Devon SSSI nature reserve and eco lodges - Maggie's Blog
28 May
The cows are back...
The cows are back to graze Lower Newland Moor and Popehouse Moor. This year it's 4 young bullocks from Higher Punchardon Farm. Our neighbours brought them on 23 May - Monday - but I've not had a moment to record it until now. They'll be on Lower Newland Moor, the field with the turbine, for a few weeks. Then we'll let them through to Popehouse Moor, once the orchids have had a chance to flower. Andrew says they won't make a dent in the grass, but we've agreed to graze both fields lightly this year so as to give wildflowers more chance. And this management is being supported through Natural England's Higher Level Stewardship Scheme. If it ends up undergrazed, well we'll have to rethink the numbers.
We're really excited to have been accepted into the HLS scheme because it will hugely accelerate our management for wildlife, supporting things like hedgerow restoration. One of the boundaries on the list is the one beween Popehouse Moor and Lower Newland Moor. That will help link up the landscape as we manage the two together, hopefully meaning that over time Lower Newland Moor will become more like Popehouse Moor, with many more of the same flowers.