TOE funds the creation of a traditional orchard in the Vale of the White Horse
The team at Ashdown Farm set about turning two hectares of horse pasture into a biodiverse traditional orchard within a wildflower meadow.
The orchard was planted to provide an important habitat for a wide range of species: for example, mammals such as dormice, hares and bats; birds such as barn owls, woodpeckers, bullfinches, tree sparrows and thrushes; rare insects such as noble chafer and stag beetle; and plants such as mistletoe, as well as a wide range of lichens In 2021, 114 varieties of fruit trees (including apple, plum, pear, gage, damson, quince and medlar), 65 fruit bushes (including species such as Gooseberry, Worcesterberry, Loganberry and Jostaberry), and a diverse grass and wildflower seed mix were planted.
The second-year monitoring reports are back, and the results are really encouraging. Since 2021, there has been positive progress for biodiversity found across the site.
All 200 of the orchard trees originally planted are looking healthy and about to receive their Autumn pruning! The diverse grass and wildflower seed mix appears to have taken well, increasing the overall floral biodiversity on the site from 39 species in 2022 to 46 species in 2023. The total wildflower coverage increased dramatically across the meadow, covering 40-50% of the site this year compared to just 5-10% a year before. Species such as yellow rattle, wild carrot, bird’s-foot trefoil, and salad burnet have begun to compete with the previously dominant grass species, creating a more diverse sward.
Despite not yet meeting the desired criteria, the grassland is significantly closer to Lowland Meadows in 2023 than it was in 2022. This is fantastic news considering how recently work began on this site. We’re looking forward to seeing what else shows up at the site in the coming years!
Wildflower grassland, July 2021
Wildflower grassland, July 2022
Wildflower grassland, July 2023