As well as managing the orchard to provide a healthy yield of fruit every Autumn, members of the Tree group have wanted it to be a place where wildlife can thrive.
One of the first things to do was find out what wildlife already existed in the orchard. We have been surveying the space since 2021. The first focus for the survey was the flowering plants (not just the apple blossom!) This tells us about plant diversity, insects, invertebrates and higher animals, which depend on that plant diversity.
The surveying has continued, although flowering plants suffered quite badly in the drought of 2022. What we have on these pages are the highlights of what you may see each season in the orchard.
You can also view our field study lists of plants, insects and birds:
Plant list
Insect list
Bird list
We have so far found over 120 different species of flower, over a dozen species of butterfly, and at least a couple of dozen different insect species – that stayed still long enough to be identified. Also over 30 different species in a catch of at least 100 moths were trapped (and released!) during a summer 2023 night session
We will do what we can to enhance the space to build a wildlife presence. Plans for 2024 include replacing the fence along the northeastern border, which given changes to the soil condition, should allow more plantings to include lavender and foxglove. We will also look to make the orchard more welcoming to solitary bees, by providing suitable ‘homes’ for them.