What’s new?
31 March 2008
Blooming gorgeous in Bedfordshire
Wild flowers are on show this spring at our stunning chalk grassland reserves
Fabulous displays of wild flowers, such as orchids, violets and cowslips will be in bloom at Totternhoe Knolls Nature Reserve, near Dunstable, from April.
The site is managed by The Wildlife Trust to enhance the rare chalk grassland habitat for its special plants and animals. Chalk grassland is one of our rarest and most endangered wildlife habitats. It only occurs in Western Europe and is one of our richest plant communities – over 30 kinds of wild flower can be found in a single square metre of land.
The Totternhoe Knolls Little Hills area was formed by medieval quarrying which left spoil heaps that have developed into impressive flower-rich chalk grasslands. The site now has many types of orchids, from common spotted, fragrant and pyramidal, to frog orchid and the common twayblade. Cowslips are the food plant of the caterpillars of the scarce Duke of Burgundy butterfly and the rare small blue butterflies also live here. The reserve has Site of Special Scientific Interest status.
The Wildlife Trust was recently awarded just over £1,000 from the Chilterns Conservation Board for essential habitat improvements at Totternhoe Knolls Little Hills. Trust staff and local volunteer teams will remove invasive scrubby vegetation, such as hawthorn, bramble and rose, to open up the grassland. This will allow wildflowers to flourish, which in turn provide invertebrates such as butterflies with nectar sources. The Chilterns Conservation Board is also providing assistance towards the Trust’s work on an important chalk Local Wildlife Site nearby.
Other Wildlife Trust chalk grassland nature reserves in the county include Blows Downs, near Dunstable and Pegsdon Hills, near Hitchin.