News from Lugg Meadow November 2020

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust has started a new volunteer group to support our work in the local area, covering Lugg Meadows and Hampton Meadow Mature Reserves.

This group means that volunteers from Hereford can join regular conservation work parties without the need for personal transport and will provide a real boost to these special sites.

The group is running once a month (on the first Friday,) and will be undertaking practical conservation work as well us helping the Trust to increase our monitoring coverage during the growing period next year.

Our current task is cutting the vegetation surrounding the ponds on Rickyard pasture. These were put in in 2016 to provide habitat for amphibian and invertebrate species. By removing the vegetation late in the year, we give wildflowers the chance to drop seeds before mowing and by removing the hay we take away the nutrients that otherwise allow more robust grasses, docks and thistles to out-compete - keeping the area diverse. We have also taken out some willow to prevent it potentially taking over the ponds and shading out the banks. 

For more information, please contact Volunteer Conservation Support Officer: Ian James i.james@herefordshirewt.co.uk