Wednesday 15 June saw our annual orchid count. The team scoured the hay meadows to count for the twayblade, heath-spotted, greater butterfly and southern marsh orchids. The DPA acquired the land in 2016 and have been working to improve the biodiversity of the species-rich wild meadows ever since. We are yet to analyse this year’s…

DPA volunteers should be very proud of themselves for clearing gorse, brambles and other scrub from the earthworks and pits on Roborough Down. DPA began clearing this site back in 2003 or 2004 – to be honest, I cannot remember it was so long ago –and carried out a plane table survey in 2005. We…

Wow, what a great day and what a great team of conservation volunteers who did a such a wonderful job in planting all of the saplings, just think, in years to come you can walk down the bridleway with your friends and relations and say with pride “I helped plant this hedge, pick me a…

Monday 14th February saw the volunteers make our spring visit to the slopes of Common Wood, an important site for Pearl Bordered and Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterflies. It seemed a bad day for car breakdowns with both the land owner, one of the DPA trustees, and our mentor from Butterfly Conservation unable to join…

On Tuesday 8th February, 9 volunteers braved the narrow lanes to park close to Hunter’s Tor, Lustleigh. Two years ago, the local commoners asked for our help to cut a fire break outside the Iron Age rings to the south of the tor.   We returned to cut the re-growth and, with some extra time,…

On Monday 1st February, 11 volunteers set out to continue our clearance of the earthworks on Roborough Down. The DPA has been involved with maintaining this site, to the west of the road from Roborough to Yelverton, since its initial clearance and survey in 2004. From time to time we return to give the gorse…

On January 27th, a really good turn out of 17 volunteers came along to clear the Bronze Age settlement on Buckland Common. This winter we have been extending the area cleared to include a new pound with a circle inside, to the north of the main site, connected by reaves. With so many helpers, we…

The 22nd of January was the first Pudsham workday of the year, and the weather proved to be dry but cold. Standing around was not the order of the day, so after a short talk on safety and what was planned for our 21 loyal conservation volunteers, they got stuck in. The work included the…

The 14th of December was the last workday of the year for the DPA conservation volunteers, so we chose a section of the Devonport Leat that has a very good rest area which is also large enough to maintain social distancing, plus giving some protection from the wind. The work consisted of finishing the tidying…

In his latest Guardian article, George Monbiot says that “our survival depends on piercing the glassy surface of distraction, and ceasing to obey.”   Read the full article here.