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The Fritillaries Have Finished Flowering

The fritillaries have finished flowering for this year. The hay crop will soon grow and will be full of wild flowers. Conditions on the meadow are now quite wet and muddy after the recent rain. River levels have also risen in recent days.

We are running a Practical Scything and Meadow Management Course on Saturday 10th July 2021. The course will be on North Meadow and will be run by Richard Brown, Chairman of the Scything Association of Britain and Ireland.

This is a  unique opportunity to learn to scythe on one of the UK’s best lowland hay meadows and is suitable for anyone wishing to keep their garden or wildflower area in check through to those managing a larger area of meadow for conservation. 

Learn how to use, sharpen and maintain a scythe.  Find out about timing the hay cut and making hay.  There will be plenty of mowing practice to develop your technique under instruction. 

If you are interested in this course we have a few places left and you can find out more here.

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The Fritillaries are Just Past Peak Flowering

Update from Natural England

The fritillaries are now just passing their peak, but there are still plenty to see on all marked routes – the further you walk up the meadow the more you will see without leaving the path.

Please continue to stick to paths marked with posts – whilst you may think you are being careful there are far more non-flowering individuals which look like grass that are easily trampled. Dogs also trample, and disturb ground nesting birds so please keep them on a short lead.

TOP TIP – bring binoculars, this will enable you to see the true extent of the flowers further out in the meadow.

We have placed a whiteboard at the entrance to the meadow giving up to date information on the best areas to see flowers.

Enjoy your visit!!

Charlotte Taggart
Natural England Reserve Manager
Email: charlotte.targett@naturalengland.org.uk Continue reading “The Fritillaries are Just Past Peak Flowering”

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The Fritillaries Are Now Flowering

The fritillaries are now flowering although they are still not at their peak as they have been held back by the cool weather.

Cricklade Bloomers are not able to run the Fritillary Tea Rooms this year but they will be selling cakes, plants and books in the courtyard next to the Thames Hall during the weekends on 17/18 April and 24/25 April.  They will be there from 11.00am to 4.00pm. Continue reading “The Fritillaries Are Now Flowering”

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Winter Flooding Recedes

North Meadow from main entrance

The winter flooding has started to recede but the site is still extremely muddy and slippery under foot. Natural England are asking people to stay off the site for now whilst the remainder of the water dries up.

The first Snake’s Head Fritillary shoots were spotted at the beginning of March. We are hoping they will have a good year this year and put on their stunning display in April. Continue reading “Winter Flooding Recedes”

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North Meadow in Flood

North Meadow is in full flood this week. The National Nature Reserve is part of the floodplain for the River Thames and River Churn. Floodplains take the excess water when river levels are high and can extend over a wide area. It is quite normal for the floodplain to be inundated during the winter months and is one of the features which creates this species rich for lowland hay meadow habitat. Continue reading “North Meadow in Flood”

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Conservation Grazing Vital for Biodiversity

Conservation grazing is about to start on North Meadow National Nature Reserve . Grazing with cattle following the hay cut is of vital importance to maintain biodiversity. North Meadow is a species rich lowland hay meadow habitat which is now very rare in the UK. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) estimate that less than 1500 ha of this habitat remain in the UK today. Continue reading “Conservation Grazing Vital for Biodiversity”