National Meadow Day , Curry Rivel

National Meadows Day - Saturday 1st July.

Curry Rivel Wildlife Survey Group

To mark this day we invite you to visit our own local meadows located in Holdens Way for a guided walk.

Eastfield Community Meadow and Batty Piece, a private nature reserve and wild flower meadow.

Car parking by Westfield Recreation Field.

Contact us for details of guided walks between 2pm and 5pm.

Please contact me for alternative arrangements

Contact David German 01458 259688 or email at davidgerman555@gmail.com

               

        Pyramidal Orchid                                            Marbled white butterfly                       Grass vetchling and   Goat’s-beard

"Meadows, once a feature of every parish in Somerset are now an increasingly fragile part of our national heritage but all is not lost. National Meadows Day is the perfect way to explore and enjoy the flowers and wildlife of Somerset's magnificent meadows and understand their special place in our shared social and cultural history.

 "Beyond being a quintessential sight of summer, meadows' value to our wildlife cannot be overstated — a single healthy meadow can be home to over 80 species of wild flowers, such as cuckoo flower, yellow rattle, orchids, knapweed and scabious, compared to most modern agricultural pasture which typically supports under a dozen species."

Claire Parton, ‘Save Our Magnificent Meadows’   Project Manager for Somerset Wildlife Trust

PCNR Pond Workshop event.

http://www.somersetwildlife.org/PCNR


phttp://www.somerset reptiles and amphibian group

Yesterday I attended a pond workshop organised by PCNRN for its members. We met  in East Lydford. Our hosts had  constructed their very large pond , almost a lake by most standards, in 2005 and  it had now matured into a nature reserve. After a talk about its construction and their experience with vegetation issues we had a go at pond dipping with good results finding Dragon Fly nymphs and many other interesting residents in the pond. We were fortunate to have with us John Dickenson from the Somerset Reptile and Amphibian Group to identify our catches.( see link above). Around 15 members all seemed motivated to do more with their own ponds. Some were in the course of construction. Problems and questions were aired and experience was shared. Very useful.
More information about PCNR Network can be found on the SWT website as shown above.

Walk round a special meadow.

Babcary Meadows WildWalk

Thursday 22 June 18:3

Join us for the launch of our new WildWalk around Babcary Meadows Nature Reserve! With an introduction to the meadows by Reserve Manager, Mark Green, and apple juice kindly provided by Orchard Pig.

Please note:  there is limited parking available at the Red Lion Inn. Please wear sensible clothing and footwear. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Dogs welcome but must be kept on a lead.

This event is Kindly supported by Orchard Pig, The Heart of the Levels Area Group of volunteers and The Red Lion Inn

Where
The Red Lion Inn, Babcary, Somerton TA11 7ED

Contact/Booking Information, for more information please contact stephanie.wheeler@somersetwildlife.org

Cost
Free event but donations welcome

Information about the meadows.

50 years of local conservation:
Supported by its members Somerset Wildlife Trust has been protecting vulnerable wildlife and preserving wild places for 50 years. Throughout 2014, the Trust  celebrated its golden anniversary year by encouraging local people to ‘Love Somerset, Love nature’. Babcary is just one of 72 nature reserves under the Trust’s stewardship, which helps ensure Somerset remains one of the most wildlife-rich places in the UK.
Please donate to Somerset Wildlife Trust’s meadow appeal:

Make a donation and help the Trust keep meadows like Babcary Meadows special for people and wildlife.

As you cross the River Cary, which flows gently along the southern edge of the reserve, Babcary’s secrets begin to be revealed.

It’s like stepping into history, back to a time before the Second World War when meadows like this were a common sight in our countryside.

The fields are botanically-rich; June brings bee orchids, yellow rattle and common spotted orchids, whilst water voles inhabit the riverbank and the songs of skylarks and other birds add to the atmosphere of this rural idyll.

Somerset Wildlife Trust Reserves Manager Mark Green said: ‘I love Babcary Meadows – it’s such a tranquil place and there’s always something different to see, every time I visit.‘From late May, the salad burnet gives a lovely red hue to the landscape then, in June and July, there are hundreds of butterfies, such as meadow browns and marbled whites fluttering around.’