BLEDLOW

RIDGE

RECYCLING

CENTRE

In February 2023 we began work at Bledlow Ridge Recycling Centre in partnership with Buckinghamshire Council to help increase the biodiversity, make the area more hospitable and attractive for wildlife. As part of this project we are planting 150 meters of native hedgerow, installing bird and bat boxes and planting wildflowers.

Why? The hedgerow will supply food, homes and shelter to a huge variety of birds, insects and small mammals.

The wildflowers will encourage insects and butterflies to visit and feed. We really hope that the cowslips we plant will attract the Duke of Burgundy butterfly.

And the bird and bat boxes will provide safe homes and nesting areas.

The species in the hedgerow have been chosen to complement the Chilterns landscape. In order to tackle the biodiversity and climate change crises, habitats need to be bigger, better and more joined up and this project does all those things, albeit in a small way! Some of the plants such as Buckthorn are doubly important as the caterpillar foodplant for butterflies in this case the Brimstone.

We are planting Wych Elm for the White-letter Hairstreak which is another Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Priority Species in the Chilterns. (Photo: Butterfly Conservation)

What we’ve been up too!

It’s been a really busy few months and you can see in the pictures below much of what we have been up too. One of our highlights was spotting a muntjac fawn in the long grass margin.

This Biodiversity Action Plan priority habitat provides shelter for invertebrates and small mammals, creates food for butterflies, moths and other pollinators, and creates a living corridor so that wildlife can travel safely from one habitat to another.