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February 2024 February 2024
making bird boxes, bug hotels and planters etc
we also do a lot of talking and drinking coffee. BERE REGIS WILDLIFE AND
We have completed and refurbished the table ENVIRONMENT GROUP
tennis table and that is available for people to
play a game.
Spring
If you are interested in coming along and
doing any of the above or your own small It is only February but thankfully there are already
project, call in and see us you will be very some promising signs of Spring – throughout the month
welcome. lengthening daylight hours will become more
Have you checked out our Pop In Place noticeable; early bulbs are starting to flower, be they
website popinplace.org garden bulbs such as snowdrops or native bulbs such as the yellow flowering
lesser celandine providing a good source of nectar for any insects that may
For More information call Alison Bennett 01929 emerge; catkins are showing in the hedgerows and ponds will soon have
472023 frogspawn in them; and on any welcome warmer days there may be some early
butterflies to be seen, such as Brimstone, Orange Tip, Peacock or Red Admiral.

Squirrels
POETRY CORNER You’ll know that the red squirrel is our
Open All Hours native squirrel. Its latin name is Sciurus
vulgaris. You might say there is
He will not know what to do, Will not be able to function. nothing vulgar about a red squirrel
But I cannot, for a moment, think, Maybe, he’ll just stay in bed and there isn’t! They are delightful
He’ll be other than wide awake, And simply see what comes, creatures with their orangey-red fur,
bushy tail and tufted ears as
Having not slept a wink. As for this one day in the year, pictured. The latin word ‘vulgaris’
His mind will have been in overdrive, Jagtar sits and twiddles his thumbs. appears after the names of many
It will not have been able to stop, animals and plants. It simply means
But, what on earth will he do, My heart goes out to Raj. ‘common’. Sadly, the red squirrel is
Without Bere Regis Village Shop? His poor devoted wife, far from common nowadays. It has not been seen in this area (other than on
Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour) for a very long time and is extinct over most of
Maybe, he’ll just stay in bed For whom, today will body-swerve, England and Wales.
And simply see what comes, Their carefully structured life.
As for this one day in the year, How on earth will she cope? The grey squirrel’s Latin name is Sciurus carolinensis. This points to its American
Jagtar sits and twiddles his thumbs. She will need to find a way, origins in North and South Carolina. Apparently grey squirrels were first introduced
to England from North America in 1876 as an ornamental species to populate the
Twenty-four hours of gritted teeth,
For sure, he will be fidgeting, Then, roll on Boxing Day. grounds of stately homes. Around 30 separate introductions occurred until 1930.
His nerves will be out on a ledge. Maybe, she’ll stay in bed too, By then, the damage caused by the grey squirrel was recognised and it was
made illegal to release a grey squirrel to the wild. A debate has been going on as
His mind, flitting around the shelves, And simply see what comes, to whether the decline of our red squirrel population is simply down to
As it pushes itself to the edge. As for this one day in the year, competition from the grey. Certainly the grey has played some part in the
The well-oiled machine, Jagtar sits and twiddles his thumbs. elimination of the native red squirrel over most of England and Wales, if only
Will simply lose its unction, because they carry a virus which is more lethal to the red. It is ironic that the wild
And village life as we know it, Paul J Openshaw December (2023) mammal easiest to see is one that does not belong here.

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