On Tuesday 22nd October the Hyndburn’s Woodlands Volunteers were back at Whinney Hill woodland carrying out some maintenance work on the butterfly glade located at the top part of the woodland. The glade has a good number of pollinator-benefitting wildflower species, such as cowslip, Marsh mallow, and eyebright.
Maintenance involves using scythes to cut the grassy areas as low as possible, cuttings are then removed to decrease the total available nutrients in that area. Wildflowers prefer nutrient low soil as this reduces grass height which in turn reduces competition for wildflowers to grow.
Once the scything had been completed, volunteers sowed Yellow rattle seeds into the glade by creating a patch of bare soil and then heeling seeds into the soil. Yellow rattle is a species which parasitises grass, and therefore reduces grass prevalence in the area.
Thank you to our amazing volunteers who helped us improve local biodiversity.
Activity funded by Lancashire County Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, and the Windfall Fund.
