Fulham resident Emma Robertshaw worked with the council on a project to boost wildlife in her local park
Wildlife is thriving in a small meadow by the Thames after Hammersmith & Fulham Council teamed up with a local resident on a scheme to boost biodiversity.
Last summer, nature-loving Fulham resident Emma Robertshaw contacted the council to see if it would consider leaving a patch of grass in Rowberry Mead to fallow until the end of the summer, giving wildlife a chance to flourish in the warmer months.
And the results have been brilliant. Given a year to thrive, the grass is now nice and long, buzzing with bugs and full of flowers.
“By working with Emma we’ve managed to create a paradise for wild animals, bees and pollinating insects and returned a small part of the borough to nature,” said Cllr Wesley Harcourt, H&F Cabinet Member for Environment.
“We want to work with residents to make the borough a better place for nature and we’re grateful for Emma’s help in achieving that here.
“Now we can explore where else in the borough we can create similar wildlife hotspots.”
Great for insects and other wildlife
Speaking of how the scheme came about, Emma said Rowberry Mead was her nearest park and is enjoyed by many families and children.
“Early last summer I noticed lots of wildflowers growing there. However, these all disappeared when the grass was cut. This seemed like a real shame because there are so few wild flowers in Fulham and there aren’t many good places for wildlife locally,” she said.
“Wild flowers are beautiful and great for insects such as bees, and long grass is also good for wildlife. So I contacted the council and asked them to consider leaving parts of the meadow to grow and they agreed to give it a go this year.
“The result has been fantastic with some lovely patches of long grass and beautiful wildflowers such as yarrow, ox-eye daisy, mallow and purple knapweed.
“I’ve noticed some spectacular butterflies in the long grass and the birds love it too. There’s a colony sparrows living in the hedge alongside the park and they like feeding on the insects in long grass – so do local starlings, blackbirds and goldfinches.
“Nature’s in trouble in this country – so simple things like letting grass grow long can really help – and it brings pleasure to people too.”
Want to read more news stories like this? Subscribe to our weekly e-news bulletin.
By sending us a comment, you are agreeing to our publishing policy.
