When I saw a triangle of rough grassland had been freshly mown and was in the first stages of being dug up, I feared the worst for Battlefield. However, there was something about this undertaking that gave me pause for thought.
A woman wearing a green gilet sitting on a bench nearby seemed to be involved. She and her soon arrived colleague, carrying an armful of snacks, beamed re-assurance. They were Wild Intrigue.
I hadn't heard of this group – shame! – but I soon learned a great deal more, all of it exciting.
The rough grassland had proven almost dead ecologically speaking and its roots form a membrane that would resist any flowering plants; this is the result of a gradual process where a dominant species excludes others. The lack of 'intervention' produces stasis. No ruminant animals to break it up by trampling, for example.
The Intriguing Two explained what they were about. Removal and replacement of this triangular patch to make a wild flower meadow, improving amenity but also providing a resource for numerous invertebrates, importantly, bees, those tireless agents of growth and sustenance. At the same time my own fears for this open space remaining open space were placed on hold if not completely allayed.
The 'meadow' will be seeded by the end of this month with a wild flower mix, hopefully involving members of the public.
