Volunteers have provided a befitting flourish of wildflower planting at the finale of the three year Heritage Lottery Fund “Saving Our Magnificent Meadows” project. This autumn and winter they have gathered time and time again to wield mattocks and trowels in the cause of giving nature a home - planting out 1036 wildflower plugs of wild thyme, rockrose, squinancywort, dropwort and hairy violet across 8 fields and 3 butterfly banks at RSPB Winterbourne Downs, with 88 plugs planted out by owner Henry Edmunds on new downlands at the nearby Cholderton Estate.
Many of these wild flowers are also important food plants for the specialist butterfly fauna of the chalk downlands. Common rockrose is the key food plant for the brown argus butterfly, and cistus forester moth, and hairy violet for the dark green fritillary. Dropwort, a close relative of meadowsweet, wild thyme and squinancywort are all characteristic plants of the grasslands on Salisbury Plain, which we are aiming to replicate. The knowledge and enthusiasm that volunteers have gained during this project will ensure that this work to top up the fledgling chalk grasslands and butterfly banks at RSPB's Wiltshire reserves will continue into the future.
On a glorious November's day, following a team meeting, the whole of RSPB’s Wessex team including our South West England Regional Director, Nick Bruce-White, joined the "Big Plant Out". The bulk of the planting has since been undertaken by a committed band of regular volunteers in more varied weather conditions. Volunteer, Simon Dawson, and now an experienced and all weather plug planter said ”I really enjoy this sort of voluntary work – it’s good to feel that you are helping nature, but also learning new skills by working with RSPB staff. It is interesting to learn what the various insects like to eat and how the carefully chosen planting regime can benefit”.