Nimble Fingers and Enthusiasm!

It’s time for a little update on the Anderida Park wildflower meadow trial.

On the 27th August a small group of us gathered to hand harvest some wild flower seed on a beautifully hot summer’s day. Before the meeting I WhatsApped Keith to ask him what we would need, “Nimble fingers and enthusiasm!” Love it………

On arrival at Keith’s wild flower meadow and after quick introductions we got stuck straight into the identification of the flowers and grasses to pick. Having recorded the species in our meadow patch before cutting and covering up I was immediately struck by the abundance of biodiversity in Keith’s meadow; it was phenomenal how many different wild flowers and grasses we had at our feet and the field was literally buzzing and fluttering with insect activity. It was a joy to hear Keith’s extensive knowledge and passion for the subject and it quickly became apparent how all the different species work differently for the soil and wildlife – a magical web of symbiotic interdependence.

I collected samples and scribbled down the names as we surveyed the area so we had a visual reference, then we got to work collecting the seed heads and popping them into paper bags.

Everything we collected is now being dried and will be added to some ‘Weald Native Origin Seed’ donated to the project by Agrifactors (Southern) Limited. Keith explained, ” this is the belts and braces approach as commercial seed has a higher success rate due to the correct processing techniques.” Seeds are very sensitive to heat and humidity.

So the next step is to sow the seed in the coming month. Autumn is the optimum period for seed sowing. Visiting Keith’s meadow we were given a glimpse of the possibility in our own project and it truly was inspiring.

Once again I must thank Keith and his gorgeous wife Fiona for their hospitality and sharing of knowledge. We had such a beautiful morning of learning and doing; it really was the prefect way to spend a Friday morning and we all came away with renewed hope and enthusiasm for assisting nature. Also my thanks to Bryony (plus her little ones) Denise and my husband Paul for your help with seed collection and supporting this project.

Thank you for reading this post and I look forward to keeping you updated.

Sharon x

‘Deepening our connections to nature and each other through creativity’

Seeds collected:
Devil’s Bit Scabious, Dyer’s Green Weed, Tufted Vetch, Sneezewort, Grass Vetchling, Selfheal, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Ribwort Plaintain, Yarrow, Yellow Rattle, Sweet Vernal, Agrimony, Cat’s Tail Grass, Oxeye Daisy, Knapweed, Crested Dog Grass, Grass Vetchling, Meadow Sweet, Hawkbit, Bethenny and Common Spotted Orchid.

N.B We are leaving the carpet on for a bit longer than originally thought, we hope to be sowing the seeds in the next couple of weeks.

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