Flower power in aim to bring back colour
Six areas of open spaces will be transformed into traditional flower-rich pasture and meadows under a scheme by Cannock Chase Council.
Six areas of open spaces will be transformed into traditional flower-rich pasture and meadows under a scheme by Cannock Chase Council.
The project is being run by the council's countryside team.
They hope to bring back meadows filled with wildflowers. Traditional pastures and meadows have been disappearing due to urbanisation, changes in agricultural practices and inappropriate tree planting. National and regional action plans aim to promote their recovery.
It is estimated that 98 per cent of flower-rich pastures and meadows in Cannock Chase have vanished since 1945.
Now the council is hoping to prevent further extinction by changing the way six sites are maintained in the district – Anglesey Park, in Stafford Lane, Hednesford; Green Heath Park, Green Heath Road, Pye Green; Hawks Green South, Hayes Way, Heath Hayes which is part of the Mill Green and Hawks Green Valley nature reserve; Norton East Road, Norton Canes; at Jerome Road, Norton Canes; and Brindley Heath Park, Brindley Heath Road, in Brindley Heath.
Currently, they are open green spaces but contain no wildflowers.
The change will see them transformed into colourful havens for butterflies and bees. Instead of regular mowing, one cut-and-gather will be carried out at the end of each summer.
This mimics a traditional hay cut and, over time, wildflowers will return to the spots. The long grass can also be home to ground-nesting birds like skylarks.
At each of the sites an area of 12 acres, approximately the size of five football pitches, will be returned to traditional flower-rich pastures.
Councillor Tony Williams, cannock chase council environment leader, said: "We are very lucky in the Cannock Chase District to have some of the most beautiful countryside in the whole of England, and we should be very proud of our open green spaces.
"I am pleased to see that we are supporting biodiversity in this innovative way and that we are actively working to ensure the return of flower-rich pastures and meadows. We can all look forward to seeing more wildflowers at these sites across the district."
