Charities paint brighter picture for endangered wildflower species
Endangered wildflowers and wildflower meadows could delight future generations thanks to a new planting technique developed by two UK conservation charities.
Leading woodland conservation charity, the Woodland Trust, has created wildflower meadows on 18 of its woodland creation sites - all set to burst into colour this summer as part of its Forest of Flowers initiative.
The floral covering provide both permanent meadows and also a speedy multi-coloured make-over while new native broadleaf trees establish, offering a golden opportunity to involve children in sowing seeds and enjoying wildflowers as an introduction to tree planting.
Former arable fields have been prepared using a specially imported plough, combining a Danish deep ploughing technique, which brings sub-soil to the surface and buries farm-fertilized topsoil which is of poor nutritional value for wildflower plants.
By contrast, less fertile sub-soils brought to the surface provide the perfect growing medium for many wildflowers, which also find themselves free from competition from other plants.
The technique has been implemented in the UK by project partner Landlife, a pioneer in creative conservation, working with the Woodland Trust on sites across the country.
Wildflower seeds harvested from Landlife’s National Wildlife Centre near Liverpool are sold online, helping to halt the decline of UK wildflowers by encouraging wider growth from gardens to meadows and even roof gardens.
Confirmation of the successful ploughing technique comes as encouraging news following a Common Plants Survey by plant conservation charity Plantlife. It concluded that some of the commonest wildflower species such as scarlet pimpernel and primrose are in decline through loss of habitat.
In fact, of the 524 wildflower sites surveyed, 121 contained none of the ’common 65’ flowers whatsoever.
The Trust’s new approach means that newly-acquired sites are visually appealing from year one. Swiftly developing diversity, their evolution and transformation can be more easily enjoyed by local people, explained Simon Mageean, regional manager with the Woodland Trust, who oversaw the charity’s first wildflower planting at Wheeldon Copse in Cheshire.
He said: "Our Forest of Flowers project is a very colourful transition phase in our woodland creation. Not only do we provide a habitat for wildflowers to thrive and spread to other areas, but also a valuable habitat for birds, butterflies, bees and other insects.
"We sow species with local provenance as these are more likely to thrive and spread from the original meadow to other areas."
Richard Scott from Landlife, the organisation who founded the National Wildflower Centre, said: "We estimate that just two per cent of flowers visible in 1947 are naturally occurring today, following changes in farming practices, development of brownfield sites and revised garden management. We are delighted to work with the Woodland Trust on this project, which has given us an opportunity to try some landscape scale techniques. We are always looking for innovative solutions, and our work with the Woodland Trust has helped develop a new ecological potential."
Landlife’s soil inversion technique was recognized in the UK Government’s response to the Global Plant Strategy (2004) as a means of dealing with eutrophied (enriched) soil.
More woodland creation sites will join the Forest of Flowers kaleidoscope during 2008 and in autumn a new partnership with Timotei will see a further 25 acres transformed - raising the possibility of future generations being able to see wild flower species and habitats.
