Simmons Park is looking particularly colourful at the moment thanks to some settled warm dry weather…finally! The front beds are full of a variety of flowering shrubs and bedding plants. A particular favourite of mine the Laburnum has just started flowering and looks and smells fantastic on a warm day.
As some of you may have seen on social media, we now have had three male hedgehogs released into the park from Greatfield Hedgehog Rescue. This locally based Charity just outside Okehampton does sterling work caring and rehabilitating injured and sick hedgehogs and it was a privilege to rehome three of these very useful and also beautiful creatures in the park as we have many feeding stations and houses hidden away in the park grounds.
Staying on the subject of wildlife the ponds are full of life currently with tadpoles, newts, pondskaters, damselflies flittering around and many different larvae if you look carefully.
We sadly lost a large beech tree a couple of months ago above the ponds, but the trunk of these beautiful old tree has not gone to waste and was cut into lengths at a local sawmill by Giles Heard and these will be placed around the park as the signposts informing of the different wildlife that can be seen in the varying habitats we have in the park.
If you’re into your butterflies then give Clapps Wood behind Co-op a visit on a nice warm day - over 8 different species have been spotted in there in the past couple of week. As sad as it was to lose the ash trees in the woods to ash dieback disease, it has opened up the woods to provide great cover for small mammals and also means it is a great area for butterflies. Plus a number of blossoming trees were planted during the replanting scheme and they are aiding the attraction to a range of pollinators.
There is plenty to see, hear and smell in Simmons Park at the moment so do give it a visit and post pictures of what you see tagging the Okehampton Town Council Facebook page in it. Also keep a keen eye out on the summer visitors we have in the park with the swifts flying above and blackcaps, chiff chaffs and, if you’re lucky flycatchers, in the park.
We look forward to seeing you all in the park and if you ever have any questions do please ask away
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Hedgehog
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Hedgehog
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Waterfall
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Butterfly