Malmesbury River Valleys Trust

Scrape for Wildlife

 

Last year an area of about 250 square metres of top soil was removed from the slope and on 4th October a selection of wild flower seeds and small grasses was sown onto the exposed subsoil.

 It will often take several years for many of these plants to establish themselves, and not all of them flower at the same time, but a quick check in July of this year showed that nine of the 13 wildflower species sown were growing. It was especially pleasing to see a good quantity of Ox-eye daisies and the bright yellow of the Bird's foot Trefoils. To give these plants a good chance members have been removing a lot of 'unwanted'plants so that our new seedling will have every chance to grow. Whilst the clearing work was being done it was noted that many insects had colonised the new plants.

Where the grass is being mown in the middle path, we noted that a wide band white clover had appeared and was attracting many bees - the information was passed to the grass cutter and this area was left to grow on.





 

The plants seeded in October and identified growing nine months later are ;

  • Common Knapweed,
  • Common Bird's Foot Trefoil
  • Wild Carrot,
  • Salad Burnet,
  • Ox-eye Daisy,
  • Selfheal,
  • Lady's Bedstraw,
  • Hoary Plantain, and
  • Cornflower

Also sown,
but not definitely confirmed growing in July:

  • Yellow Rattle
  • Burnet Saxifage,
  • Greater Knapweed, and
  • Common Sorrel.