Living Willow Butterfly Maze Winter Prune and Fixup. 2017

It is winter and time to cut back the willows that make up the Butterfly Maze in the The Welsh Wildlife Centre at Teifi Marshes in Cilgerran. This installation is now a mature four years old I think. So much happens in the meantime but getting back to the yearly prune seems to reduce the years perhaps but looking at the growth of the original plants they do look 3. It is growing well but some changes are to be made and some fixing to do. Such a huge plantation needs more hands than mine so I cunningly organise three hands on free workshops with lunch thrown in as a way of persuading some volunteers. the workshops are a success and I make new friends renew old ones and we also plant three new entrances as well as reweave the boundaries and domes tunnels and fedges.

It all gets done  over a month or so and the willow we cut is stored to one side ready for putting to use in the rebuild of the big Badger which will begin very soon.The maze is now ready to burst into growth and entice wanderers into its leafy charm.