Rowden Meadow

 

A green lane or old track leads between the fields from the NW of Stokeclimsland, to finish these days at a lane. In the past it continued towards the extensive woodlands of the Tamar Valley upstream from Gunnislake. These woodlands are mainly coniferous now but were in the past heathy ridges above a steep valley-side clothed with ancient oak woods. The track must have originally continued through what is now a strip of rough meadow becoming increasingly narrow, until it come to another lane, but it is supposed by local historians, to have been an old droveway to the heathy land at the crest of the deep valley.

Rowden Strip Meadow in March '21. Looking down from entrance gate.

Until a few years ago this narrow strip of meadow was used by a local woman to graze horses but it has subsequently fallen out of use and the Parish Council has taken it over for the community. This has led to a variety of suggestions from interested parties, from dog-walkers to horse riders, an open classroom for children or students, but it has been recognised as a valuable wildlife site because of its comparative lack of management. The hedges running the length of the strip on the north and south sides have a great variety of shrubby and tree species. The part to the west is dominated by tussocky Cocksfoot grass and the further end has an increasing stand of bracken. Among and below this coarse growth is a variety of other herbaceous plants supporting a rich diversity of moths, as already indicated by a few moth trapping events during the last two seasons. Other invertebrates are also no doubt abundant

.Last autumn for example, the area of cocksfoot tussocks was adorned with magnificent Orb Spiders' webs draped across the clumps of tall grass, spangled with dew which shone like jewels in the low morning sun.

Moth Trap.

Many moths have been trapped, identified and then released in several moth-trapping nights over the past 18 months, including this Privet Hawk Moth, the largest native British  moth..

Its caterpillar eats Ash leaves as well as privet.

Bank voles are frequently seen under mats about 18" square laid down to shelter such creatures

.

Walks through the strip at different seasons have shown a variety of beetles, butterflies, day-flying moths, deer, and foxes.

Occasionally, a Roe Deer may be startled, and will swiftly leap into the next field.

Bloody-nosed Beetle, so named because when it's alarmed it exudes a red unpleasant-tasting liquid from its joints which deters birds from eating it.

It is a flightless beetle, generally  seen in spring. It's larvae eat mainly Hedge Bedstraw.

Five-spot Burnet. This is a day-flying moth emerging in June. It's caterpillars feed on Birdsfoot Trefoil.

It has five spots on each wing. In this picture the fifth spot is mostly covered by the overlapping wings. It closely resembles the related Six-spot Burnet.

In early spring the central part of the meadow is a carpet of the golden stars of Lesser Celandine.

Later in the spring, the hedge bottoms and banks are dominated by the red, white and blue of patches of Greater Stitchwort (seen above), Bluebells and Red Campion.

The species-rich hedges of the Rowden Meadow are punctuated by the white blossom of Blackthorn and later, with Bullace, and then Hawthorn, Guelder Rose and Wild Apple (pictured above)

Bright yellow Brimstone butterflies can be seen flying up and down the meadow in search of the paler yellow female. Their caterpillars feed on Alder Buckthorn, another species of shrub to be found in the Rowden hedges.

The warmth of summer days encourages insects such as this Buff-tailed Bumble -bee.

Later still, the brambles are flowering and attract hoverflies such as this big Bumble-bee mimic.This Volucella bombylans is a nectar-feeder and neither bites nor stings.

Autumn brings its own bounty of hedgerow fruit, such as this Spindle, with dark red Haws, purple Sloes, acorns and these bright shiny Guelder Rose berries.(below)

It has been recognised that the wildlife in this strip of meadow needs to be identified and recorded for two or three years during different seasons, to get an idea of what is there, before any management or intervention is done.

The present variety of habitat, with richly-diverse woody species in the hedges on each side of this strip, and the unimproved grassland within it, will arguably hold a greater diversity of wildlife than if it is in the future, completely un-managed and closed natural woodland develops .Already, without grazing, seedling Oaks and Willow, and suckering Thorn are appearing within the grassy area; Bramble and Bracken are encroaching; all signs of the natural succession of plants in their inexorable efforts to revert to woodland when there is no human intervention. 

At some time within a few years, a management plan needs to be instigated and executed, because the size f this meadow strip is too small to be 're-wilded'. 

The current hot topic of 're-wilding' as exempilfied on the Knepp Estate and some  areas in Scotland, is more appropriate when practiced in large areas of land, with sufficient space for a mosaic of vegetation  of different ages to develop. These habitats are  created by the free grazing of a limited number of various animals, each favouring different feeding strategies, from ground-disturbing foraging by pigs to grass-eating and browsing herbivores.