Wom Brook Blog

An essential constituent in any healthy stream has to be a good supply of plant life. Not only do these provide a source of food for plant-eating aquatic animal life that can also be found co-habiting in the Wom Brook, but due to the plants�__ efforts to produce their own food supply (startch), a bi-product of that process is oxygen.

Most aquatic animal life must extract oxygen from the water in order to live-and so the delicate balance of life in the Wom Brook can be maintained. Any accidental discharges of chemicals into the stream (which regrettably has occurred in previous years) can adversely affect this balance, by making the water either too acidic or conversely too alkalinic, thus decreasing the oxygen levels in the water, and at the same time these highly toxic chemicals can kill the plants.

A recent survey by the Friends of Wom Brook group found the above aquatic plant-Canadian Pondweed, (elodia Canadensis) growing in the Brook.

More information about Canadian Pondweed available HERE

October
Thursday 5th Working Party
Saturday 7th Working Party
Saturday 21st -Family Event- WILD ART ideas & search for materials to create a picture or model with an Autumn theme.

Please Note:
Working Parties involve litter collection / plant and animal habitat management. Please bring gloves.
All work parties and events 10am-12 noon. Meet Gravel Hill picnic benches unless otherwise stated.

This was taken close to the old Wombourne Railway Station, which now serves teas on weekends during the warmer months of the year. The scene looks south along the Railway Walk-towards the centre of Wombourne. The Railway Walk is a very popular route for walkers, runners and cyclists, and is usually quite a busy thoroughfare on a Sunday.

Local athletics clubs make good use of it not only for training events, but several times a year stage triathlons along it, with the swimming stage being held at Wombourne Leisure Centre.

Do you know anything about the history of the Railway Walk? We’d welcome any information you have in the Comments section below!

Thursday 5th October-Working Party, 10am-12 noon.
Saturday 7th October-Working Party, 10am-12 noon.
Saturday 21st October-Family Event- WILD ART-ideas & search for materials to create a picture or model with an Autumn theme. 10am-12 noon-meet Gravel Hill picinic benches.

Please note-Working Parties involve litter collection/plant & animal habitat management. Please bring gloves.
If you require further information, please leave a comment below:

One of the July entries in this blog made reference to the shortage of rainfall that combined with the high temperatures being experienced at the time, forced many younger trees to shed some of their leaves prematurely.

Trees lining the Brook fared better-and as they are usually well supplied with water, they kept their leaves, and in turn attracted these buff-tipped caterpillars(arrowed) which happily fed on leaves, providing them with both with nourishment and water.

Another regular aspect of the Friends of Wom Brook’s conservation work is clearing driftwood from the Brook. Natural processes such as storms, high winds, and seasonal changes cause branches of varying sizes to break away from the trees and fall into the water. Often these tangled accumulations form natural dams, with an accompanying build-up of water.

This has lead to localised flooding along some stretches of the Brook in the past, with areas of the Walk becoming indistinguishable from the Brook itself! (Fortunately this has not happened for several years).

South Staffordshire District Council attend to such problems, but since the formation of the Friends Group, this has now become a more manageable task, and usually several times a month, members of the Friends Group are joined by volunteers from local industry and business in this work.

Arrangements are made with the council to collect the driftwood, thus maintaining the flow of water along the Brook.

(Can you see a rope swing in the above photo? )

Walking (or riding a bike as I do) along the length of the Wom Brook as it passes from east to west through Wombourne, you may well see several rope swings. Having been brought up in a rural environment myself, it was a common feature during long school holidays to join with a group of other youngsters, track down some sturdy rope, and then the best climber amongst us would scramble up a suitable tree, tie the rope to a sturdy branch, while others in the meantime would find a thick branch to act as a seat for the swing.

As I recall there was little argument while we all engaged in that purposeful activity, and we all took turns on the swing later. No adults were on hand to urge caution, or to supervise us.

On a recent check of the bridges in part preparation for the signage to be fixed to some of them, I met the young people in the above photo-all enjoying the use of the home-made swing, quite happily engaged in their activity, with no one seeming in any hurry to return to a PS2, X-Box or engage in mischief!

How many of us reading this will recall a similar engaging experience, as no doubt would our parents and their parents before them. Such green spaces as adjoin the Wom Brook enable such activities to be perpetuated. Hopefully when the young people in the photo become parents themselves, they too will encourage their children to continue this age-old tradition.

The above photographs provide some idea of the range of technology employed by television production teams these days.

The left-hand picture shows the producer previewing the film currently being recorded by the cameraman in the right-hand picture �__ he was filming some of the sticklebacks and water scorpions at the time, which can just be seen on the mini-TV screen. The television pictures are being sent wirelessly from the camera to the preview machine, in much the same way as we are able to use video calls on mobile phones.

The above photo shows a couple of water scorpions caught by the Friends of Wom Brook, identified and then returned to the stream. This process was filmed by the BBC.

The water scorpion is in fact an insect, and not a member of the scorpion family! They feed on water fleas, water worms, water lice and small insect larvae. Notice their large front legs, which resemble a scorpion’s pincers. The water scorpion uses these to grab hold of its prey.

Their presence in the Brook would provide food for other wildlife often seen during the spring.

The sting-like tube is a kind of snorkel-a breathing tube-which it uses to breath air before diving to the bottom of the Brook to hunt for food.

Along with the other aquatic creatures found in the Brook on the day of the filming, these creatures are further proof that the Brook is healthy enough to sustain life.

Early autumn is naturally associated with harvest time, when
during this particular season in the year fruits and vegetables that have been
carefully grown over preceding months in our gardens (and on a much wider scale
by farmers) are generally harvested.
We can also expect to see a gradual change in the colours of the leaves that
have finally served their purpose on deciduous trees, before these are soon
discarded, drop to the ground and form colourful carpets between adjoining trees.
Not only do the trees prepare for the forthcoming winter-so do the insects.
One particular species of flying insect-the wasp-is particularly
evident at this time of year.
These stinging insects are easily identified – usually twice the length
of flies, and much thinner than a bumble bee, they have a yellow head and a
yellow abdomen, with black bands (see above photo).
I mistakenly thought that the wasps seen on the cut section of tree (see entry
dated August 17th, 2006-earlier in this blog) were drinking the sap-they were more likely to have
been chewing the wood, in order to provide building material for their nest.
Once all the young wasp larvae back in the nest have matured towards late summer,
then we are likely to see many more wasps-looking for discarded fruit upon which
to feed, before they die off.
Don’t provoke them -especially if you discover a wasps’ nest –they
will defend their home aggressively, and if you start to kill them, this will
make them angry!
Wasps are in actual fact useful members of the food chain-they feed on other
insects.
Only queen wasps survive until the next year, when they start a new colony.
Always be aware that occasionally, some people stung by wasps can have an adverse,
life-threatening reaction-this may be characterised by rapid swelling of fingers, toes, face and the unlucky person has difficulty breathing.
Seek immediate qualified medical assistance.

Sufferers of this condition often wear an SOS-Talisman bracelet or necklace (see above)
An ‘ordinary’ wasp sting can usually be treated by washing with
soap and water, and the affected area treated with ammonia or an alcohol wipe,
followed by antihistamine ointment. Chemists also sell very effective sprays-it
is always good to have one to hand at this time of year.

See the following BBC articles

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/5259198.stm

More information about wasps available HERE