Bridford, Devon

As we start to see welcome signs of Spring, we have some exciting wildlife projects getting underway.

Grass verges

As we reported in our last post the Parish Council have agreed on a new, wildlife-friendly management plan for the grass verges in the village.  Look out for our signs which will be appearing once the first cut of grass is made later in March.  These signs will explain why areas are being left to grow long for the benefit of wildlife.  Please bear in mind that this year will be a transitional one; it will take time for the wildflowers to be able to compete with the grasses.  Later in the year we will be seeking volunteers to help us manage this process.

God’s Acre

We are delighted to be working with the Churchwardens and others to assist in creating wildlife-friendly areas in the churchyard.  Our ancient churchyard is likely to be the most diverse habitat in the parish so there are good foundations to build on to encourage wildlife and create a tranquil place for parishioners and visitors.  Again, volunteers will be needed later in the year to assist with this.

Wildlife Gardening

If you have a garden of any kind, you too can create a haven for wildlife.  Here are some ideas:

• Encourage garden birds and provide shelter
• Let a patch of lawn grow long
• Make a wildlife pond
• Plant a flowering tree or berry-bearing shrub
• Sow nectar-rich annuals in a pot or border
• Create a bug hotel
• Stop using pesticides and herbicides

Lots of ideas and advice can be found here: https://www.rhs.org.uk/wildlife.  We hope to have a parish competition for the best wildlife-friendly gardens – watch out for more on this.

If you are involved in a community project in Bridford and would like advice or help in creating a wildlife-friendly area, please get in touch with us by email: [email protected]

Our first project is underway!   We are delighted to report that at their first meeting of the year on 10^th January, Bridford Parish Council voted unanimously to adopt our Bridford Road Verges Ecological Management Plan.

Our plan aims to improve the habitat and increase the value of the verges for wildlife whilst still maintaining a tidy and functional road verge.  To achieve this, we recommended the following:

• Regular mowing of the grass areas immediately adjacent to the road/pavement and anywhere else that access is needed, e.g. paths, benches, bins etc.
• The remaining areas (which will be nearest to the hedge) will be species-rich wildflower meadow, allowed to grow tall and provide seeds and flowers for foraging wildlife and to provide shelter.
• This area will be cut once a year around August/September and the cuttings removed. This year we will over-sow with yellow rattle seeds which will help to suppress the growth of grass in subsequent years to allow the wildflowers to flourish.  We are grateful to the Parish Council for agreeing to meet the cost of the yellow rattle seeds.

As Wildlife Wardens we will liaise with the Parish Council grass cutting contractor to assist in carrying out this new management plan and we will be putting up some signs to let everyone know what is happening to the verges.  If you would like to see a copy of our report to Bridford Parish Council which provides more detail, including photographs showing how each area of verge will be managed, please email [email protected].  You can find out more about us and the Wildlife Warden Scheme at Wildlife Warden Group – Bridford, Devon (bridfordvillage.co.uk)