Our Amazing Volunteers!
On Friday, 25th September, we went back to the Ladies Mile Wildflower Meadow to finish what we started in August, when a thunder shower stopped us halfway. Tom from Cheshire Wildlife Trust led the session for us again.
Tom had made an early start with the mower, so a carpet of cut grass was ready for the rakes when we arrived. This time the weather held, and we completed the stretch from Warren Close to Tabley Road. Once the arisings were cleared, we sowed wildflower seed across the meadow, then moved into the woodland to cut back vegetation creeping over the paths.
Ten volunteers turned out again, and we were pleased to welcome Jake, a new Cheshire Wildlife Trust trainee, who worked alongside us.
Raking Up the Cuttings
Rakes and bags were the order of the morning as we gathered up the cut grass along the length of the meadow.
Help on Wheels
We started out carrying bags of arisings by hand, which is hard going over that distance. Then one of our volunteers arrived with a buggy, and the job became much easier. Load by load, it ferried the cuttings to the Tabley Road end of Ladies Mile, where they can rot down out of sight under the trees.
Sowing Wildflower Seed
Tom brought along a large bag of seed, freshly harvested from local donor sites. We bulked it out with sand, which helps it spread thinly and evenly, and worked it into the bare patches the mower had opened up.
Wildlife We Met
If you’re spending time on The Heath, you’re bound to meet its wildlife residents. On this occasion, I spotted several frogs hopping out of the meadow and was lucky to find a Treecreeper in the woodland.
Why the Cuttings Have to Go
Mowing late in the season gives grasses and wildflowers time to set and shed their seed first. Taking the cuttings away matters just as much. Left where they fall, they would rot into the soil and enrich it, which favours vigorous grasses that crowd out wildflowers. Wildflowers do best on poor, low-nutrient soil. Mowing also opens up bare ground where new seed can take hold, which is why we sow straight afterwards.
Thank You — and Come and Join Us!
Many thanks to Tom and Jake from Cheshire Wildlife Trust for leading the day, and to every volunteer who came along, with a special mention for the buggy and its driver! Our next session is on Friday, 30th October, when we’ll turn our attention to the heather areas.
Click the link below to book your place.
Photographs by Kevin Griffiths, Jake Thomas and Peter Sharratt (group photo).
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