As a leading charitable supplier of native wildflower seed, Landlife has over 30 year's experience of growing wildflowers.
The Woodland Wildflowers project followed on the success of the Blue Bell Recovery Project incorporating all twelve of the Community Forests in England.
The range of species was broadened to include other woodland flora species.
Woodland floor Partners
and National Steering Group
A National Steering Group consisting of members of The Countryside Commission,
the Community Forests and Landlife. The National Steering Group would meet
quarterly to discuss the progress of the project and to outline publicity
and marketing strategies.
Community
Involvement
The project linked to a community and schools involvement programme highlighting
its direct relevance to boidiversity and the national Community Forests programme.
It also linked to Local Agendas 21,the Government's "Going for Green"
initiative and the Awareness Sub-Committee of the UK Biodiversity Steering
Group. Each Community Forest ran community involvement schemes locally.
Volunteers participated in events such as "teddy bears picnics" in the spring and seed collections during the summer.
Landlife gave advice and support on methods of carrying out community involvement schemes, drawn from extensive experience of community programming.
Training
The Community Forests carried out seed collections within their area. Landlife
provided training days to provide important expertise.
The training and technical information was summerised in a technical manual written and produced by Landlife and distributed to the Community Forests. Topics include:-
- Authorisation for seed collection
- Targeting species for collection
- Targeting populations for collection
- Identification
- Seed Collections
- Field Documentation
- Seed storage and drying
- Planting of bulbs and sowing of seed
Woodland Wildflower Work
Seed
Collections and Sowings
The Woodland Wildflowers Project developed from the Bluebell Recovery Project
by broadening the range of species from which seeds are collected. Woodland
species are declining in numbers due to the losses of our mature woodlands,
however they are sufficiently common to enable seed collections to be undertaken
without threatening local populations. The sowing of these species in new
woodland plantings can make a real impact on the reversal of their declining
numbers.
Most new woodlands have neglected to add a woodland flora layer. Consequently vital components of the woodland ecosystems they are aiming to reproduce are missing. It is well documented that woodland flora have limited distribution ranges, and to await the arrival of these species into new woodlands is often futile. New introductions are needed.
