Granite Elements at Devon Guild

There are 2 exhibitions running alongside each other starting on Friday September 8 at Devon Guild of Craftsmen 

Devon Open Studios no 94

Granite Elements are Venue 94 part of Devon Open Studios in September 

A collective of artists responding creatively to the Haytor Granite Tramway and its origins in an inspiring setting 
At East Dartmoor National Nature Reserve 
Yarner Wood , Bovey Tracey, TQ13 9LJ 

Open Saturday 9,16,23 September 
Sunday 10,17,24 September  11 am -6 pm
contact bridgetarnold66@gmail.com

Clare Benson

Granite Trail

The Bovey Tracey Heritage Trust have produced this leaflet for the Granite Elements Project 

Grass Porn and Peduncles

Grass Porn and Peduncles, report by Philippa Wood 

A whole new look at the flora of the granite tramway.

I have joined a number of walks organised by Granite Elements, the Parishscape Project, to uncover the fascinating landscape of the tramway, from art to birds to land management.  This one on flora led by the extremely erudite Albert from Natural England made us all look very carefully at the tiny plants we walk on and the grasses we ignore. We spent time peering at the sexual habits of grasses, the Bents, Fescues and Yorkshire Fog - and was there one called Stripey Pyjamas or was that my overheated imagination? 

 We started on moorland near Haytor on a bright day with pods of rain drifting across the marvellous view of an English landscape that many visitors come to see. We slowly travelled down the hillside noting that the moorland with its hard pressed vegetation and outcrops of gorse (and I now know the difference between Western Gorse and European Gorse!)  started turning into pioneer woodland with Birch, Rowan and Holly and the bramble thickets that are a good habitat for birds.  We peered under the bracken to see the violets that feed the Fritillaries and then moved on down to the rich woodland with its great oak trees - and identified the peduncles on  Quercus Robur and the lack of them in the Sessile oak.  On the woodland floor the bilberries were dripping with fruit and the fragile Cow Wheat was a haze of gold.  As one of the group said - we would never be able to go on a fast walk again

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Soil: Discover the world beneath our feet

Great opportunity to find out more about our Dartmoor Landscape 

Dartmoor Pony Talk Monday 3 July

Do come along to the talk and meet the ponies too 

Cancelling Walk

The Plants of the Granite Tramway Walk tomorrow Wednesday 21 June is being cancelled for safety reasons, it is just too darn HOT !

My Apologies to anyone hoping to come along , hopefully something else will be arranged with Albert soon . Keep Cool !