Guardians of the Countryside

Guardians of the Countryside

The little group of Bee orchids growing on the edge of a recently established meadow near Westhorpe has just been mown down; a footpath strip of over 3 metres wide has been cut where they were growing.

Bee orchid, just mown down on footpath

Kiln lane, a 2-mile bridle path running between Westhorpe and Badwell Green has been mown, again 3 metres wide. Kiln lane was lined by wild flowers it is now littered with the eggs of ground nesting birds and the 2 pairs of Grey partridges I saw every day have gone.

Kiln Lane, mown 3 metres wide, needlessly

St Mary’s Churchyard in Westhorpe in early spring is peppered with yellow primroses but, these are soon mown down, in May after one of the weekly mowing was missed more wild flowers appeared only to be cut down a week later. The Churchyard is now a characterless lawn studded with gravestones; it could be beautiful and peaceful with wild flowers like many others in Suffolk.

St Mary’s Churchyard mown down

The very many Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterflies that were flying a month ago laid their eggs on the nettles lining the edge of the path running down from St Mary’s. The nettles were cut down this morning.

Footpath where Bee orchids were growing

Well over 90% of the hay meadows in Suffolk have been ploughed up in Suffolk over the last 50 years, they were home to hundreds of species of wild flowers, birds and insects. The only places where remnants of meadow remain are road verges, churchyards, footpaths and some field edges. Many farmers are paid subsidies to establish field margins to try and replicate hay meadows. But, all the places where little meadows could thrive are relentlessly mown down every spring by farmers, parish and county councils, people who should know better.

Allowing these little meadows to thrive is not difficult. Field edge footpaths do not need to be 3 or 4 metres wide, one metre is fine. Kiln lane does not need to cut 3 metres wide, the track made by horses and bikes is ample width. St Mary’s Churchyard only need to be mown round graves less than 50 years old.

Not only is all the mowing killing wildlife it is also expensive, St Mary’s is always fund raising but can afford to have the Churchyard cut every week. The cash strapped Council pays to have the bridle paths needlessly mown several time a year. Farmers who should know better and are paid to manage wildlife field margins thoughtlessly mow the life out of their field margins.

The farmers and land managers round Westhorpe pride themselves on being guardians of the countryside and having little impact on wildlife. The shattered Bee orchids, missing Grey Partridges, sterile Churchyard and featureless footpaths A road width perhaps suggest there is room for improvement.

Westhorpe footpath mown to the width of an A road

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