You Can Change Our Future!

Greening Cowfold is a new initiative brought to you by Cowfold Parish Council.

We are set up to help our village become a more sustainable, biodiverse and healthy place to live. We want to work with all the organisations and businesses in Cowfold. So if you, or anyone you know, would like to plant trees, help Cowfold homes become greener or get involved in any way – we’d love your help. Please get in touch by emailing us at greeningcowfold@gmail.com.

NO MOW MAY 2022 is here…!!

Plantlife’s No Mow May campaign doesn’t ask you to do much. In fact, it asks you to not do anything at all… Just lock up your lawnmower on May 1st and let the wild flowers in your lawn bloom, providing a feast of nectar for our hungry pollinators.

Full details of the campaign can be found on the No Mow May page on the Plantlife website.

Cowfold Butterfly Haven
The Kicking Field

Background, Plan and Potential Species

Location

The Haven is situated in the western corner of the Kicking Field on the Acorn Avenue Estate.

April 2022 Update

Last Autumn we had a contractor lift the turf and power harrow the ground in preparation for the creation of a small wildflower meadow.

The area was seeded with a specific heritage grass/wildflower mixture which is finally showing some signs of life.

It is important that the grass is of a type that will not outcompete the wildflowers and best results are when the soil is of relatively poor quality as the wildflowers will grow quite happily whereas the grass growth is limited.

An exceptionally dry April has reduced the Wildflower germination but, at last, the first signs of tiny wildflower plants are becoming visible amongst the grass.

The first year was always expected to be a relatively poor one as the plants need at least a full season to become established. Wildflower seeds can lie dormant for a number of seasons and so we need to be patient but once we see the results, we can judge if we need to consider re-seeding the area.

A chalk mound has been created to form a specific habitat needed to attract some of Britain’s rarest butterflies. In time this chalk will become covered in grass.

We have also planted some Alder Buckthorn as this is the only plant on which the Brimstone Butterfly will lay its eggs.

Fingers Crossed!!