Bury Way Plant Survey

I had hoped at this point to be able to tell you that the first stage in reviving the two Bury Way areas, the planting of the Yellow Rattle plug plants, was complete. Unfortunately, the plug plants failed, possibly because the winter temperatures never fell sufficiently to stimulate germination.

Mollie Paxford, of Paxford Ecology, has today, Wednesday, 13 May 2020, carried out a survey of the existing plant life on the two Bury Way regeneration areas. Many thanks to Mollie, who hasn’t charged for her time and expertise. It’s interesting that what she has found does not present a picture of rich biodiversity. However, that’s not a bad starting point, if our aim is regeneration as well as conservation.

Thank you, Mollie. Here’s her brief report and spreadsheet.

I had an initial look today at the two areas.  I have called the one on the junction with the Barton Road "north area" and the one next to the park "south area".

There wasn't a huge amount of interest I have to say, but the Bush Vetch, Red Campion and Yarrow are a good start.  I didn't record the grasses at this stage, but I can do when they flower if you'd like but I suspect it will be very average!  I will go again in a few weeks to see what else has popped up. 

Bury Way Botanical Survey 13/05/2020
Plant Species	Common Name	North area	South area		ACFOR scale
Bellis perennis	Daisy	C	C		A	Abundant
Ranunculus repens	Creeping Buttercup	C	F		C	Common
Taraxacum Section vulgaria	Dandelion	F	O		F	Frequent
Rumex obtusifolius	Broadleaved Dock	F	F		O	Occasional
Glechoma hederacea	Ground Ivy	O	F		R	Rare
Ficaria verna	Lesser Celandine	O	O
Vicia sepium	Bush Vetch	R	n/a
Plantago lanceolata	Ribwort Plantain	F	F
Plantago major	Greater Plantain	O	O
Trifolium repens	White Clover	O	O
Trifolium pratense	Red Clover	F	O
Heracleum sphondylium	Hogweed	F	O
Anthriscus sylvestris	Cow Parsley	F	F
Cirsium arvense	Creeping Thistle	F	O
Silene dioica	Red Campion	O	n/a
Lamium album	White Dead-nettle	O	n/a
Urtica dioica	Common Nettle	O	O
Chamerion angustifolium	Rosebay Willowherb	n/a	F
Achillea millefolium	Yarrow	n/a	F
Galium aparine	Common Cleavers	n/a	F
Geranium pratense	Meadow Cranesbill	n/a	O
Potentilla retans	Creeping Cinquefoil	n/a	F
Filipendula ulmaria	Meadowsweet	n/a	R

Plants we used to have

Along this stretch of Bury Way, there used to be Ragged Robin and, in the ditch to the west, stitchwort. Quite probably, there were cowslips, too. (Thank you, Diana).

One of the surprises for me in this area is what I take to be a butterbur - strong colony just where the Barton Road meets Crockwell. Never seen it anywhere else.

What is interesting is how dominant species change within a very short distance. If, for instance, you go to the east d Chippy on, say, the Charlbury road, the dominant verge species is the geranium (geranium pratense), yet it's quite rare here.

I have found an enormous list of Warwickshire plants. Given the range and variety of Warwickshire habitats and soil types, we can't expect to see them all, but iy makes interesting reading. It's here - https://bsbi.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/WarwickshireChecklist_2012.pdf

The main website is interesting, too. https://bsbi.org/ (The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland)

Wild Flowers in Long Compton

Encouraging the regrowth of wild flowers on highway verges in Long Compton.

Intention.

To encourage by seeding, planting and fertility management the growth of indigenous wild flowers on two areas of the verges on Bury Way, Long Compton (indicated by red dots on the image above) and, if suitable, to encourage similar re-population on the narrower verges connecting the two areas, enabling their re-classification as species-rich grassland. It is hoped that, if successful, this project will inspire the regeneration of other areas of the village, and act as a source of seed to support such projects.

The intention is to restore the range and variety of plant life our grandparents would have expected to see, so the outcome will be lower-key and more subtle than we might achieve by simply re-seeding with a selection of Eastern European seed. I expect to see a variety of vetches, clovers, scabious, campion - that kind of thing. 

Stages in the process 

The process of regenerating indigenous vegetation is neither quick nor simple.

The first step is to survey what we already have, including the possibility that there might be rare or interesting grasses. Such a survey would require botanical expertise, which I don't have. Help required.

The next step would be to establish what plants we would wish to see, based on soil type and on what we can learn from wild plant populations surviving in undisturbed pockets in the vicinity. They would, ideally, have been undisturbed since 1939, before agriculture became intensified, more mechanised, and more dependent on chemical inputs. It may be possible that older residents have memories of what plants there were, or we may be lucky enough to find, as in Corbett’s ‘History of Spelsbury’, a list of plants commonly found in the area.

Management 

The key principles behind success in re-establishing native species appear to be:

1. reducing soil fertility, to discourage greedy competitors – grass, nettles, cow parsley – by carefully timed mowing, and by removal of clippings and thatch before they can decompose and recycle as plant nutrients, and by encouraging plants like yellow rattle, which are parasitic on the roots of grasses, again reducing their effectiveness as competitor species. Wild flowers prefer poor soils.

2. possibly removing nutrient-rich topsoil and re-seeding

3. establishing an effective mowing cycle, taking into account the growth and seeding patterns of the plants we wish to encourage, the soil type, and the existing vegetation. The mowing pattern should be negotiated with the Highways authority and with the Parish Council (responsible for mowing), and should ensure that highway safety is not compromised by, for example, obscuring lines of sight or by making pedestrian access difficult. There are clear examples of possible mowing schedules in the downloadable document, ‘Managing Grassland Verges’, available at https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/our-work/publications/road-verge-management-guide.

We have been promised seed from established projects. This is probably better than buying commercial seed, which can have its origins in Eastern Europe and may include non-native species.

There will be a need for physical input, principally in the removal of cuttings. However, there is also a need for help with preparing the ground for seeding and planting. I have been advised that we are more likely to establish flowers from plug plants rather than from scattered seed, and may need gardeners’ resources to grow those.

We have the support of our District and County Councillors, and should be able to access practical help and guidance both from the AONB’s ‘Glorious Cotswold Grassland’ project, and ‘Plantlife’.The Warwickshire Wildlife Trust may also be able to help, as might the Stour Valley Wildlife Action Group.

It would be very useful indeed to have input from villagers, whether that be information from memory of what plants used to grow here, or knowledge of existing pockets of original vegetation, or the kind of expertise that will help us identify what species we already have. The re-established verges will need oversight and management – not arduous, necessarily, but persistent and attentive. 

I’m happy to start this project, but would welcome support from villagers to take on the commitment to keep it going.

Do read ‘Managing Grassland Verges’, available at https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/our-work/publications/road-verge-management-guide for a clear idea of what would be involved. 

Immediate needs 

• to secure a supply of Yellow Rattle plug plants for planting out in the Spring
• to establish what plants we might expect to find, based on local knowledge and memory, and on County records
• when they begin to emerge, to establish and to record what wild flowers we already have on the sites.
  
  I'd be very pleased to have for publication here any photographs - copyright-free - of wild flowers found in the village. All contributions acknowledged. 

Thanks to Walter, Ken and Chris for advice offered so far. 

Harry Dodds