Work to protect vital habitat takes place at Ufton Fields Nature Reserve

On 29 January, staff and volunteers from across the country parks service were joined by partners from Warwickshire Wildlife Trust’s Dunsmore Living Landscape team, Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire, and rare plant conservationist Brian Laney to tackle important conservation and maintenance work at Ufton Fields Nature Reserve.
The objective of the day was to preserve and enhance the chalky (calcareous) grassland habitat of the reserve’s Man Orchid meadow, a habitat which can only be found at a handful of sites in Warwickshire. This habitat supports an array of rare species such as Yellow-wort, Ploughman’s Spikenard, Greater Butterfly Orchid, Woolly Thistle, Autumn Gentian, and Man Orchids.

Rachel Baconnet and a newly spotted Man Orchid plant

The group teamed together to remove a substantial amount of the woody vegetation known as scrub from the Man Orchid meadow, the location of the only known examples of this species in Warwickshire. Recovering the calcareous grassland in the meadow from scrub encroachment was identified as a key priority in the invertebrate survey completed by renowned entomologist Steven Falk in 2023, meaning this work was vital to managing the site in the best way to support a wide range of species.

The annual cut and rake of the meadow was also completed to maintain the grassland sward’s ‘bowling green’ appearance, fostering healthy competition between the orchids and surrounding grasses. Swathes of scrub were targeted to create a more favourable environment for the rare orchids to thrive and hopefully expand into.

Overgrown vegetation was carefully cleared from around the early circular leaf clusters (rosettes) of the Man Orchids, under the watchful eye of conservationist Brian Laney! During this process, Country Parks service manager Rachel Baconnet was delighted to discover one of three new Man Orchids plants that hadn’t been noted on-site before. These early records mark a significant milestone in the preservation of this rare species, which had already risen from just 9 plants in 2023 to 21 in 2024.

The team also worked on clearing around a small pond at the bottom end of the meadow which had become choked by invasive willows, blocking the light and limiting the growth of aquatic vegetation.

Our amazing Ufton Fields volunteer team has already conducted a follow-up day to tidy up the completed work and address any remaining scrub blocks. The Warwickshire Country Parks rangers will monitor the Orchids throughout the winter and conduct weed control in spring to keep the grassland in optimal condition.

A big thank you to everyone who got involved in looking after this vital habitat and the rare species it promotes!