We had a good turnout of gardeners who bought vegetable plants for their plot or attractive shrubs for their borders.
Children had a go at digging, as well as sowing mini-wildflower meadows, and planting beans in a paper pot they made themselves.
They also had fun pond-dipping and bug-hunting in the wildlife areas, and we were pleased to identify a wide range of creatures in our two-year old pond, as well as in our wildflower meadow.
IBC Wildlife and Education Ranger Ed Boyle deserves a special mention for leading such excellent sessions with the children who came along to enjoy the day.
Ed’s ‘Creatures from the Deep’ list:
Ed says: here’s what we found whilst pond dipping:
Freshwater Hoglouse
Water Beetle (not sure which specific species- possibly one of the Noterus species)
Pond Skater
Common Pond Snail (not sure which specific species)
Freshwater Shrimp
Phantom Midge Larvae
Non-biting Midge Larvae
Mayfly Larvae
Damselfly Larvae (not sure which specific species)
Lesser Water Boatman
Water Mite (not sure which specific species)
Tadpoles (probably common frog)
A couple of young people, as well as families, helped Lead Horticulturist Ric Staines weave willow for the border of our herb spiral, learning skills to create attractive features in their own gardens.
Thanks go to Bryony Rudkin, IBC and Suffolk County Councillor, who awarded funds from her Locality Budget to help make the day the success it was.