OWLS

Many of you may have noticed the wild area at the back of the church in Oxhill which OWLS is beginning to develop for its wild flowers and biodiversity. So far, we have recorded 56 different wild flowers as well as many grass species and several species of butterflies have been seen.

Developing a wild flower meadow can be done in different ways depending on the desired flora. Regular monthly cutting with a break in late Spring/early Summer can result in fine grasses and a good show of wild flowers or just one cut in the Autumn can encourage tussocky grasses and those tough flowers that can compete well. Last year, OWLS did the latter and, along with the wet year, the grasses went truly wild. Thus the last cut was difficult and raking off the cut vegetation was a tough job! Removal of the cut material is important to help reduce the nutritional value of the ground which encourages plants to flower. This year it was decided to do a Spring cut as well as the later one and we are delighted to see that a bank of cowslips has appeared. We are now extending the wild area further along both sides and the two new areas will be cut more frequently to find out how the flora varies under a different management regime.

Some maintenance will be needed throughout the year as well as the final rake off and it has been suggested that people outside of the OWLS group might enjoy helping with that. We are holding our first maintenance day on Sunday 7th July starting at 11.00am. If you are interested just come along with gloves (thistle removal is one job!!), secateurs, shears and rakes or contact Grenville Moore for further information (01295 680664). Children will be welcome.

This site is maintained by villagers of Oxhill for the benefit of the community and those interested in the history, news and activities that make the village such a pleasant place to live.

Send mail to the editor of the Oxhill News at news-editor @ oxhill.org.uk.

Last modified: June 20, 2013