Bridford, Devon

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]