For the past couple of months, we have been collecting seeds from the Cowbar bund and cliff top plants to sow along the south verge. This will encourage wild plant diversity which will increase pollinator populations and provide a welcoming, varied environment which draws in wildlife and connects stretches of habitat for them. It will keep the soil healthy and balanced by encouraging roots which go down to different levels and use different nutrients in the soil, while widening the range of micro-organisms and bacteria present. Improving plant diversity can increase the carbon stored in grassland soil by as much as 10%.
The verges can play an important part in creating a robust and healthy ecosystem on Cowbar. You can read more about the massive benefits of verge management in the Plantlife document ‘Managing Grassland |Road verges’ : https://www.plantlife.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Managing-grassland-road-verges_2020.pdf
Campions, Poppies, Vetch and Birdsfoot Trefoil are all growing well and we are encouraging them to spread, along with the yellow rattle planted two years ago.
We’ve also spread some of the Spotted Orchid seeds and some Corncockle, Cornflower and Borage seeds which we were given by neighbours to plant out in the spring
The range of seed heads on the cliff top have been popular with the birds, with the goldfinches loving the Thistle heads, Dandelion and Ragwort seeds. They also love Teasel seeds. A flock of at least thirty of them has been around most days this autumn – not always visible when they are perched on seed heads but suddenly rising up and moving on in a great cloud, and very easy to hear. You can read more about the Goldfinch here.
At the end of September, the council carried out its annual mow of the verges but ignored the bund this year. Paul Murphy, the Redcar and Cleveland countryside ranger, managed to bring along a volunteer to flail some of the bund vegetation but couldn’t manage all of it. It will be interesting to see how the new growth next year responds differently to the cut and uncut sections.
We have been trying to rake up all the arisings from the verges for two reasons. One is to stop the rotting grass adding too many nutrients to the soil. If this happens it favours grasses and the coarser, more dominant plants which can crowd out a wider range of wildflowers. The rotting grass can also create a thick thatched mat that stops the more delicate plants growing through.
It’s backbreaking work and volunteers are always welcome to help! Once the arisings have gone, well scatter the rest of the Cowbar seeds we’ve collected and add some extra Yellow Rattle seeds to the ones we sowed last year. These need to go in soon so they are in the ground over winter to experience the frosts they need to germinate.