbish for recycling. See photos taken before, during and after.

Are there other local PODs you’d like to tell us about? Please contact us...

Tracey Drew

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Secondly, the opening page of a short story written

for children (unpublished).

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Once in a while, a younger bee, butterfly or person sets themselves a goal. Then, no matter what obstacles get in their way or how long it takes, they work and strive to achieve that goal.

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Rob, a Red Admiral butterfly, was just such a one. He was happy enough you can be sure. He lived in the wildflower patch where he spent his days playing and sleeping, sipping nectar and occasionally helping with the chores. Meanwhile, his friends were spreading their wings and starting to explore. Rob watched the young bees, butterflies, hover flies and beetles venturing out of their homes, to the orchard and on over the fence. Even with his wings of red, black and white, among the most splendid of all the insects, Rob was the only one too scared to join in.

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Other insects visited them sometimes from further afield. Like Danny the Dragonfly who flew along the banks of the stream, all the way from the pond.

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“Why do you stay in your patch?” Danny asked Rob, “you are missing a whole world of wonderful things…and it starts on the other side of the fence!”

 

“I’m happy here for now,” Rob replied, “Maybe one day…”

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Danny thought “one day” was a bit slow in arriving; he wanted to share all the sights, sounds, tastes and smells he’d come across with his friend. He hatched a plan that would work with a bit of help from the buddleia bush.

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Buddleia, or Bud as she was known, was covered with silvery leaves and had beautiful, purple, cone-shaped clusters of flowers on her long, slender branches. She towered over the smaller wildflowers and the best time for playing amongst her branches was when the wind was blowing. With Bud’s foliage and flowers billowing and buffeting, the insects could imagine...

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