A programme of seed harvesting is helping to create and maintain healthy grasslands in Calderdale.
Calderdale Council’s Parks and Countryside Teams, in collaboration with dedicated local volunteers, have been taking part in work to hand-harvest seeds from vital wildflower plants.
Working with local landowners, teams have been collecting seeds from wildflower plants including yellow rattle. This is an important wildflower that plays a crucial role in supporting grassland restoration by reducing the density of grass cover, allowing other wildflowers to thrive.
The yellow rattle seeds collected included those from a local subspecies which is not available commercially and has qualities which mean it has a reduced impact on neighbouring plants.
The seeds collected will be scattered at sites across the borough to support efforts to restore local grasslands.
Grasslands are important habitats for many plants and animals and are also used by farmers for grazing.
Wildlife such as bees, butterflies, moths, hedgehogs and some bird species live in grasslands. These areas also help fight climate change by storing carbon and improving soil health.
When managed well, grasslands can reduce flooding by slowing water flow during heavy rain. Sadly, many of Calderdale’s ancient grasslands are in poor shape. Some are overused, while others are neglected, causing these habitats and their wildlife to decline.
Creating and maintaining healthy grasslands is part of the Calderdale Ecological Emergency Action plan. Harvesting and scattering wildflower seeds is one of the actions to help restore these important sites.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Housing, Cllr Scott Patient, said:
“This year, we launched the Ecological Emergency Action Plan for the borough, outlining work to protect Calderdale’s landscapes and wildlife and promote nature conservation and restoration.
“Projects like this feed into the plan, showing how small actions can have big impacts. A lot of research goes into identifying where we can achieve wide-reaching environmental benefits, and the seed-harvesting project is one of the ways we’re supporting biodiversity and promoting climate resilience.
“We’re so grateful to our passionate volunteers, whose work is vital for borough-wide conservation efforts like this, and local landowners who have supported the work. When we work in partnership, we can continue to make a difference, and we welcome and encourage people to support us in our varied and important countryside work.”
People can get involved in seed collection and wider nature conservation work by signing up to the Countryside Volunteers, with work parties each week in different locations across the borough on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays:
https://new.calderdale.gov.uk/jobs/volunteering/volunteering-opportunities/countryside-formal-volunteer(external link)
Find out more about the Calderdale Ecological Emergency Action Plan and its key theme of ‘creating and maintaining healthy grasslands’, at Calderdale Ecological Emergency Action Plan(external link)