FOMV

Last week we teamed up with Moss Worlds from the University of Manchester who gave us a very entertaining guided tour of the different mosses growing around the valley. Equipped with microscopes and hand lenses, we learned about the ecological role of mosses as frontier species that quickly take over brownfield sites (note the picture of the button and coat below). It was great to hear about some of the history of mosses, too – did you know, for example, that working Mancunians and other amateurs and enthusiasts gathered, shared and discussed species of moss in pubs and taverns at weekends in Victorian times? It was also interesting to see ferns and other species growing in tufts of moss up in the branches of trees by the river, which is a key sign of temperate rainforest habitats. Thank you to the team from Moss Worlds for their time and expertise. We had a great turnout from the local area and beyond.

On Saturday we started work on our upgrades to the allotment for the coming season, with new polytunnels that our amazing volunteers from the University of Manchester helped to install. We have one more to set up, so please join us from on Saturday 1st March for our next volunteer session (1-3pm) and overlapping allotment open day (2-4pm)! The sun is getting higher in the sky now and our first seedlings (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, aubergines) have already sprouted. Help us plant – and take something home for yourself – on 1st March.

Keep up to date for further guided tours – further local history and wildlife walks are scheduled for March and April.