What is the meadow restoration project?
The aim of the project was to restore the field adjacent to the river
back to a wildflower meadows as it would have been throughout much of
Chester Farms history. The meadow was identified in 2014 as being a good
potential site for meadow restoration, being situated in the Nene
Valley and close to other reserves and protected wildlife sites.
The
field had a good variety of grasses but due to a lack of management had
lost the wildflowers that once would have been present. In spring 2015
the ground was prepared, through chain harrowing, opening up the grass
sward, into which a native wet meadow wildflower seed was sown using
seed fiddlers (traditional hand operated farm equipment). Reverting back
to traditional management of hay cuts will allow the wildflowers to
flower and once again flourish.