On Sunday the 2nd May Bolton NEWT with volunteers planted our 'Woodland Trust' hedgerow pack of 120 saplings. An assortment of five different trees; Dog-rose, Dog-wood, Crab Apples, Hawthorn and Hazel, this combination used around the country would provide nuts, berries and apples for wildlife.
The location was chosen as an area that has had extensive care brought to the site, known locally as Tawny Owl Meadow. In the nearby woods is a Tawny Owl nest box Bolton NEWT restored, the meadow has had yellow rattle sown into it, the balsam has been slashed back year after year and the tree line pushed back to extend the meadow boundary was now being replaced by 120 hedgerow saplings.
The selected area even includes a beautiful long stretch of Red Campion that a few years ago attracted over twenty Painted Lady butterflies, all at once! For Bolton NEWT it's not just important that we create these new wildlife habitats for generations to come that are beneficial for wildlife but that we have the community involved in creating them, without the community support these changes have little benefit or impact if the public don't understand why the habitats are being created.
