Dear Blogger
Message from David Shearan
WILDFLOWER MEADOW AT BRIDGE FIELD, PLATT BRIDGE Some of you may have noticed that the meadow was cut this weekend. It was almost certainly a
little early because pollinators were still taking advantage of the remaining flowers. This was
more a matter of convenience because Dave Peate was out with his magic mower cutting paths at
the Spinney and he may not have been able to find the time later on. The good thing is that
many of the wildflowers had already produced seed heads so these will have been returned to
the soil. The meadow has an inherent problem which is the richness of the soil. This means that docks are
petty dominant and the wildflowers can struggle to compete. There was a suggestion that some of
the topsoil could be removed and replaced with poorer subsoil and this will be explored for next
year. In the meantime the cuttings from the recent mowing will need to be removed soon to prevent
them further enriching the soil. Volunteers anyone?
