Monday 30 March 2020

Henllys LNR CoVID-19 Home Wildflower Project

March 2020

Due to the CoVID-19 outbreak, several projects planned for Henllys LNR this spring and summer have had to be abandoned or postponed. However, the Henllys COVID-19 support Group gave me a chance to think about what we could do together even though we are all at home apart from each other.  from From this, the Henllys LNR Home Wildflower project was born. So far 45 different families across the area have come together to take part in transforming part of their gardens into native wildflower havens.
Map showing rough distribution of Households taking part
https://drive.google.com/open?id=19ihKs7BVbuyiE4zAyMeYB9QUi39qla52&usp=sharingI created a downloadable introductory document which helps local residents to understand what we are trying to do and contains all the recording sheets and guidance on what photos to take.
 
With help from Sammy Gawler, a local teacher, we have created a wildflower detectives series of activities to entertain and educate children at home. This work will also provide data which will be analysed by local children.

Finally, I created a "how to" document, which details how residents sow their native wildflower seeds. I also created a short practical demonstration on the principles of transforming areas of lawn into a wildflower meadow.

Links to downloads:
1. Introduction.
2. Wildflower Seed Detectives
3. How to prepare grounds and sow wildflower seeds
4. YouTube video of a practical demonstration of wildflower seed sowing

How to sow a wildflower area; an applied practical demonstration
Wildflower Seed Detectives
Oct 2018 - grass patch being dug over between my neighbour and our houses
Post-seeding and being tamped down
Same strip in June 2019
Same strip in June 2019 from above
Chamomile shark moth caterpillar (same strip) - July 2019.
Same wildflower strip (July 2019) 
Hoverfly on corncockle (same strip July 2019)

  You can view some of the wildflower areas across the project on the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HenllysHomeWildflowerGroup