Team Wilder Story Thornbury Orchard Group

The group of volunteers at Thornbury Orchard Group are a dedicated, knowledgeable, sociable and enthusiastic bunch of volunteers - genuinely welcoming and down to earth. They spend a lot of time managing the site for the benefit of wildlife and the many human visitors to the beautiful site. They also won a Bee Bold Award in 2022. Definitely worth a visit! 

They're part of the Sustainable Thornbury Group, which aids and promotes food growing and climate action on a local level, with good relationships with parish and town councils and South Gloucestershire Council.

The wildflower meadow was seeded in 2016 and is an important 'restaurant' for the local bees and other wildlife. It is managed by the group. After a visit from the Team Wilder Community Ecologist, a question was asked about meadow management: Oxeye daisy were sown into the meadow area on site and used to flower in high numbers, but now don't. The oxeye daisy on the Bee Bank have been more successful. Yellow rattle has also been failing.

Oxeye daisy’s are a short lived perennial which establish quickly and are known as a pioneer plant.  The species readily takes to bare ground and flowers from the second year onwards before other perennial wildflowers are able to establish and grow. Oxeye daisy’s need disturbed, open soil in order for the seeds to successfully establish, preferring well-drained soils in full sunlight. The site of the wildflower meadow is quite wet and includes other wildflowers and grasses. It was recommended to focus on other perennial species in the meadow, more suited to the conditions.

Yellow rattle is an annual and therefore relies on self-seeding. When the plants die, they self-seed into the surrounding bare ground.  A number of factors can influence the success of yellow rattle establishing in a meadow; including the need to be sown in autumn with fresh seeds, good contact with low to medium fertility soil. It is difficult to establish with coarser/’tussocky’ grasses (e.g. cock’s foot and perenial ryegrass), which is abundant within the meadow. It was advised the cornfield annuals are sown in the autumn alongside yellow rattle seeds, to act as a ‘nurse plant’. Try in small patches, where cocks foot has been removed and create 50% bare ground within particular areas, to see if the yellow rattle establishes.

The Bee Bank was created in 2019 with hands on help from Sally Pattison Biodiversity Officer at South Gloucestershire Council. The local building merchants GAPS supplied the sand and gravel. The bees only like pit sand. 

ADVICE: It's important to let people know that this is a bee back so they don't climb on it! Signs are used here. 

The orchard is home to many varieties of trees - each labelled and looked after in a traditional and sustainable way. Interesting history of the orchard dates back over 200 years, evidenced with maps when the site was home to a Mill, powered by the Pickedmoor Lane stream. The site was owned by the local miller when Queen Victoria came to the thrown. His mill pond was just over the road, where the stream still flows under and the Mill, a little further down stream.

Riparian management

Access for dogs  It is likely that the eroding of the bank has been partly caused by the use of dogs. The limited vegetation along the stream to stop dogs from entering the channel at any point. Limited access points can be created by planting native vegetation on the bankside.

Stabilising the bankside

• Plant rhizomatous species alongside the bankside to form dense root mats beneath the soil. Eg. Nettles, purple loosestrife, common reed, greater pond sedge, yellow flag iris and meadow sweet. NB They spread quickly so will need to be managed (e.g. cut off the faded flower heads before the seed ripens and falls). They’re also beneficial for pollinators. Look at seed mixes for ponds and watercourses to help stabilise the banks.
• Planting tree and scrub species alongside the bank will help stabilise the soil. E.g. Goat willow is fast growing, prefers wet conditions and can be easily managed through coppicing.
• Sow an annual ryegrass into the bankside (such as Westerwold Ryegrass) as it is capable of extremely fast growth and can help with controlling erosion and act as a nurse plant for perennials. However, supplier advice is needed about specific management, such as frequent cutting and the immediate removal of arisings.
• Dead hedging could be created alongside the footpath, using the coppices from the willow, in order to form a natural barrier to walkers and dogs. The feature would also act as a good shelter/refuge for wildlife.
• Other recommended species alongside the river corridor (suitable for wet conditions) are blackthorn, dogwood and hawthorn.
• Create ‘tussocky’ grassland alongside the river corridor (between patches of scrub) and on the steep slopes either side of the footpath, to slow the surface run-off flow. These steeper slopes during heavy rainfall will act as a buffer along the watercourse, reducing flooding.
• The woodland on the southern side of the watercourse could be thinned in order to allow more light to reach the understorey, especially along the western part of the river. Vegetation will then be able to grow on the northern side of the watercourse and help to stabilise the bankside.