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Check out some of our previous projects. Projects of Old My own pond When it was first put in it was full of exotic plants. That's all changed. Stone edge disguising pond liner Nothing worse than a visible pond liner. Streams My own pond When it was first put in it was full of exotic plants. That's all changed. 1/41

See what is involved on our Reptile & Amphibian Surveys training day Reptile & Amphibian Surveys On the training day you will learn How to spot the specific habitat features, within a wider landscape, that are suitable for reptiles and amphibians. The techniques used to search for these animals without causing stress or disturbance. Gain knowledge of these little understood animals. Their life cycles, activity throughout the year, and ecology. Gain a respect of the importance of reptiles and amphibians within a habitat and ecosystem. Important note There is no guarantee of seeing any reptiles or amphibians on a survey, so attendees are encouraged not to build up their hopes of seeing some. But armed with the experience gained on the training day, they should be more confident of being able to spot them when out in the countryside. Book now to arrange your training Understanding Reptile Habitat When confronted with a large landscape scale area to survey for reptiles, an understanding of the key features they utilise greatly increases your chances of finding them. Survey Techniques Learning how reptiles function and using that knowledge to locate them in a visual search takes time and experience to learn. I will teach you how to approach an area in a way that helps you spot the animals before they become aware of you. Ecology Learn about the life cycles and ecology of our native herpetofauna. Gain an understanding of how these little understood animals function and go about their daily lives. Learn specific skills Survey techniques for reptiles and amphibians are very specific. Join me for an intensive training day to learn the skills I have gained over years of field work, studying these animals both in the Uk and abroad. Book now to arrange your training

Offering a concise mowing regime for wild flower meadows and lawns in school, business and domestic situations. Contract Mowing & Meadow Management Consultations For land owners wanting to manage their meadows in a more eco friendly traditional way. Contract Mowing John Grundy of Wilderness Tamed is available to carry out contract mowing of wildlife lawns and meadows across the North East of England. To arrange to have your meadow mown click the button below. Contact Meadow Management You may be a voluntary community group, conservation charity or landowner wanting a large area of land mowing. Wilderness Tamed can help with meadow management and improvement. Consultation If you are looking for a concise management plan or some guidance Wilderness Tamed can help you out. Perhaps you want to know how to manage a newly acquired or existing area of grassland. You may be starting from scratch on bare soil or have a neglected meadow that you would like to see restored. Contact Wildflower meadow creation near Wylam.

Scything is an excellent, economical and environmentally friendly way to manage your lawns or meadows. Training courses available. Scything Scything is an excellent, economical and environmentally friendly way to manage your lawns or meadows. Scything is rapidly becoming more popular as a way to maintain lawns and meadows. Conservation charities and gardening groups, as well as individuals, are all getting on board with this traditional tool. With their light weight and ease of use, many people find scythes are an ideal substitute for powered machines. To find out if I'm all legit & can be trusted Benefits Of Scythes Cheaper to buy than strimmers/brushcutters and mowers. Costs nothing to use each time you mow. You aren't using fuel or electricity. No other ongoing costs, like fuel, oil, grease, plastic cord. You can maintain a scythe yourself, so there are no servicing costs. No atmospheric pollution from petrol fumes. No noise pollution from engines. No environmental pollution from bits of plastic cord being spread across the landscape. No need for ear, eye or face protection. You can get away without gloves or steel capped boots if you want. More pleasant to work as a team. Safe mowing distance between scythes is 3 meters. Safe mowing distance between strimmer operators 15 meters. Regular scything is a great cardio exercise and core strength builder. Many of the people I have trained are on my mailing list the North East Cereal Killers . A volunteer group who help each other out with mowing large areas (usually in return for tea and cake) You might like to join also and get involved.

Showing the qualifications, training and experience that makes Wilderness Tamed stand out from the rest. Location Covering both Northumberland and Durham Being based at the top end of County Durham, close to Gateshead and Newcastle I am well situated for access to the A1 which allows for easy travel into Northumberland & the coast. More local roads lead into Weardale & Teesdale. Working in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural beauty is part of what makes the job so appealing. Over the hills I can get to the Tyne Valley for Prudhoe, Corbridge, Riding Mill, Hexham and surrounding villages. Qualifications I studied horticulture at Houghall College in Durham from 1988 to 1989. gaining extensive experience in plant knowledge. With skills in propagation, cultivation and identification. After passing with distinction I went on to work in a variety of practical garden situations. From 2007 to 2012 I worked for the National Trust at Gibside. The final three years of this were spent on the Careership Training programme in conservation management. Experience After studying horticulture I worked at several leading North East garden centres including Peter Barratt's, Cowell's and The Beamish Clematis Nursery. I have worked in horticulture since 1989 in various fields and then moved into conservation for the National Trust. The first three years at Gibside was spent coordinating the Grass Snake Habitat Enrichment Project. Then during the Careership Programme learning a variety of conservation skills. I was the Revealing Reptiles Project Officer for Durham wildlife Trust from 2016 to 2018. This involved recruiting and training volunteers to help me survey the whole of County Durham for reptiles. I also gave talks to many local groups. Services Installation and maintenance of ponds Installation and maintenance of wild flower lawns and meadows. Regular maintenance of existing gardens. I offer an online consultation service as well as garden designs provided by a network of professional designers across the UK. Training in scythe use for meadow management, both for individuals and conservation groups. A range of talks on various wildlife friendly garden subjects. Training in reptile and amphibian survey techniques as well as ecology and habitat management.

Newt Identification Training. Among the many things I do, training people to identify our native amphibians and reptiles, is one. Those involved in conservation and ecology need to know how to identify the species they encounter, in order to help them manage habitats. Several of our native reptiles and amphibians are on the endangered species list. Learning how to identify different amphibian species, survey for them effectively and manage their habitats, is crucial in helping protect these vulnerable animals. This male great crested newt Triturus cristatus is from one of my own ponds in the garden. He was caught in a bottle trap which was placed in the pond overnight. Early the next morning, the traps were emptied and the newts counted and photographed. The two trainees were able to see the newts close up, in order to spot the differences between species and sexes. The belly markings of newts are unique to each animal, and a great way to help tell individuals apart. There are distinct characteristics between males and females of each species of newt. Knowing all of these key differences takes time to learn. These trainees are employed by a local wildlife trust and are training towards gaining a specific Natural England licence for great crested newts (GCN). In order to legally survey for any endangered animal, you must be licensed for the specific species. Any form of disturbance , even down to photography, needs to be covered by the licence. This leucitic female palmate newt Lissotriton helvetica , was from another of my garden ponds. These colour morphs occur naturally and can be quite common in some populations. They can cause confusion when trying to identify them, as the lack of pigment means none of the usual colours or markings are present. If you would like to learn how to identify our native amphibians and reptiles, look for them and help protect them, please contact me.

Using native UK pond plants in your garden pond. Make your pond more wildlife friendly with this simple guide. How to use native plants in your pond It should be obvious why you need to use native plants in a wildlife friendly pond or garden. But I'll lay it out for you here in case you're under any doubt. Exotic species offer very little in the way of benefit to native insects, other than a nectar source for adult insects. No butterfly or moth species are adapted to using exotic plants as food for their larvae. ie caterpillars. Native plants act in several ways to improve a pond. The roots will help stabilise the shore edge of a pond. They will also act as natural filtration by absorbing nutrients from the water. This reduces build up of excess nutrients which can pollute the water or build up as toxins and poison wildlife. Oxygenate the water as they release oxygen from their roots and stems in tiny streams of bubbles. Provide foraging and shelter for small invertebrates and amphibians. Did you know that frog and toad tadpoles start out as herbivores before becoming insectivores. They will eat the jelly of the spawn first, then move on to algae, dead plant matter and leaves of pond plants. This is one of my own ponds in early summer showing the wide variety of plants growing in and around the water. A wildlife pond, whether it be a naturally occurring pond in the countryside or a lined pond created in a garden, should not have plastic baskets filled with plants in it. I strongly recommend planting young pond plants into a substrate on the pond bottom. You don't need special pond soil bought from a garden centre. In my experience, over many years of creating ponds, not only in gardens but for conservation charities, I have never brought in pond soil or compost. In several ponds I've only used course grit or gravel to act as an anchoring substrate for plug plants. The roots will establish in this and as the pond matures, enough plant matter and waste from pond animals will act as a source of nutrients, which the plants roots can absorb and filter out. Pond plants fall into several categories Deep water. Those which root into the bottom of the pond. Some will send up leaves and flowers to the surface. Oxygenators. Rooting into the bottom of the pond, often growing in large clumps. Surface cover/free floating. Seasonal plants emerging to the surface during warmer weather to spread across the surface. Emergent. Growing in the deeper water around the margins and sending up leaves and stems above the water level. Marginal. Growing with their feet in the damp edges of the pond. Most will tolerate being submerged for long periods. Each type of plant plays an important part in the ecology of the pond. Like the layers of foliage in a forest they offer cover to one another. Provide forage for the animal life. Act as food for some invertebrates as well as the aforementioned early stages in a tadpoles life. Provide egg laying opportunities for various invertebrates. Not just within the pond but above the water as well. And emergent and marginal plants allow the larvae stage of dragon and damselflies to crawl from their aquatic home into the open air. From here they will transform and emerge as adults.

Learn to mow with our scythe course egift card full days training. Gift a unique experience with our scythe course egift card today! Scything Course eGift Card Choose the gift card that suits you best. £65 Individual day training course. Supply your own scythe. £85 Individual day training course with scythe supplied by Wilderness Tamed. £110 Discounted couples day training course. Supply your own scythes. £160 Discounted couples day training course with scythes supplied by Wilderness Tamed Scythe Course £65 Wilderness Tamed welcomes you to this scything course where you will learn how to mow with an Austrian scythe. Please email contact@wildernesstamed.com to arrange your course. Amount £65 £85 £110 £160 Quantity Buy Now