Hyndburn’s Nature Reserves

The entrance started off the year with a total revamp to the steps! The previous wooden steps had begun to warp and were very slippy, so the upgrade was greatly appreciated. Funds were acquired by the Friends of Arden Hall & the Coppice, and the work was carried out by Hyndburn Borough Council.

In spring 2025, both PROSPECTS volunteers and students from Peel Park Primary School worked to remove injurious weeds and sow wildflower seeds. Spring is an important time for wildlife and abundant early-flowering plants are vital for many insects. Currently the gateway does not have many, but we spotted its first Cowslip this year! We hope this means many more to come.

In the summer we watched as the entrance burst into life, with nearly 30 species of wildflowers growing on the banks, attracting large numbers of Red-tailed Bumblebee, Patchwork Leafcutter Bee, white butterflies, day-flying moths, and numerous hoverfly species. Volunteers and the parks department worked to keep the accessibility path clear of vegetation.

In the autumn we carried out our annual cut & collect. With help from volunteers, the banks were strimmed and the parks team took all the cuttings away to prevent nutrient build-up.

All management done this year will be continuing into 2026, meadow creation/restoration/management is a constant process, but the results have already been spectacular! We are looking forward to an even better wildflower patch next year.

Scraping the paths has revealed there is still an issue with water pooling on the lower path, we are looking into fixing this issue permanently but for the short term we have increased the size of the drainage ditch.

If you would like to get involved with meadow management at Peel Park & the Coppice then please get in touch: robert.gabryszak@prospectsfoundation.org.uk or 01254 230348.

1. Green Hairstreak and Common Blue have been absent in previous years but have made their presence well known this year. The foodplant of Common Blue, Bird’s-foot-trefoil, has seen a massive increase in abundance at Pleck Meadow thanks to the management there, which may be the reason for the observation of male and female individuals.
2. It has also been the best year for white butterflies (Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, and Orange-tip,) something which has been reflected in the Big Butterfly Count 2025’s data. All four of these species feed on plants in the Brassicaceae family which contains a variety of crop and wildflower species such as Cabbage, Broccoli, Radish, cresses, Garlic Mustard, Cuckoo Flower, and many more. Their success this year could be related to favourable conditions for their foodplants. This could be seen at the Coppice as there was an abundance of Cuckoo Flower and Wild Radish.
3. Small Skipper, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, and Small Heath have all shown an increase after a 3-year decline.
4. Lastly, Small Tortoiseshell have made a great recovery after a complete absence from the transects and having its worst Big Butterfly Count ever last year. Miraculously, they’ve had their best year on record at the Coppice. Decline in the species has been linked to a parasitic fly from mainland Europe arriving in the 90's.