Tattenhall Mini Meadows

Annual cornfield mix of wild flowers

Tattenhall Mini Meadows is being launched this year to encourage as many people in the village to grow wildflowers,. This could be in a small part of your garden, part of the border, part of the lawn, or even in a pot. The local council CWAC has a biodiversity plan – Wildflower and Grassland Strategy.

Some of the green spaces around the village have been earmarked to grow wildflowers and to let the grass grow and flower. The new development in the Spinney and the Community Orchard will be sown with wildflower mixes by the council. This will encourage insects, butterflies and bees, which in turn provides food for birds and mammals.

We already have an important meadow in Glebe Meadow, this is an area of unimproved grassland area that contains wildflowers, right in the middle of the village. There are only 2% of such areas left in the UK today. This is a precious designated Local Wildlife Site which is quite fragile and needs to be protected and preserved for future generations. It is species rich in grasses and wildflowers.

There has been a dramatic reduction of pollinators due to a number of factors – the use of pesticides, and more intensive farming has meant that the fields around us do not support a healthy population of insects and birds. There are opportunities to introduce wider wildlife margins and therefore increase biodiversity. Such margins might contribute to increases in Barn Owls and, for example, provide more habitat for hedgehogs. You can do this on a much smaller scale in your garden- don't mow up to the hedge or fence leave a small (or even large) patch where grass can grow tall and wildflowers can grow.

Science has also shown that fields that have greater biodiversity with flowers as well as grass are 30% better at capturing carbon from the atmosphere. This is due to the complexity and diversity of the root structures.

Here is where you come in- grow more wildflowers and flowers that attract pollinators in your garden. Sow seed or plant little plug plants. Enjoy the sight of bees and butterflies visiting these flowers. A lawn can be just a green manicured carpet, neat and tidy, but it is not alive and buzzing with pollinators.
Let that clover flower, self heal, buttercups, dandelions grow, enjoy the daisies at a minimum. Let the grass grow and get involved in "No Mow May". Enjoy the wildflowers in 'Blooming June' and 'Knee High July'. Strim in late July- early August. when the seed of the flowers will have set and fallen to germinate next year.

It's not too late to sow seeds – Get involved in the Mini meadow project.  There will be a walk around the Mini meadows in late June.

For more Information:
Contact transition.tattenhall@gmail.co.uk
or Tattenhall Garden society at tattenhallgdnsoc@gmail.com

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