Sep 19, 20171 min read

More wild flowers on Larkhill Meadow thanks to Rangers and Friday Volunteers

Summertime might mean days on the beach for most people but for the Rangers at National Trust Formby it’s all about heading in to the grasslands.

This is the time when they carry out most of the conservation work that is needed in the fields and when they check that the work that has been done in previous years has worked. There are a number of tasks that are undertaken in order to improve the grassland habitats including mowing areas that are not grazed by sheep and removal of ragwort (a plant which is poisonous to livestock), saplings and small shrubs.

The idea of this management is to ensure that the faster growing grasses and weed species are not allowed to take over and a wider variety of wildflowers can grow in these areas. By increasing the variety of wildflowers the variety of insects increases and so does the biodiversity of the grassland overall. ‘Larkhill Meadow will benefit from the clearing by Rangers and Friday Volunteers - ,Pam, Martin, Rob and Chris and this will in turn help meadow flower growth with all its benefits’ Area Ranger Kate Martin told The Bubble.

(Where is Larkhill Meadow? - see the map – it is the most southerly part of our land adjoining Larkhill Lane and next to Larkhill Farm where the Brooks family grow asparagus.