YOU ARE VIEWING ARTICLE - ID:20100311008

Title: Winning Wildflowers Author: Yorkshire Wildlife Trust  ID & Publication: 20100311008 ~ The-Villager.co.uk  Area: Maltby  Subject: Charity

Following a long and difficult winter for wildlife spring seems to be finally sprouting up all over Yorkshire. In a few months time the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust will start to see wildflowers appearing at the Maltby Low Common Nature Reserve just outside of Rotherham thanks to a grant from Rotherham Sustainability Partnership.

Maltby Low Common has a huge diversity of wildflowers which led to its classification as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Wildflowers are vital for insects like bees and butterflies that rely on them for food. But, as shrubs and long grasses (scrub) grow they complete for space and push out wildflowers by shading them from the sunlight. To ensure the continued diversity of these precious flowers the grassland habitat has to be managed, by removing all the scrub by hand. With help from the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers Trust staff will be venturing onto the common to undertake this work on the 18th of March.

Reserves Manager Nabil Abbas said: 'The work will protect and enhance the threatened limestone grassland. The volunteers will not only be removing scrub but also learning about the management of this rare habitat.'

'The limestone grassland at Maltby Low Common is located on an unusual type of rock called Magnesian Limestone (or dolomite), which only occurs in a narrow band running approximately North-South from Durham to North Notts. The Wildlife Trust manages a number of reserves along this chain, from Rotherham all the way up to the North Yorkshire / Teesside border.'

'With a changing climate wildlife will need to move North and South along this Magnesian Limestone corridor in order to survive, so it is important to have areas of good quality habitat all the way along this chain to benefit wildlife in the future.'

If you would like to help with the practical conservation volunteer day then please call the Trust on 01904 659570 for more information. You can also visit our website to find out what else the Trust is doing in your area at www.ywt.org.uk.


Stop Press
•     Maltby Common - Following a long and difficult winter for wildlife spring seems to be finally sprouting up all over Yorkshire. In a few months time the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust will start to see wildflowers appearing at the Maltby Low Common Nature Reserve just outside of Rotherham thanks to a grant from Rotherham Sustainability Partnership.

There are no pictures to accompany this article