Recovering floodplain plants on Lugg Meadows

Thanks to funding from Natural England (NE) through its flagship Species Recovery Programme (SRP) we are beginning a project in autumn 2023 to recover two rare floodplain meadow plants: narrow-leaved water-dropwort and mousetail.

The project aims to recover populations of narrow-leaved water-dropwort (Oenanthe silaifolia)and mousetail (Myosurus minimus) - through habitat enhancement and sowing/planting at Lugg Meadows nature reserve on the edge of Hereford in the River Wye Catchment.

Both of these plants are key within floodplain meadow grassland but this type of habitat is now scarce in the UK. It is believed that the Lugg Meadows may be the only place where the scarce narrow-leaved water-dropwort is now found in Herefordshire while mousetail is nationally rare and in decline in the UK.

Lugg Meadows should be the perfect site for both species to thrive but some aspects of the site and its management are currently preventing this with only small populations of each species found at the site. The project will allow us to address these issues so that the species can recover here.

What we will be doing

• We will harvest and propagate seeds and plant resulting plugs at new locations on the project site where our target species have disappeared or become rare.
• We will survey to identify the best areas for donor and receptor locations and to measure the success of the sowing/planting.
• We will install infrastructure to enable cattle grazing throughout the project site.
• We will identify where drainage channels are impeded and carry out re-profiling to improve their efficiency.
• We will increase local knowledge, understanding and engagement of the floodplain meadow habitat, the specialness of its wildlife and its importance to carbon sequestration and flood management .

Contact:

For more information, please contact Esther Clarke, Nature Reserves Manager e.clarke@herefordshirewt.co.uk