Category: Community & Social Groups

Bridford Wildlife Warden Challenge

It’s wonderful after winter when new life begins to show itself. We would like to challenge you to look for those first signs of spring in the countryside when you are out walking through the lanes in the parish. We would like to know when you see the first lesser celandine which is one of the earliest flowers to emerge. It is common and widespread, often found in hedgerows, open woodland or bare ground, sometimes forming clumps or patches. Their leaves are heart shaped and glossy, the flowers are between 20 and 30 mm across and only open in sunshine. Lesser celandines can also appear in gardens but we would like to know when the first one is seen in the countryside. So why not take a walk around some of the lanes surrounding the village and let us know what you see.

There are other firsts to look for, wild strawberry, a tiny white flower hiding in the grassy banks. Common dog violet, bluish violet flowers often seen in woodland rides, grasslands and hedgerows. Most people can identify a primrose and many will have them growing in their gardens, but can you find the first wild primrose in the parish?

Please send us a photo of your sightings and details of where and when you saw it.  We will publish the results in next month’s Unity and set another wildlife challenge.

The Bridford Verges

The Parish Council have given the go ahead for another year of managing the verges for wild flowers.  This will mean that the verges are left to grow from January until the plants drop their seed in August/ September, bar a 1.5 metre path by the road for access and visibility.  We are hoping to see lots of yellow rattle in later spring, which will start to thin out the grasses and let the wildflowers through.  The first couple of years will still see a lot of long grass, but with ongoing management this will lessen and the amount of flowers will increase.

Bird feeding

Last month we included a challenge to make birdfeeders in Unity and just wanted to add that these were meant as temporary feeders.  Due to bird diseases such as trichomonosis which are adversely affecting bird numbers, if you are using permanent bird feeders please make sure you follow BTO advice that you clean feeders weekly with soapy water and rotate the position of feeders.  There is good advice on bird feeding and the impact of this on the BTO website . Providing plants that provide seeds and berries and encouraging insects through offering them food, shelter and not using pesticides is the best way to feed birds long term. We will be offering suggestions throughout the year on ways to do this.

In our last post we asked for your views on our “Ecological Management Plan” for Bridford’s grass verges which was adopted by Bridford Parish Council in January 2022 and is up for review in January 2023.

Well many of you did respond and we received 11 responses, 10 by email and one Facebook comment.  We were delighted that positive responses outnumbered negative ones by 10:1.  It is very encouraging to know that there are many people in the village who are aware of the difficulties facing wildlife and who recognise the need to take action now to help even in small ways to redress this.

However we are also aware that although we only received one negative response, there will be others who also struggle to see the benefit of such a scheme in the countryside where we are surrounded by farmland and where we have some fantastic natural resources such as the Woodland Park and Rowden Valley Wood, and wonder what the point of it all is.

To them we would say that the biodiversity crisis that we currently face is not restricted to more built up areas and is being felt throughout the countryside also, due to a combination of factors including the intensification of agriculture.  Historically, farming would have allowed for hay meadows which are a nectar rich source for insect pollinators and food source for birds and small mammals, but since the 1930s 97% of these have gone and for this reason the margins of land and what we do with them is important.  Here in Bridford  people who have lived here a long time have told us of a depletion in species such as hares, yellowhammers and house martins.  Though this will be due to numerous causes, one of these is the lack of traditionally managed meadows.

Though the Bridford verges may seem like a small area, they can support a huge number of pollinating insects and will be part of a much larger patchwork of wildlife friendly areas.  Many species struggle to travel far, so wildlife corridors are vital in fighting species depletion. We envisage the verges working with the Woodland park, wildlife friendly farms and gardens, creating corridors throughout the area.

So, thank you again to everyone who responded, and to Bridford Parish Council for their ongoing support.  We would also also like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas as we look forward to 2023 and continuing to work with you all for the benefit of wildlife in Bridford.  Contact us: [email protected].

Our Christmas picture is an original drawing by wildlife warden Lucy Smerdon.

Back in January this year Bridford Parish Council adopted our suggested “Ecological Management Plan” for the grass verges along Pound Lane and Butts Close in the village.  Traditionally these road verges have been managed through regular mowing which, whilst neat, provided minimal shelter or foraging opportunities for wildlife such as bees, butterflies, and small mammals.

 With over 97% of wildflower meadows destroyed since the 1930s, well-managed road verges can be a vital refuge for bees, butterflies, birds, bats and bugs and help to replace those missing wildflower meadows.  Our plan proposed regular mowing of a 1m strip of grass immediately adjacent to the road, and around any amenities such as seats, dog bins etc, with the remaining areas allowed to grow long from Spring through to Autumn giving native plants the opportunity to flower and set seed.    If we get the plants right a wide range of wildlife has a better chance of thriving.  One mile of wildflower-rich verge can produce 20k of nectar sugar – enough to feed millions of pollinating insects.  Implementing this plan will also help to reduce carbon emissions through cutting less, and will create more diverse and resilient habitats that are better able to cope with climate change.

Of course there have been challenges along the way.  The regular cutting regime together with fertiliser run off from fields and dog waste have combined to increase the fertility of the ground which benefits the grasses and plants which are considered invasive or problem plants such as docks and thistles (we removed these by hand in early August before they had a chance to seed). Our plan included the sowing of yellow rattle seeds which, once established, draws water and nutrients from grasses growing around it and can reduce grass growth by up to 60%.  At the beginning of October your Wildlife Wardens and long-suffering family members completed the scarification of the verges and sowed yellow rattle seeds where they can make contact with the soil and hopefully have a good chance of germination in the spring.

Another challenge has been the unusually warm, wet weather we have had since the grass was mown in late August.  The grass is now growing very strongly and will require cutting soon, and perhaps again as the grass needs to be kept short until the seeds have actually germinated.

 Yet another challenge has been the need to remove the clippings after the main cut in August when the grass is long.  These were left in piles in the hedges by the contractor but the Parish Council wantedus to remove these.  Again we rose to the challenge and one of the Wildlife Warden team and her husband filled 12 large dumpy bags with the now heavy and soggy grass cuttings and made 4 car trips to and from their garden to put on their compost heap (see photo).  Going forward we have requested that the Parish Council arrange for the contractor to either take away the grass cuttings or take them to a designated place in the village (perhaps on the allotments?)

But the greatest challenge of all has been changing hearts and minds.   People are used to seeing neat grass verges and we all know that accepting change (however sound the reasons) can be difficult.  If you live in Bridford we would love to hear your views.  Please drop us a line at wildlifewarden@bridfordvillage.co.uk to let us know whether or not you support our Ecological Management Plan.  Perhaps you may have some ideas for helping us to manage the verges more effectively with wildlife in mind or would like to offer your help.

We would like to thank Jon Garner from GE Consulting (ecological, arboricultural and land management services, www.ge-consulting.co.uk) for his work harrowing the grass verge prior to our early October working party.

Bridford Wildlife Wardens have been looking at our local hedges.  The Wildlife Warden scheme has been set up by ACT (Action for Climate in Teignbridge) for people to work in their local area to encourage wildlife, helping to create a mosaic of connected habitats throughout Teignbridge which will in turn connect with the wider country. Hedges play a vital part in this connectivity. In a heavily managed landscape such as we have in the UK, wildlife has limited options for moving between areas to fulfil basic needs of feeding and reproduction and fragmentation of habitats is a key cause of wildlife depletion. At best, hedges offer a bountiful network of fruiting trees which is a highway for insects, birds and animals to travel between areas such as scrub and woodland to access food and mates. For example, the dormouse relies on hedges as a route between small woodlands, moving through the branches in shelter and feasting on the nuts and berries.  Without the ability to make these small but crucial journeys, the population will become isolated and eventually die out. Thanks to Frank Vassan for this photograph.

So when thinking about a cut please consider GIVE CUTTING A REST if you can; KEEP IT HIGH; DON’T CUT TOO CLOSE; CUT LATE. Give cutting a rest so that the hedge can regenerate and produce fruit in the 2^nd and 3^rd year; Keep it High so that the hedge provides shelter and nesting opportunities; Don’t cut too close so that the hedges structure is not damaged (a hedge will start to die if flailed to the same point every year); Cut late ideally in late Winter so that bird and mammals have a bounty of food throughout the winter.  And if you don’t have a hedge?  Maybe consider planting one of native species and connecting it with a neighbours and enjoy the wildlife that comes to visit.

Do comment or contact us at [email protected].

A huge thank you to everyone who took part in our Wildlife Gardening competition!  We had 15 entries ranging from tiny courtyard gardens to expansive wildflower meadows.   During August’s heatwave our judge, Paul French, visited each garden/smallholding accompanied by one of Bridford’s Wildlife Wardens.  It was inspiring to see so much care and attention going in to creating an exciting variety of habitats for wildlife, and everyone who entered has helped to raise awareness of the importance of gardening with wildlife in mind.  

Once all the gardens had been visited we held an informal presentation in the Woodland Park to which entrants and their families came for light refreshments and to see who had won!  Everyone who entered was given a Certificate to commemorate their efforts.  

We’d like to thank everyone who helped to make this event possible including Teign Valley Nursery, Teign House Inn, Whippletree Farm, Bridford Parish Council and Paul French who had the difficult job of deciding who had won in each of 3 classes.  More competition-related posts to follow!

Contact us: [email protected]

and the butterflies, moths, beetles and hoverflies …… which in turn feed the bats, birds, hedgehogs and so on and so forth!  (with thanks to Lucy Smerdon for her original wildflower drawings)

You may have noticed that the grass verges have recently grown a bit, erm, wild! Fear not fellow villagers, this is deliberate and with the agreement of the Parish Council. This is one of our first projects as Wildlife Wardens to see what we can do to support our local wildlife in Bridford. The aim being to provide food (pollen, nectar and seeds) for a variety of herbivorous animals which will in turn provide food for omnivorous and carnivorous predators further up the food chain. It may only be a small patch in a large patchwork, but our hope is that this patch (the verges), along with other patches in the countryside (such as gardens, hedgerows, woodlands, wildflower meadows) will form a network of habitats that can provide a corridor for wildlife to move freely through the land and to provide food, shelter and breeding habitats, particularly as they may need to spread and adapt as climate change effects the environment around us.

So, what have we got so far? We took a stroll along the verges in May to find out. We counted over 40 wildflowers, our favourites being knapweed, cinquefoil and herb robert (pictured), alongside lady’s smock, common cat’s-ear, ox-eye daisy, yarrow and many more. We are so pleased to see so many flowers in bloom, but the grasses definitely dominate the scene. In an attempt to suppress the grasses and allow the wildflower to compete, at the end of the season we shall be sowing yellow rattle (aka hay rattle), an annual that parasitises grass species. We will report back with our results next spring!

We would love to hear what you are doing within your own “patch” to support wildlife. Why not enter our Wildlife Garden Competition?  Closing date is tomorrow 30th June so be quick!

https://form.jotform.com/kittyindevon/wildlife-gardening-competition

Only two weeks left to get your entry in (closing date 30th June), with judging taking place in the first week of August.  No matter how small or large your wildlife gardening project, we’d love to hear from you.  There are 3 classes: adults/children/smallholders, with a fabulous prize donated by local business for the best in each class.  It’s so easy to enter: just click on this link:

https://form.jotform.com/kittyindevon/wildlife-gardening-competition

Come on Bridford gardeners!   There has been so much interest this year in creating more wildlife-friendly gardens.  Even the winning garden at Chelsea Flower Show was about rewilding Britain’s landscape.  We can all do our bit by providing a variety of different habitats in our gardens.  Perhaps you have a mini-wildflower meadow, or a wildlife pond, or have planted a hedge where previously there was a fence.  Whatever you have in your garden, please enter our competition.  There are 3 great prizes: A meal for two at the Teign House Inn; A £25 voucher from Teign Valley Nursery and a Vegetable Box from Whippletree Farm.   There are classes for adults, children and smallholders.  But hurry, the closing date for entries is 30th June!

It’s easy to enter: just complete this simple online form:

https://form.jotform.com/kittyindevon/wildlife-gardening-competition

There’s more life in St Thomas Becket Churchyard than you might think!

Since at least medieval times this has been an important religious site and the plants that can be found here provide hints about the human influence on the site that get the imagination rolling.  Here’s a few that spring to mind:

Yew trees are poisonous to livestock and are thought to have been planted to discourage grazing over these sacred areas. In some churchyards, the yew trees have been found to be older than the churches themselves!

Lichens are not a plant as such but a symbiotic relationship between algae and fungi species. A variety of lichens grow on the headstones of the graveyard (with my untrained eye I counted at least 5 types). They grow very slowly 0.5– 8 mm/ year depending on the species. I noted one that was about 20cm wide, perhaps up to 400 years old?! I couldn’t read the engraving to confirm sadly. A school/ university project for someone in the village perhaps?

Grassland forms most of the habitat cover in the yard, but even this tells a story. Perhaps sown and re-sown many times during the church’s history and disturbed and mown countless times. The sweet vernal grass is flowing now – so called because it is sweet smelling when cut and comes up in the spring. Self-sown wildflowers are present that are considered “indicator species” of grasslands that have been modified/managed through human activity, with intriguing common names such as common cat’s-ear, ribwort plantain, hedge bedstraw, primrose, ladies’ smock and cuckoo pint. Curiouser are the plants found in the walls: navelwort, spleenwort and toadflax.

Then we have the garden flowers planted by loved ones lamenting lost ones: Spanish bluebell, grape hyacinth, daffodil, and tulips. Followed by some garden escapees that may well have made their own way to church: red valerian, honesty, and mind-your-own-business.

This great mixture of wild and garden plants provides a perfect opportunity for wild bees, hoverflies butterflies, moths and many more insects. These in turn feed other wildlife like hedgehogs, birds and bats – all the way up the food chain to birds of prey like the tawny owls that are regularly heard hooting around the village at night.

We are working with the churchyard guardians to enhance and protect this valued space for wildlife in the heart of the village. You can do the same in your garden, for example by leaving part of your lawn unmown until late summer to allow wildflowers to flourish.  However small your project you are helping to increase the diversity of habitats which benefit wildlife.  If you live in Bridford please consider entering our Wildlife Gardening Competition.  Full details can be found in the Telephone Box, Bus Shelter, in the Village Hall or online here: https://bridfordvillage.co.uk/bridford-wildlife-gardening-competition/

Contact us: [email protected]