7 June 2006
Grow your own Haymeadow
Following the success of previous haymeadow creation workshops, Action for Wildlife: the Dartmoor Biodiversity Project, has once again organised a morning workshop providing the opportunity to discover more about Dartmoor’s haymeadows and how you can contribute to their survival. Come along on Saturday 24 June and learn how to create a ‘haymeadow’ habitat on your own land or garden using hay bales from surviving Dartmoor haymeadows. These haymeadows contain a striking array of plants such as the greater butterfly orchid, and support a wide range of wildlife. Sadly, traditional haymeadows are now small and fragmented and there is a risk that these important habitats may disappear altogether.
For the fourth year running, this popular workshop will be held at Southcombe, Widecombe-in-the-Moor, where landowner Dr. Seale has created 4 acres of this scarce habitat. Frances Cooper, Action for Wildlife Project Officer, will introduce the diverse range of plants that can be found in haymeadows, including species such as yellow rattle, knapweed, eyebright, ox-eye daisy and spectacular orchids. Dr. Seale will explain the technique he has used so successfully, and give tips from more than 10 years of experience. Past workshops have also attracted repeat visits from previous attendees, who use them as an informal forum for exchange of ideas regarding their own haymeadow creation experiences.
Action for Wildlife Project Officer, Frances Cooper said:
‘This is an opportunity to find out how you can help to ensure that haymeadows rich in wildflowers do not become a thing of the past.’
Meet at 10 am on Saturday 24 June at Widecombe-in-the-Moor Teignbridge District Council car park (OS grid ref: SX 719 768) next to The Café on the Green. This event is FREE of charge. No dogs please. There will be a ten minute walk to and from the haymeadow. The workshop will last approximately two hours.
If you can’t make it to the workshop, but would like more information, Action for Wildlife has produced the leaflet, Biodiversity in Your Backyard: How to Create Your Own Dartmoor Haymeadow. Copies of the leaflet can be downloaded from the Action for Wildlife web site, click on Publications (external link, opens new window) or telephone Action for Wildlife on (01626) 831072.
Ends
For Further Information
Frances Cooper, Project Officer, Action for Wildlife – The Dartmoor Biodiversity Project. Tel (01626) 831027
Angie Squires,, Assistant Project Officer, Action for Wildlife – The Dartmoor Biodiversity Project (01626) 831072
Notes for Editors
Action for Wildlife (external link, opens new window) was launched in September 2001. It followed on from the highly successful pilot Dart Biodiversity Project. The project is managed by Dartmoor National Park Authority on behalf of a steering group of funding partners including; Dartmoor National Park Authority, English Nature, the Environment Agency and the Duchy of Cornwall. The project is supported by the Rural Development Service.
The overall aim of Action for Wildlife is to ‘maintain and enhance the wildlife resource of Dartmoor’ by helping people who live and work on Dartmoor to carry out practical action on the ground. The project focuses on key habitats and species identified in the Dartmoor Biodiversity Action Plan.
Action for Wildlife – The Dartmoor Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP)
Action for Wildlife: The Dartmoor Biodiversity Action Plan has been produced by the Dartmoor National Park Authority, with financial assistance from English Nature, on behalf of the Dartmoor Biodiversity Steering Group. It outlines the objectives, targets and actions considered necessary to protect and enhance the wildlife heritage of Dartmoor. It is a companion document to The Nature of Dartmoor: A Biodiversity Profile (published by the Dartmoor National Park Authority and English Nature), which describes the wildlife resource of Dartmoor, identifies key species and habitats and sets key conservation objectives.
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This page last updated 7 June 2006
