Things to look out for in December

We have a few visitors on the campus west lake from late November onwards, The Goosander the Cormorant and harder to spot the Little Egret.  All are rather shy and tend to stick to the middle of the lake or the islands for the first couple of weeks before they start to venture closer to land.  They have a diet of small fish which although it reduces the numbers overall has a positive impact on the lake and helps to improve water quality and the health of the remaining fish.

The Goosander is a medium-sized duck and a member of a group called the 'sawbills' they have long, narrow bills with saw-like 'teeth' which are good for gripping fish. They are quite a long, streamlined bird, perfectly shaped for swimming after fish. Goosanders can form flocks of thousands in some parts of Europe.

The male goosander is predominantly white with a dark green head, a black back and a long hooked red beak.

The females are mostly grey bodied with a brown head.

The Cormorant is mostly found around the UK coastline on rocky shores, coastal lagoons and estuaries, but it is increasingly being seen inland at reservoirs and lakes.

Cormorants are a big bird with a wingspan up to 160cm, they are built to catch fish which can bring them into conflict with anglers and they have been persecuted in the past. The UK holds internationally important wintering numbers approximately 41,000 and 9,000 breeding pairs.

The Little Egret is a small white heron with attractive white plumes on its crest, back and chest. It first appeared in the UK in significant numbers in 1989 and first bred in Dorset in 1996.  It can now be seen at numerous south coast sites, both as a breeding species and as a winter visitor and is expanding northwards. It is included on the Amber List as a rare breeding species.

Winter is coming

Key Document

• Estates Snow Clearing and Gritting Policy (Word)
• Severe Weather Site Plan - Hes West (pdf)
• Severe Weather Site Plan - Hes East (pdf)
• Severe Weather Site Plan - Kings Manor (pdf)
• Snow clearing & gritting policy

Over the winter, between November and March inclusive, the Grounds Section operates a snow clearing and gritting service on University grounds. The operation consists of an early planned-attendance system whereby weather forecasts are checked on a daily basis and a decision is made the previous day as to whether staff need to be at work early to clear and treat roads and paths. The system utilises the Met Office Open Road forecast which is emailed to the Grounds Maintenance Manager and his assistants by 11.00am each day. This is considered to be the most accurate forecast information available. Grounds staff are organised on a rota basis and attend at 6.00am on days when snow clearing or gritting is required. Over the past couple of years the section has taken several additional measures to improve the service it offers:

• Adopted the Open Road weather forecast from the Met Office.
• Engaged outside contractors to treat roads and car parks.
• Increased rock salt storage capacity on campus.
• Invested in more snow clearing and gritting equipment.
• Increased staff and frequency of gritting rota.

Over the 2017/18 winter we had 42 call outs, used 120 tons of salt, in 1,075 person hours


Tips for safe travel around campus

Choose your route around campus to take advantage of a combination of covered walkways and salt treated paths. It would not be possible for the team to ensure that every path to every door is treated, we do try to keep access to all areas open if possible, however it might result in a slightly longer walk than normal. 

Wear the right footwear, this is key in winter conditions and can make all the difference if you are faced with a particularly icy patch of road. Choose shoes that are made of rubber and neoprene composite over plastic and leather soles as they will provide better traction. Avoid shoes with heels too as you are more likely to slip. You can always change into them when you have reached your destination.

Untreated pavements and roads will be extremely slippery so move slowly when getting in and out of cars and up and down stairs. Use handrails for support and try to remove any snow or water from shoes when entering buildings.

Don’t text while walking, this is an obvious one but you would be surprised by how many people do this (at any time of year). If your eyes are on your phone, you might miss an extremely icy patch and slip and fall. It also helps to keep your hands out of your pockets, so if you do slip, there will be more chance at you saving yourself. 

Minimise what you carry, walking on ice is all about balance, so holding lots of bags will change your centre of gravity and will affect the way you walk. If your hands are filled with bags, they’re not free to help you if you do slip and fall.

Lastly plan ahead and give yourself enough time, snow and ice makes everyone more cautious and therefore slower so give yourself extra time when setting off.

There may also be more people on the streets due to disruptions to public transport.

Edible Uni

The grounds team took on the challenge of creating a new space that could be enjoyed by staff at the 'Hive' in Main Street.  The brief was fairly short, make better use of an unattractive area, somewhere to get outside, somewhere to sit, somewhere to grow a few vegetables and of course created with the tiniest of budget.

Much of the materials were left over from other projects and the labour resource was topped up by our horticultural apprentices who were able to learn new techniques and gain valuable experience. 

Studies into working in gardens or even just getting outside have been carried out for many years and the positive impact it has on well being was the catalyst for the new garden, it could be of benefit to anyone who might want to use it.

Enjoyable aerobic exercise

Gardening is a great form of aerobic exercise plus, you might become so engrossed in your work that you don’t even realize you’re breaking a sweat. Pulling weeds, reaching for various plants and tools, and twisting and bending as you plant will work new muscles in your body and help with strength, stamina, and flexibility. 

Exposure to vitamin D 

Vitamin D increases your calcium levels, which benefits your bones and immune system. So outdoor activities like gardening are a perfect way to get your sunshine while pursuing a fun hobby. (But don’t forget the sunscreen to protect your skin, and sunglasses for your eyes.)

Mood-boosting benefits

A study in the Netherlands, cited by CNN, suggests that gardening fights stress even better than other hobbies. Participants completed a stressful task and were then told to read inside or go outdoors and garden for 30 minutes. The gardening group reported better moods afterward, and their blood tests showed lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. 

The site

The site had previously been home to a Portakabin and left empty until it's future was known.

The team started by stripping off the old weed growth and leveling the area. 

We used treated timber sleepers to create the raised planting beds which would also create additional sitting areas and improve accessibility to the planting.

Two sleepers high would give adequate planting depth even for a crop of potatoes.



A good layer of compost produced from our own green waste would give the plants the best start in life.



Ready for planting.  

Feedback from the hive has been really positive, 

"The raised beds have transformed an otherwise derelict area of our garden into something much more attractive and productive. The progress (or not!) of our various vegetables has been a talking point in the office and everyone had a chance to take home and enjoy some of the produce.  We filled the beds with left over seeds and plants from our own gardens. Our harvest included potatoes, tomatoes, onions and salad leaves - and our leeks and rainbow chard plants are still going strong.  Cucumbers and climbing beans proved more of a challenge... 

"The undoubted high point of the year was when our onions won third place against stiff competition at Fulford Show! We were all very proud."

Autumn colours on campus

The campus west lake from Central hall bridge

24th November - 2nd December 2018 National Tree Week is the UK's largest annual tree celebration, marking the start of the winter tree planting season (November to March each year). The Tree Council, one of the UK’s leading charities for trees, first established National Tree Week in March 1975 in response to the national replanting required after the outbreak of Dutch Elm disease.

Japanese Maple at the Quiet place

The University has a diverse tree stock and the autumn is a great time to see them changing colour as the days become shorter and cooler with winter looming.   Maybe take a walk around the University tree trail, you can pick up a map from the information centre or link to it from here Campus tree trail

Veteran Sycamore at Derwent college

The grounds team spend much of October and November (1,775 person hours) just clearing leaves away from paths to give safe access around campus and off the lawn areas for the benefit of the grass beneath.  The leaves are composted so they can be returned to the planting beds or redistributed in our woodland areas.

Form and shape are a large consideration when choosing new trees for planting around campus, these complementing each other and without the       threat of getting too big in the future.

Beech tree Fagus sylvatica at Derwent college

The Beech is a large tree, capable of reaching heights of up to 50 m (160 ft) tall we have several on campus, it is also widely used in formal hedges as it responds well to being clipped.

Common Walnut Juglans regia 

Walnuts are very attractive trees often used in parks and large gardens the trees are easily propagated from the nuts  (if you can beat the squirrels to them!) they need space and seedlings grow rapidly

Field Maple
Mature Acer campestre trees can grow to 20m and live for up to 350 years. The bark is light brown and flaky, and twigs are slender and brown, and develop a corky bark with age. Small, grey leaf buds grow on long stems.The UK's only native maple, it is found growing in woods, scrubs and hedgerows.

The Yellow brick road
Lined with Sorbus 'Josephs Rock' on the left and Fastigiate Hornbeam on the right

Common Hazel Corylus avellana

The nuts of all hazels are edible. The common hazel is the species most extensively grown for its nuts, Hazel is also a  traditional material used for making Wattle or Withy fencing, and baskets. The tree can be coppiced, the regenerating shoots allow for harvests every few years.

Weeping Silver Birch (Betula pendula Youngii)

Youngii' is a small deciduous tree forming a dome-shaped crown of arching branches weeping to the ground, with ovate leaves turning brilliant yellow in autumn

Lime tree (Tilia cordata)

                                               Medlar (Mespilus germanica)

Medlar is the name of this large shrub which can also grow to become a small tree, it's also the name of the fruit it bears. The fruit has been used since Roman times and needs to be virtually rotten before it's edible,

Heslington East campus

The campus at Heslington east has ornamental trees alongside architectural trees and native trees planted in woodland blocks. It is also home to the Diamond wood a collection of field maple, alder hornbeam,wild cherry, oak, mountain ash, yew, lime hawthorn, crab apple and blackthorn planted to celebrate the Queens jubilee.  Across the 116 Hectares 70,000 trees have already been planted.Across the 116 hectares site, of which only 65 hectares can be developed, 55,000 trees have already been planted

Ornamental Cherry Prunus fructosa globosa

Field Maples on the central vista 

Woodland planting block

Kimberlow hill woodland was chosen by the Woodland Trust to be one of just 60 Diamond Woods in the UK – one for each year of Her Majesty’s reign – under its Jubilee Woods project. So far, more than 16,700 trees – all native to the British Isles – have been planted.

Renovation of the old Petanque court

The French bowls court at Derwent (or‘Old Langwith’) is an original feature and dates back to when the college was first built.


Over the last few years has become an impromptu outdoor ‘Art Gallery’ and more recently had been taken over by some advertising hoardings which  we were very keen to move on.

The timber edges were looking tired

and the playing surface wearing thin so it’s time for the University grounds team to renovate and rejuvenate. 

We took out the old rotten sleepers and replaced them with some hardwood decking left over from another University project which cleaned up the exterior lines of the court instantly.

Topping up and levelling the playing surface with Fresh Amber gold gravel brightened up the whole look of the area and improved the feel of the playing surface.

New playing instructions mounted on a railway sleeper completed the makeover

Boules are available from the Courtyard bar, why not give it a go?