Grassland
This covers by far the largest area of the meadows, and as the land was formerly used for growing crops it is currently fairly limited in its range of plants. The aim is to increase the number of native wildflowers on the meadows, primarily by managing the majority of the area as a hay meadow. This means that the grass is normally cut in mid to late July / August depending on the weather and the grass bailed and taken away once it has dried to be as used as animal feed. The process of making hay allows for any seeds to drop back into the soil. It also means that we don’t get a build up dead vegetation that would not only limit the ability of seeds to germinate but also increase the nutrients in the soil. Most wildflowers aren’t good at competing with other plants so keeping the amount of nutrients in the soil low limits the growth of the faster growing grasses and gives these native flowers a chance.
Cathedral Field was sown with the native yellow rattle in 2015. It feeds on the roots of grasses, sucking energy out of them, meaning that other plants have a better chance of growing. Other native wildflowers have been added over time such as selfheal, bird’s foot trefoil, ox-eye daisy and common knapweed.
The meadows already have a range of butterflies which feed on grasses such as meadow browns and ringlets. Brown argus butterflies have recently been seen and are believed to be feeding on the small pink flowers of dove’s-foot cranesbill. Increasing the number of wildflowers should continue to increase the range of butterflies and other insects.
A report on the wildflower restoration undertaken in 2015 and a survey of the wildflowers present in 2016 can be downloaded.