Stag Beetles start life underground as a larvae, and munch their way through rotting logs for seven years or so before emerging as an adult beetle. So when you make a loggery, the first step is to dig a hole...
Then tip your logs in and fill in the gaps with soil...
Then stand back and feel smug and accomplished for a while...
Then go get a cup of tea.
Thanks again to Skanska and the London 2012 Biodiversity Team for the logs. And an extra-special thanks to Helen, Stuart, Gareth, Suzanna and Russell for the mammoth digging effort!
Funtastic. I'm sorry to have missed it. Definitely envy your beautiful long-handled American spade, they seem to be hard to get over here.
ReplyDeleteTim
Never fear Tim! We'll definitely be adding to the loggery in future. Pretty soon the beetle mansion will become a beetle metropolis! And yes, it's a beautiful spade - but it's actually from Mexico. And it's made from melted down guns that an artist named Pedro Reyes collected as part of his Palas por Pistolas project. He gave the shovel to the meadow after we planted a tree together on Mabley Green.
ReplyDeleteMore details here: http://mableymeadow.blogspot.com/2010/10/make-walnuts-not-war.html
Thank you for sharing this awesome piece of work with us! Good job!
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