Breaking News – March 2026
Late last year some of the meadow areas were cut right back, the material removed was placed in several undisturbed areas to create an area for reptiles. Some of the areas cleared were seeded with wild poppy seed and yellow rattle.
Project context
In the 1930’s 40% of the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was covered in wildflower rich grassland. This habitat was abundant with beautiful wildflowers and supported a huge diversity of wildlife . Wildflower grasslands are particularly important for pollinators such as bees and butterflies, including many rare species..Sadly, agriculture intensification and changing land management practices have led to the loss of almost all of this habitat……less than 1.5% remains!
Deer Park Archers are helping to reverse this decline by supporting Cotswold National Landscapes through their Glorious Cotswold Grasslands project. We have sown a wildflower meadow along the north eastern and north western edges of our site.
The seed was kindly provided by Cotswold Landscapes from local meadows. The seed includes many perennial wildflower species including salad burnet, common knowledge, field scabious, birds foot trefoil, wild carrot, and cowslip. It also includes yellow rattle, a hemisphere-parasitic species which suppresses grass and allows the wildflower to flourish in future years.
