It is well known in the village that Fifield and the surrounding area has the most wonderfully varied seed bank of wild flower species. The recent Wildflower and Orchid walk organised by the PCC provided the perfect illustration of this; where the conditions are created for wildflower, and especially orchids, the abundance of them is quite breathtaking (huge thanks to the PCC and Mr White for the opportunity to see this).
Orchids in the village, we are lucky enough to say, is not a new thing either. New or not, with the enormous loss of grassland meadow in the UK in the last 50-70 years, every area of these beautiful and rare flowers is certainly something worth celebrating.
Like the haymakers of old, in a time when grassland meadow species (and the associated invertebrates and bees) were abundant, Green Fifield have been removing the arisings from a section of verge leading out of Fifield village towards the Stow Road. Additionally, some members of the village have chosen to manage their own roadside verges in a way which improves the conditions for wildflower species. In the essence of the 1989 film quote, “…build it and they will come”, this management of the land has provided the conditions for a wonderful array of wild orchids during the 2023 growing season.
Why rake the cuttings? Arisings (or cuttings) left on top of the ground act as compost to enrich the soil and stifle the grown of delicate species. Removing these cuttings is key, as wildflowers thrive on soil with low fertility and open access to the air.
Pyramidal orchids (Anacamptis pyramidalis) and Bee orchids (Ophrys apifera) have both been spotted in the village and the managed verges approaching the village. A beautiful and very special testament to the efforts made by Green Fifield and other residents to promote the abundance of wildlife we are lucky enough to have on our doorsteps.
In September, the verges approaching the village will again be cut by Oxford County Council and Green Fifield will be organising our 3rd Annual “Great Rake” to remove the cuttings, further promoting the spread and variety of wildflowers. We hope to see lots of you there (details of the event will be circulated closer to the time).
