Our wildflowers are coming out at Bere Marsh Farm!

We thought we’d give you an update on the work we started last year at Mill Mead to add more native wildflowers and meadow grasses to enhance our floodplain fields for biodiversity. 

Last summer, our CRT conservation team and volunteers reseeded parts of Mill Mead with brush-harvested seed from floodplain meadows managed by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust to create species-rich floodplain meadows. 

Our team went to take a look a few days ago – and were delighted with the results so far! 

Helena Darragh, CRT Head of Conservation, said: “The ox-eye daisies are a stand-out feature, which is fantastic to see. 

“When planting a wildflower meadow, these tend to come first, especially in the first or second year of its development. They are known as pioneer plants, meaning they are quick to colonise and thrive in new areas.” 

Helena said grasses spotted include crested dog’s tail and upright brome and other plants include black medic, a small, yellow-flowered plant often found in grasslands, and some knapweed leaves. There are significantly less bulky grasses in the seeded strips, compared to those which have yet to be cultivated. 

“We’re delighted to see the first plants coming through,” she added. “Native wildflower seeds need contact with bare soil to germinate so, at first, it doesn’t look like much is happening but now it’s starting to show.” 
 
The plan is to increase coverage over the rest of the floodplain fields at Bere Marsh in future years (a total of 13.5ha), providing pollen and nectar for a wide range of pollinators. 

Read more about the project here: www.thecrt.co.uk/blog/wildflower-abundance-for-bere-marsh-next-spring-and-summer 

More ways to support us

If you want to help us protect local wildlife and habitats in other ways you can join as a CRT Friend, attend our in-person and online events and volunteer on one of our farms. You can also sign-up to our monthly newsletter 'CRT News' for regular updates from our farms, straight to your inbox.