Most of the central grassland is hay (and flower) meadow. However, there are areas outside the perimeter path which are treated differently to the area within the path.

The BCN Wildlife Trust consider the meadow is in a better condition than the current average meadow in England, although this is not the case when comparing with the biodiversity of meadows 50 years ago. About a fifth of Long Meadow is rated as semi-improved neutral grassland. The remainder of the grassland is less species-rich and is classed as poor semi-improved grassland.

The meadow contains over 20 grass species, some of which are uncommon locally, and are considered a feature. These complement a range of flowers, of which about 50 species are well established.

The preferred management regime to improve the floral diversity is to graze the meadow over autumn and winter with both sheep and cattle. The feasibility of this was investigated: it was concluded this was not practical given the many dogs walked on the meadow. (Among other issues, the requisite fencing would be both costly and unsightly.)

The level of nutrients needs to be reduced to achieve the long-term objective of improving the floral diversity of the hay meadow. Consequently, the following is done:

A spring mow (topping) of the grass, in late March, occasionally early April. When practical, the arisings are raked up and removed by volunteers.
An annual hay cut, normally in July, by a commercial farmer. Material left behind after the hay is baled is raked up and removed.
Encouragement given to dog owners to remove faeces – as the latter are a surprisingly significant source of nutrients.

This will be a long process (certainly more so than were grazing feasible).

One of the benefits of the spring topping is that the grass growth is set back allowing early flowers (notably Germander speedwell and buttercup) to get established without being overwhelmed by grasses.

In addition to the above, the feasibility of enhancing the floral diversity by introducing yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor) will be trialled over the next few years. Yellow rattle will be sown over six 6m by 6m plots. If, when compared with the six control plots, on the sown plots there is increased wildflower populations with potentially new species establishing, without adversely affecting the populations of the interesting grass species, yellow rattle may be introduced over more of the grassland.

The timing of the hay cut has been debated. For pragmatic reasons the meadow is cut at the same time as the Abbey Farm fields: the ground must be firm and dry, and there needs to be about five rainless days forecast to allow the cut hay to be sun-dried. Generally, this leads to mowing in the first half of July.

Cutting earlier would result in a greener hay – which is undesirable – and the main plant and grass flowering period would be curtailed. Which is undesirable from an amenity viewpoint.
Cutting later reduces the effectiveness of the mowing to reduce nutrient levels. So while in any one year the main flowering period is extended, over time the floral diversity would reduce.

At the northwest end of the meadow, near the trunk of the old sycamore, the grass is cut infrequently and some left uncut some years. This promotes a grassland with some different characteristics to the bulk of the meadow. There appears to be a colony of Small and Essex Skipper butterflies in this area, for example, which we seek to retain.

Both the spring topping and the hay mow is cut as close to Park Lane as possible with the equipment used. However, the spring topping does not go closer to the Brook than the adjacent path. The area between the path and the top of the watercourse’s bank is divided into three sections for mowing. One section is cut each year on a three-year cycle as explained here.

Near the central lime tree (close to the Brook) the land is lower and damper. This feature is welcomed as it sports some flora tolerant of such conditions.

Paths

The perimeter path around the meadow has developed organically over time. Normally there is no intervention but should the pathway drift towards the centre of the meadow we will nudge it back so this valuable floristic area is retained in full.

The Central Grassland

Paths