In September we worked on the ant hill meadow. We plan to continue clearing the meadow during the coming months.
Email: secretarypontesfordhillfriends@gmail.com if you would like more information. We would love more volunteers!
The meadow (the last one that you walk through as you go round the back of the hill towards the scree slope) has suffered under lockdown. Two years of reduced work parties and grazing have allowed bramble to encroach, with gorse, broom and saplings now growing through. We need to act quickly to restore this very special habitat, home to rare spring flowers, butterflies, lizards, birds and the ants themselves.
We cannot use a mechanical flail to cut over the ant hills, so have begun clearing the bramble by hand and rolling it downhill to rot. In Spring, the sheep will be able to get into the cut areas and nibble back the young bramble suckers, which they love. It will take about three years to restore the meadow completely.