FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
School-kids tour reveals the
park's seasonal magic
Autumn 2006
A STAG beetle grub, American oaks in glorious autumnal colour, mangled mushrooms, and rose ringed parakeets overhead were among highlights of Tony Drakeford's guided tour of the park for primary school-kids on 28 October.
Wimbledon's best known, home-grown naturalist led some 25 youngsters and as many adults again on the two-hour free tour organised by the Friends of Cannizaro Park. The scampi-like beetle grub fascinated onlookers, especially when Tony showed an example of what it would eventually grow into after seven years of development. Stag beetles, Britain's biggest, are an impressive sight on the Common in summertime.
Cannizaro's wonderful collection of North American oaks looked marvellous in leaf (see above) and the youngsters were encouraged to collect fallen acorns to grow their own at home. Sadly, Tony also pointed out the prematurely dying leaves of the park's horse-chestnuts, infested by bleeding canker, the result of a plague of leaf miner moths first seen four years ago and now threatening trees throughout the region.
More positively, the group learned how to count stump rings to assess a tree's age, finding one more than 60 years old. Small beer, however, compared with the English oak beside the pond which could date back as much as 500 years to the earliest Tudor king. Tony showed how the tree had actually grown around a chain, absorbing it into its trunk.
Recent rain had brought fungi in plenty to the park and he explained why picking them was not a good idea - not just because of the poisoning potential but also because of their importance for the entire ecosystem of the park. Other plants and wildlife rely on mushrooms and toadstools as part of the food chain. Rising demand for them by restaurants and many newcomers to the area were seriously threatening the future of the Commons as a whole.
Cannizaro's wildlife featured heavily in Tony's talk, with parakeets, long-tailed tits and jays putting in appearances while nesting boxes, the badger sett, fox droppings and even worm casts hinted at those unseen.
It was a great success, the first of the Friends' new programme of special events for children to encourage better understanding of the real magic of Cannizaro Park. More is planned next spring.
