In 2011, we were given permission to manage the area of grassland and rough land beside the southern end of platform one (the fast train line). We managed it by cutting and hacking back the brambles once or twice a year.
Starting off the site
We started off with a few flowers at the front and relied on natural regeneration. However, natural regeneration led to just grass and scarcely any wildflowers, so we slowly started to dig up areas of the very rough hard ground and plant wildflowers, with generous donations from British Flora and the Robber Kiln Charity.
We were also keen to leave areas of long grass and brambles as tussock grass provides nesting places for bumble bees, and brambles are very important for fledgling birds. Areas of bare earth are important for solitary bees such as mining bees, who make small tunnels to lay their eggs. We left seed heads and stems for insects to hibernate over winter.
Challenges
We’ve had several challenges from this site. We concentrated on the area adjacent to the platform and were beginning to get marjoram, blue geranium and primroses established, but the area was unexpectedly dug up by Keltbray Aspire to lay new cables for Network Rail. In compensation, Kelbray Aspire helped to dig over a large area and planted hundreds of plugs of betony, clover and marjoram, as well as some large plants of knapweed and musk mallow.
In 2014, the area was visited by Lord De Mauley, who was then an environment minister, together with our local MP Andrew Selous, to see this example of how habitat management could help pollinators.
We continued to enlarge the area of perennial wildflowers and planted shrubs such as buckthorn, which is good for the brimstone butterfly.
In 2016 a local wildlife expert Rory Morrissey did a survey; he said that he had not seen so much wildlife for a long while, including rare beetles, several bumble bees and in the spring, he had seen a hairy footed flower bee and a Gwynne’s mining bee.
Unfortunately, London Midland cut down half the wildflower area by mistake, which really harmed the diversity of the flowers and wildlife there. However, London Midland gave us compensation, more plants and help with digging. Two years later the bird’s foot trefoil came back and the primroses and cowslips are spreading.
Supporting rare species
We now have a big range of vetches, birds foot trefoil, wild geranium, campion, oxeye daisies, knapweed, marjoram as well as some comfrey, scabious and teasel.
A wildlife survey in 2016 found that: “The wildlife area supports a vast range of creatures (many hundreds of species), some common and some quite scarce, and provides not only a food source but also a breeding habitat for many of them.”
A hairy-footed bee and a Gwynne’s mining bee are rare bees that have both been recorded at the station.
Keep an eye on our events page for more information about upcoming work parties or awareness days.