We'd like to say thank you to everyone who came along to our wonderful Wildflower Walk event this Sunday 29th June. Also a big thank you to Charlie, our brilliant botanical expert, for her time and wealth of knowledge, I thoroughly enjoyed this event :)
With Charlie's help, we got to grips with grasses, wildflowers, sedges and rushes. We discovered some of the vast array of species on Malvern Common, including bird's foot trefoil, tufted vetch and common spotted orchid.
We spent the first half of the morning looking at a quadrat sample, and we were so surprised at how many species we recorded in this small area. Armed with our ID guides and hand lenses, we learned about the different species present and what they can tell us about the land - what soil they may be growing in, what species of invertebrates you might expect to see.. as well as how these special habitats are managed.
Malvern Common is cherished for its natural environment of species-rich grassland and a large proportion of it is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Due to changing agricultural practice and neglect, this habitat is in decline nationally. It is estimated that by 1984 in lowland England and Wales, semi-natural grassland had declined by 97 per cent over the previous 50 years.
These habitats support colourful flowers such as lady’s bedstraw, common knapweed, bird’s-foot-trefoil and orchids and wildlife including the marbled white and green hairstreak butterflies. The Common also plays a vital role in our own lives, providing recreational benefits.
We received positive feedback for this event, and we're really looking forward to a repeat event of this kind next year!
