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Delayed grass cutting boosts butterflies at ancient royal hunting forest
Delayed grass cutting boosts butterflies at ancient royal hunting forest

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • General
  • Yahoo

Delayed grass cutting boosts butterflies at ancient royal hunting forest

Delaying the cutting of grass and wildflowers until later in summer has been credited with boosting the number of butterflies recorded at an ancient royal hunting forest. The National Trust, which looks after Hatfield Forest in Essex, said the number of butterfly species recorded at the reserve has reached a 17-year high. The conservation charity said the reserve is home to 24 butterfly species. It said numbers of marbled-white and small heath butterflies are particularly high, and sightings of the elusive purple emperor are also on the increase. While a hot and dry spring contributed to high numbers, it is thought that a change in the way the landscape is managed has had the biggest impact, the charity said. James Rowland, National Trust operations manager at Hatfield Forest, said: 'Grassland management is an important part of how we manage the landscape. 'Two years ago we decided to make a small change to managing this habitat and since then we've seen numbers soar. 'Each year the grass, including the wildflowers, would be mechanically cut in June, but by delaying this as long as possible, to late July into August, we're allowing flowering species to remain in flower for longer, providing greater benefit to nectar-reliant species. 'Even plants such as thistle and ragwort, which can outcompete other flora species without some level of control, are extremely valuable for butterflies and other pollinators, so we've been allowing them to remain in flower as long as possible and only cutting at the point they turn to seed.' A herd of red poll cattle also play a part in creating the best conditions for wildflowers to grow. 'When cattle graze, not only do they help keep scrub and other dominant plants under control, they help break up the compacted soil,' said Mr Rowland. 'For the last few years we've made the move to retain a small number to graze over the winter months to help suppress the growth of scrub species like bramble. 'We're finding that the presence of the cattle during this period of the year is also helping to prevent a thick thatch of plant matter from smothering next spring's growth of grass and wildflowers.' He continued: 'As our summers get hotter and drought-like conditions become more common, it's more crucial than ever to sustain a nectar source for our pollinators. 'During a peak dry spell, many grassland species quickly start to decline and our hardiest species like thistle and ragwort can be a lifeline to many invertebrates.' Official records at the forest began in 2008 but annual butterfly surveys have been carried out by staff and volunteers for more than 50 years. The National Trust describes Hatfield Forest as the 'most complete example of a medieval royal hunting forest surviving today'. Hatfield Forest was owned by the then King of England, Harold, immediately before the Norman Conquest in 1066. It then passed to William after his victory at the Battle of Hastings and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The royal hunting forest was created by Henry I in about 1100 and royal hunting rights remained until 1446.

Peter Dowdall: Why sedums are the stars of the autumn show in our gardens
Peter Dowdall: Why sedums are the stars of the autumn show in our gardens

Irish Examiner

time08-08-2025

  • General
  • Irish Examiner

Peter Dowdall: Why sedums are the stars of the autumn show in our gardens

There's a point in the gardening year, usually around late August, perhaps you've noticed it already, when everything starts to look a little tired. The first flush of roses is long past, many perennials are starting to flop or brown at the edges, and even the lawns can look worn out from summer foot traffic and sun. It's at this time that sedums step up and quietly steal the show, offering fresh colour and structure just when the garden feels like it's running out of steam. I've always thought sedums (now properly named, hylotelephium, though most of us still call them sedums) are among the most underappreciated stalwarts in the garden. They are wonderfully reliable, tough as old boots, and as generous to pollinators as any plant you could choose. It's no exaggeration to say that sedums are the very definition of a late-summer and autumn performer, carrying the garden through that awkward gap when many summer plants have faded but autumn hasn't yet fully arrived. Most people will know the old favourite Autumn Joy, still found in countless gardens up and down the country, and for good reason. Its strong stems hold up broad, flat heads of buds that start off a soft green, gradually turn pink, then deepen to a dusky red as the season progresses. It's a transformation that seems to echo the changing light and mellowing days. As the flowerheads age, they darken to rich rusts and browns, which catch the low sun beautifully and often last right into winter if left uncut. Bees absolutely adore sedums. Stand by a clump on a warm afternoon and you'll see honeybees, bumblebees and hoverflies practically queuing up to work over every tiny floret. The broad, shallow flowerheads make it easy for them to land and feed. It's a late-season nectar banquet at a time when other flowers are starting to run out. I'd say that alone is reason enough to plant them. In recent years, breeders have come up with an array of new sedums that are every bit as tough and pollinator-friendly as Autumn Joy but with even richer colours or more compact habits. Matrona is a stunning choice, with slightly glaucous leaves and deep purple-red stems that look handsome even before the flowers appear. The flowerheads themselves open pink and gradually darken, giving a long display. For smaller spaces or the front of borders, there's Purple Emperor, with dark plum foliage and clusters of rose-pink flowers that set off the leaves beautifully. One of the best things about sedums is how little they ask of you. They thrive in poor, even dry soils, and too much fertility can actually make them flop. Give them full sun and reasonable drainage, and they'll grow year after year with barely a grumble. They also cope brilliantly in gravel gardens or among rocks, where their succulent leaves seem perfectly at home. If you've ever struggled with sedums flopping open in the middle, it's usually because of too much rich soil or perhaps too much shade. You can try the old Chelsea chop in late May, just take a few centimetres off the top growth, which encourages them to be bushier and less top-heavy. Even if you don't bother, the effect is rarely a disaster. The stems might splay a bit, but they still look natural and graceful, especially when paired with ornamental grasses that weave through and support them. Sedums are wonderful companions for airy grass types like Stipa tenuissima or the upright forms of calamagrostis. The combination of feathery grass plumes with the chunky, domed heads of sedum flowers is one of the simplest ways to give borders a more modern, natural feel. You can also plant them with rudbeckias, echinaceas, or the later asters for a proper autumn tapestry of colour that will carry right through until the first frosts. Leave sedum flowerheads standing over winter as they hold frost and dew beautifully, adding structure when most of the garden is looking bare. Birds also poke about in them for insects. Come late February or March, you can simply shear them back to the base when you see the new rosettes of growth pushing through. Propagating sedums couldn't be easier. You can divide big clumps in spring or even take a few non-flowering shoots as cuttings in early summer. I've often snapped off a piece, pushed it into a spare corner of the garden, and found it rooting quite happily with little fuss. Good gardens aren't just about those first bright weeks of summer. They're about succession, planning for what comes next, and making sure there's always something happening, even as the season starts to wind down. In many ways, sedums capture what I love most about gardening. They're tough yet beautiful, generous to wildlife, and give back far more than they ever ask for. Irish Examiner garden columnist Peter Dowdall. Picture: John Allen

Charity hopes ban will boost butterfly population
Charity hopes ban will boost butterfly population

BBC News

time04-04-2025

  • General
  • BBC News

Charity hopes ban will boost butterfly population

A butterfly charity hopes a government ban on certain pesticides could reverse a significant decline in Butterfly Conservation recorded a 40% fall in butterflies in Derbyshire last year, from 110,425 in 2023 to 65, figures show more than half of the UK's butterfly species have populations in long-term decline - 31 of 59 species have had a reduction in numbers since 1976, when monitoring beganKen Orpe, who runs the East Midlands branch of the Butterfly Conservation, told the BBC: "Butterflies are an indication of the health of our countryside." Mr Orpe said climate change and habitat loss are big factors in declining he added neonicotinoids, a type of pesticide, are the "biggest enemy" of butterflies and welcomed the government issuing a widespread ban on the practice, which he hopes will increase are the most widely-used insecticides globally. They are used on more than 140 crop varieties to control a variety of pests, especially sap-feeding groups have said these are highly toxic to pollinators such as bees and butterflies."If you spray the crops and the butterflies are attracted to the nectar, as soon as they take in the chemical, they are dead," Mr Orpe said."[The ban] should make a big difference but we'll know better in the middle of the year." A total of 350 volunteers were out across Derbyshire on Tuesday counting butterflies,However, Mr Orpe said it is still too early in the year to gauge if the numbers are up or down yet."The peacock is the largest garden butterfly people spotted - we had a dozen at one site but it was one of the only species that did well last year," he said."The rest of them did terrible but it's not all bad news because of climate change, there are some new species moving in to the county."We have had nine new species since 1995 move to Derbyshire which have moved up from the south."I used to have to go to Sussex or Hampshire to see the Purple Emperor but now we get them here."

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