Flora
Its a joy, seeing wildflowers such as these wild carrots – seed sourced from Goren Farm - coming to fruition.
Quite often people ask: “Why are you doing this? You could be going on a cruise with the money you have put into this project!” etc. etc. The simple answer is: we hope to leave a legacy we are proud of. One for future generations to enjoy and to benefit from.
Wild carrot closeup
Wild carrot galore
Pink campion thrives in the poorer soil of the upper part of the lower meadow
Alsike clover thrives in the sheltered parts of the larger meadow. Shown here just outside the food forest, its roots help improve the soil structure as well as being a nitrogen fixer.
Fauna
Voles have caused significant damage to the mulch of cardboard and bark surrounding the new hedging plants and trees. We have had to mow the grass around the new plants so that the hunting birds have a chance to see the voles, otherwise our work is, quite simply, cut out!
A dormouse was accidentally discovered and dug up out of a compost heap. It was reinstated at the back, undisturbed.
Some of the insects that have been seen (and been still enough to photograph):
Speckled wood moth
Wasp spider
Six spot burnett moth
Common blue butterfly on bird’s foot trefoil
Jersey tiger moth
Yellow shell moth