Saving England's most threatened species from extinction
Archive:
4th October 2019
Small Flowered Catchfly Primarily focused on attracting dog walkers to enjoy acres of space where dogs can run free, Dawlish Countryside Park has begun its mission to combat increasing pressure from visitors at nearby sensitive wildlife sites. Some may think of it as a sacrificial site, but look closer and you will discover there is...
Read more3rd October 2019
Arable plants: weeds, or the key to the survival of our farmland wildlife? Arable land cultivated for crops like cereals, potatoes, broccoli or daffodils is part of the farming landscape, but what does the term arable conjure up for you? Whether you picture a romantic vision of scarlet Poppies and bright blue Cornflowers dotted about...
Read more30th September 2019
Working with Arable Plants – Guest Blog Walking along a footpath through a typical cornfield, it is easy to see why someone may be rather nonplussed by arable plants. An occasional creeping thistle or bindweed that has missed the spray boom, may be all that is visible amongst a mono-culture of wheat or barley. Even...
Read more24th September 2019
COLOUR IN THE MARGINS - Ryedale Farm Museum Porcelain Flowers with Sian Hughes This was a rolling activity open to families and adults. On arrival, families were encouraged to research and explore the wild flowers and plants on site accompanied by Lizzie Cooke from Plantlife, and the Creative Activity Journal we had devised and printed. Back...
Read more20th September 2019
Did you know that if you are out in the field and come across a rare, or interesting arable plant, you can record your finding with an app? The rare arable plant app is available for free to download on iTunes or on Android. Arable wildflowers represent an important part of our cultural heritage...
Read more22nd August 2019
Not only have we lost the flowers … My mother who was born in 1924 was keen on wildflowers and had a wildflower book (a school prize for her ‘fieldwork’) in which she ticked off all the wildlflowers she had seen. Under her guidance I too became interested in wild plants from an early age,...
Read more1st August 2019
Brome, Interrupted! Trying to conserve a species of grass doesn’t seem like a job at the most glamorous end of conservation. Interrupted brome (Bromus interruptus - not the most inventive of names) is an unassuming plant – not especially tall, it is a pleasant, mid-green colour and somewhat hairy. Its flowers are the same: green...
Read more22nd July 2019
Mosey in the Margins at South Down Farm On the 11th July, I headed down to South Down Farm in Marlborough, Devon for a joint event with the National Trust. We were hosting a guided walk around the beautiful coastal farm with locals to see what we could find, as well as learn more about...
Read more21st May 2019
As an integrated project, Colour in the Margins aims to deliver conservation benefits across a range of species reliant on arable farmland. Whilst the work that the project is carrying out is specifically designed to address the needs of 13 key species (10 plants and three ground beetles), it was set up to ensure...
Read more15th May 2019
I’m not going to lie, before I applied for the job as Outreach Officer for Colour in the Margins, I’d never really considered arable fields as a habitat for plants and the species that depend on them. I’ve always been interested in conservation and looking after the environment we are fortunate to have in...
Read more