3D Printed Butterfly as Pest Control and Sweet Chestnut Fencing

 A 3D printed plastic White Cabbage Butterfly

Organic gardeners and farmers like to talk about balance in nature and working with natural systems, not against them. For larger pests such as some birds there have always been scarecrows. But what about smaller flying creatures?  There wasn’t really anything natural to scare away pesky cabbage white butterflies from laying eggs on our brassicas, until now.  A gardener in New Zealand has come up with a unique solution and all it took was a 3D printer and a bit of research. 

It turns out that cabbage white butterflies are antisocial when they're laying their eggs. By sticking up simple decoy butterflies, you can scare them off your crops. And just in case you see butterflies trying to mate with yours, “don't worry”, Vic, the designer tells us “They are stupid males and will not be laying eggs."

Sweet Chestnut Fencing

Our local park has put up a secure sweet chestnut fence running along a few hundred metres adjacent to a new outdoor 5 a side football complex. I’m not entirely sure why this is, it could be something to do with allowing the newly planted small trees and shrubs to mature without dogs treading on them or it could be something to do with the spraying that they need to do to allow the new planting to flourish. There are a lot of blackberries in there too so it’s probably just as well there’s no access for jam makers if they have been doused with Roundup. 

The fence they put up though is the rustic sweet chestnut in a picket style, which I adore. This type of fence has been around for centuries and for good reason, it’s very long lived and versatile. If ever you get a chance to see this type of fence being made, I think you’ll find it mesmerising as the wires are turned one way and then another to fix the sticks into place.

  

So why is sweet chestnut so useful as a fence? Here are some reasons:

Why Sweet Chestnut?

• Sweet Chestnut is a hard wood and well known as being amazingly strong, durable and long lasting.
• Chestnut Coppice is 100% sustainable.
• Most are cut and grown in sustainable woodlands. The cut stools regrow vigorously, taking up far more carbon dioxide than a newly planted tree; if done well these trees can be harvested on rotation for years to come. A coppice will yield good straight poles which are turned into fencing using traditional tools and skills.
• Chestnut is full of tannin (a natural preservative) and has very little sapwood, which makes it incredibly resistant to rotting.
• Good value and attractive.
• By using Chestnut you can be confident you are using the most suitable timber - other woods will rot long before chestnut which can last for up to 20-30 years. Cheap softwood is a false economy - the cost of mending or replacing rotten fences is high.
• Coppicing is good for wildlife.
• The act of cutting an area of woodland lets light in, stimulating wild flowers and creating a habitat for many of our favourite birds, butterflies and mammals.
• Support the woodland industries, woodlands need to be managed.
• Made to measure. The wood can be made up to the buyer’s needs, if the fence is needed to keep out dogs the sticks can be placed closer together for example.

Glossary of terms for fencing

The forestry and fencing world can be quite confusing so here are a few terms you might hear about wood. It’ll come in useful when you are down at the wood yard ordering a new fence!

CHAMFERED - This is the act of finishing a post - taking off the top edge to relieve tension in the wood and let rain run off.

CLEAVE -To cleave means to split the wood along its natural grain - rather than sawing through the fibres. This helps to protect the strength and character of the tree.

COPPICING - is a traditional method which involves cutting back the woodland to stimulate new growth. The act of cutting an area of woodland lets light in, stimulating wild flowers and creating a habitat for our favourite birds, butterflies and mammals.

DEER PARK FENCING - A type of fencing made to discourage deer from leaping over. Tops are uneven / staggered.

LATH - A lath is a very small profile cleft strip of wood, traditionally used in buildings for holding plaster. In fencing it refers to the smaller component of a lath and picket fence.

MIXED CLEFT - Mixed cleft means that the wood has been split along the grain rather than sawn and could be in halves, quarters or round shapes.

NAIL FRAMED - Nail framed means the product is secured by nail frame. This is a lighter and cheaper alternative to mortised frame.

PALE - A wide picket is called a pale. Pales are loose, as opposed to paling, which is on wire.

PALING - Paling is fencing made from pales. On a wire, with a girth of about 4 inches.

PEELED - This simply means that the bark has been removed from the wood.

PICKET - Pickets are cleft in a 'slice of cake' profile - triangular in shape. POST AND RAIL - Post and Rail is a fence made up of upright posts either nailed to rails or fitted through mortises.

UNPEELED - Unpeeled means the bark has been left on the wood.