Parklands and Wood Pasture
Wood pasture evolved in many instances from the original wildwood that covered much of lowland Britain. Its an incredibly rich mosaic of habitats being a combination of scrub, woodland, open grassland with a scattering of young and ancient trees. Some of the oldest trees in the country are found within ancient forests and wood pastures and they host a fantastic array of Lichens, fungi ,insects, birds and mammals. Many species of the lichen at Arlington are only ever found in areas with a consistent woodland cover of more than 800 years.
Parklands are man made landscape features but they mimic the ancient wood pastures and often have important ancient woodland species and veteran trees associated with them. Grazing in both parkland and wood pasture needs to be managed carefully as over grazing can stress tree roots and graze out important flora. We have 34 ha/ 83 acres of Wood pasture and Parkland on the farm.
Without grazing
where is our parkland - photo
where is our wood pasture
Marsh and Fen
Wet, Alder Carr, orchids, other things! Otter?? birds, wallows by cattle and deer provide ...tell us more! Sedges,
These areas are grazed by our cattle maintaining and improving the habitat by opening areas for wild flowers such as orchids can grow and creating wallows that hold still water, attracting insects and providing a place for small mammals to drink from and frogs and toads??
Acidic Grassland
These marginal grasslands important at certain times of the agricultural year, minerals taken off by grazing eventually producing nutrient poor soil, preventing species to out compete others resulting in a rich, species diverse environment.
Specialist species, solitary beens, field crickets, ground beetles.
Butterflies??
Light grazing prevents scrub invasion, excessive bracken allowing flowering and self seeding.
Hay Meadows
Many of our grasslands are rich in diversity .
Improving diversity of our hay meadows and cutting later to allow for self seeding and
Working with Devon Wildlife Trust and The National Trust we have gathered seed from a hay meadow adjacent to the farm
How do we reseed without ploughing, restoring hay meadows with local species,
Plantain, yellow rattle, grasses and clovers. Deep rooted plants such as plantain bring up nutrients from deep in the soil benefiting grazing stock. Improving and stabilising soil structure.
Our own farm yard manure is spread on a small area of our farm, no other nitrates or fertilisers are used.
Hedgerow
Our hedges are never flailed nor cut.
Hawthorn, Holly, Blackthorn, Hazel, wild rose, clematis, honeysuckle Elder, Willow
Standard trees, Ash, Beech, Oak, Ash, Field Maple.
Provide nesting, foraging, shelter,
Birds, small mammals, dormouse, invertibrats, beetles, stag beetles,
Thick uncut
At the foot wild flowers, Campion, Blue Bell, Stitchwort, Cow Parsley
Nest and Hibernation Boxes
Tawny,Barn Owl, Bats - which ones? Bat survey house roof found ... Dormouse boxes
