The fields were cut on Friday 16th July 2021. The expected hot weather should dry the clippings and there will then be another few visits to rake the hay before bailing it.

How did we decide when to mow?

The possibility of delaying the mowing of Long Meadow was raised at the Village Meeting on 10th June as giving an early opportunity to improve our community’s enjoyment of the site. It was also recognised that we should take expert advice on what is best to do.

Anyone now travelling around South Cambridgeshire will have noticed fields and verges luxuriating with wildflower colours. This contrasts with Long Meadow which is rich in grasses. There are wildflowers, but few are prominent now the cow parsley flowering is over.

A literature search showed that meadows can be cut between June and September, the timing depending on a range of physical and historical factors together with a vision of the plant life supported. We needed bespoke advice; an expert from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (BCN) Wildlife Trust visited Long Meadow on 18th June.

He confirmed that the meadow is dry neutral grassland with a high nitrogen content. This means it rarely floods, the soil is neutral but nutrient rich. The latter results in grasses outcompeting wildflower growth.

A flower rich meadow would support more wildlife and have beauty in its own right. Anticipating this as a long-term goal, we need to reduce the meadow’s fertility now. This will entail mowing the meadow in early July this year and removing all cuttings.

We are continuing to investigate and assess ways the meadow might be managed. We envisage that when the Friends Group is established there will be a conversation with the community to identify what we collectively want for the meadow in the long term.

But in the meantime, we are satisfied that to mow the meadow in July, to reduce the soil fertility, is the right move for this year. This in no way precludes later summer mowing in future years.